Terps waltz past Appalachian

Eager to atone for a dismal performance in Maryland’s only defeat of the season, Jade Perry found redemption against Appalachian State.

Perry had 16 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, and the No. 9 Terrapins used a 66-point first half to cruise to a 118-59 victory last night at Comcast Center.

Perry had no points, one rebound, four turnovers and three fouls over 17 minutes in Maryland’s 80-75 loss to second-ranked Tennessee on Nov. 26. The 6-foot-1 sophomore stewed about it for days, then literally rebounded with a vengeance against the smaller Mountaineers.

“I had to get the job done, because in my mind I felt that I let the team down versus Tennessee,” Perry said. “Tonight, I just had to go out and step my game up.”

With Perry leading the way, the Terps’ transition game repeatedly burned Appalachian State for easy baskets. Maryland shot 60 percent and outrebounded the Mountaineers 54-23.

“Jade came ready to play from the tip. She was extremely aggressive, and I thought her rebounding is what really sparked us,” Terps coach Brenda Frese said. “Gosh, it’s fun to watch Jade play when she plays that aggressively. That’s how she needs to play every game.”

Shay Doron scored 20 points, and Crystal Langhorne, Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver had 17 apiece for the Terps (5-1), who had six players score in double figures.

“A lot of people are seeing our firepower, how many different weapons we have. It’s exciting, because of how unselfishly we’re playing,” Frese said.

It was Maryland’s most lopsided win since a 102-31 rout of Maryland-Eastern Shore in December 1993.

Greteya Kelley led Appalachian State with 17 points. It was the Mountaineers’ worst loss since a 113-54 drubbing by Tennessee in the 1999 NCAA tournament.

The Terps shot 59 percent before halftime and outrebounded Appalachian State 31-12 in building a 37-point lead.

The only suspense in the second half was whether Maryland would break the school record of 121 points, set against Drexel in 1992. Although the Terps fell tantalizingly short, they broke the 100-point barrier for the second time this season after going 88 straight games without doing so.

Maryland scored on its first six possessions to take a 13-3 lead. It was 15-8 before a three-point play by Langhorne sparked a 10-2 run that put the Terps up by 15 with seven minutes elapsed.

When Doron hit a 3-pointer and added a free throw for a 35-17 lead, Maryland was shooting 74 percent from the floor (14-for-19). The rare four-point play got the Terps started on a 14-2 spree that made it 45-19.

The margin swelled to 30 points when Toliver nailed a 3-pointer with five minutes left in the half.

Story Continues →