Mincy, Moseley step up in tournament victory
The future of the Maryland women’s backcourt is in good hands with sophomore Laurin Mincy and freshman Brene Moseley. Monday night in the second round of the NCAA tournament, the duo took good care of the present as well.
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In a 72-68 victory over Louisville, Mincy scored 24 points, pulled down seven rebounds and blocked the potential game-tying shot with four seconds left. Moseley rose as well, playing 14 minutes in the second half, producing five points and five assists.
The 6-foot Mincy has been a starter all season, developing into a second option after ACC player of the year Alyssa Thomas. Her emergence Monday night was no surprise. It was coach Brenda Frese’s trust in Moseley, however, that spoke volumes. In Maryland’s most urgent situation this season, there was no hesitance to employ Moseley at the point against the veteran backcourt of the Cardinals and the relentless pressure it applied.
| sweet 16 |
| No. 2 Maryland vs. No. 3 Texas A&M |
| When » Sunday, TBA |
| Where » PNC Arena, Raleigh, N.C. |
| TV » ESPN/ESPN2 |
“When Brene’s on the court, and she’s smiling, there’s just a feel from her,” Frese said. “I thought she was just confident.”
Sunday in Raleigh, N.C., when No.?2 Maryland (30-4) faces No. 3 Texas A&M (24-10) in the Sweet 16, the Terrapins could again look to their backcourt of the future for comfort in the present.
Mincy and Moseley arrived at Maryland coming off injuries. Both suffered torn ACLs before their respective senior seasons in high school — Mincy at University High in Newark, N.J., and Moseley at Paint Branch in Silver Spring. Neither played a game in their senior year.
Mincy made a splash in her debut at Comcast Center, scoring 15 points in a win over Monmouth. But in her next game, Mincy missed all eight of her shots in a loss at Georgetown, setting the tone for an uneven freshman season in which she showed potential but lacked confidence in her game and her health.
This season as concerns over her knee have dissipated, Mincy has grown as a scorer and defensive stopper. She averages 13.2 points per game, second on the team to Thomas (17.1 ppg). Mincy is shooting 43 percent from the floor, up from 38.2 as a freshman, and 39.4 percent from beyond the arc, up from 27.4.
Coming off her injury, Moseley has had a freshman season similar to that of Mincy. The guard hit five of six shots and scored 17 points in her college debut. Five days later, Moseley scored 26 points against Towson, the most for a Terps freshman since Kristi Toliver in the NCAA tournament in 2006.
But as the year progressed, Moseley has been prone to inconsistency. Her slashing, aggressive style has produced points and assists in bunches but also turnovers. Her shooting has remained strong throughout as she has hit 44.6 percent from the floor and a team-best 40.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Moseley has yet to wrestle the starting point guard job from reliable senior Anjale Barrett, but there’s plenty of playing time in her future.
“When you know your players well enough, you can see the different levels of confidence,” Frese said. “Brene loves playing in big games. I just thought she made so many tremendous plays [Monday]. Obviously when things are working, you keep a Brene on the court.”
