Starting tonight, the road to the Final Four should be getting bumpier for the top-ranked Maryland women?s basketball team.
Maryland (15-0) opens its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule with a 7 p.m. showdown against N.C. State (11-3) at Comcast Center. The Terps own the nation?s longest winning streak, having won 21 straight dating back to last season?s NCAA tournament.
Maryland has done nothing this season to warrant anything less than a No. 1 ranking, outscoring their opponents by an average margin of 87.3-55.3. And the recent addition of transfer guard Sa?de Wiley-Gatewood, who is averaging 13 points, 4.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds in the three games since becoming eligible, has made the team even more dangerous.
“I think now that we?ve got 15 games under our belt, along with adding Sa?de, we?re really meshing well together at the right time,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. “Now, we?re excited and anxious to see how well we play against teams for the No. 1 conference in the country.”
Wiley-Gatewood?s addition now gives the Terps six players that average in double-figures. Forward Crystal Langhorne still leads Maryland in scoring with 14.6 points and 7.5 rebounds a game.
With so much talent on a the roster, playing time is often at a premium. No player averages more than forward Marissa Coleman?s 27.3 minutes per game. Wiley-Gatewood said everyone on the team is aware of that as they try to take advantage of playing time.
“I don?t worry about playing time,” Wiley-Gatewood said. “You just need to make the most of what you get. Everyone here just wants to win.”
Having players rested like that at this point of the season is very beneficial, according to Frese, who is hoping to see the Terps play as aggressive on defense as they do on offense.
“I want us to take care of the ball and sustain our intensity on defense for 40 minutes,” Frese said, “because we know as well as we can shoot the ball, good things will happen if we continue to play solid defense.”
MARYLAND NOTES
» The Terps have made 22 three-pointers in their last two games, including a school-record 12 in Friday?s win against UNC-Greensboro.
» Guard Shayla Fields leads N.C. State in scoring at 11.3 points per game. Also, Khadijah Whittington scores 9.9 points and grabs 9.6 rebounds for the Wolfpack.
» N.C. State?s head coach is Kay Yow, sister of Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow. Kay is on an indefinite leave as she battles breast cancer. Associate head coach Stephanie Glance has led the team in herabsence. Yow is 636-301 over 31 seasons at the school.
