REACTION - Maryland 76, Samford 49

Now THAT'S more like it.

What better way to get past Sunday's awful loss at Mississippi State than to flip the script of it? This time, the Terps came out firing instead of flat and got up big early instead of falling well behind. They were up 17-2 just over 6 minutes in, ripping off a 16-0 run to take control that they never let go of.

This was pretty much an excellent game for everyone but no one shined brighter than the biggest star. Lynetta Kizer was a perfect 8/8 from the field, including a three, for a game-high 20 points. She really needs to stop alternating good and bad games but for now, this was a very good one and she should be proud. There's really not much more to say here; obviously you can't criticize perfection and I've said it a million times with Kizer: when she's on her game, she's a flat out superstar and one of the best post players in women's college basketball. Consistency is her issue and she still needs to work that out.

Strangely, Kizer didn't have a single defensive rebound and only 3 rebounds total but the Terps didn't need her to be dominant on the glass today. In fact, no one really put up big rebounding numbers except for Essence Townsend off the bench (who got significant playing time for the first time in a few games) who had a game-high 7 boards. If she can keep cleaning the glass like that, she might be able to win herself some more playing time, especially considering that Yemi Oyefuwa doesn't seem to have made the strides necessary to crack the lineup regularly. For now Frese can get by with only one center but what happens when Kizer gets in to foul trouble against a team with actual size? Townsend might be needed later in the season so it's good she gets some work in now and is able to succeed in at least one phase of the game, even if it is just in garbage time against an undersized mid major.

But back to this game. Tianna Hawkins really lit it up in the second half; 5/7 shooting to score 10 of her 14 points. She continues to be a factor off the bench. Diandra Tchatchouang basically repeated her Mississippi State game: only two field goals but both were threes. If she keeps knocking down that outside jumper, she won't lose her place in the starting lineup. Hawkins seems to thrive more coming off the bench anyways; it's very important to have a strong 6th man and it looks like the true freshman can be that.

The backcourt also performed extremely well. Both Dara Taylor and Anjale Barrett got the start as Frese either opted to go small against a small team or she wanted to see who played better between the two to determine the starting PG going forward or maybe she had no confidence in her big girls besides Kizer or maybe some combo of the three. But if they both keep playing like they did yesterday, they might both stay in the starting lineup. Each had 7 assists and Taylor's two turnovers were the only ones between the two. Very, VERY encouraging game for both, especially after the turnover-filled disaster that was Sunday. The team as a whole turned it over only 9 times and had 19 assists so that was a complete 180 from 28 and 4 in Starkville. Taylor had 11 points on 4/10 shooting and was 2/4 from three with 4 rebounds. Barrett only had 2 points on 1/2 shooting but grabbed 5 rebounds. I think Taylor's the better option as the starting point guard going forward since she's shown much more of an offensive punch (especially from beyond the arc) and she seems like more of a natural running the offense, but Barrett is certainly a good option as well if she keeps playing like this.

We haven't even mentioned Lori Bjork yet, who was a part of the backcourt's fantastic performance. She really had a nice breakout game with 11 points on 4/8 shooting and she was 3/5 from the three point line. That's how she has to shoot if the Terps are going to be really good. Encouraging performance from her. All 11 points came in that first half when Maryland built its big lead.

All in all it was a great game and a total turnaround from Sunday. The team really needed this dominating performance against a not-that-bad team. They should have another couple of layups over Thanksgiving break before dealing with Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, a competition they traditionally rule.

I'd still like to get a post about the national landscape of women's college basketball up sometime soon. Maybe later tonight if I'm in the mood. Don't expect anything from me tomorrow obviously but you never know when I'll need to get away from family (kidding...sorta.) If nothing else, there will be a Howard gameday on Friday when the team, well, plays Howard. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.