The No. 9 Maryland Terrapins (9-2) led by just 13 at the half, but outscored the 225th RPI ranked Brown Bears (3-6), 39-12, in the second half en route to a 76-36 victory in the opening game of the Terrapin Classic Friday afternoon at the Comcast Center in College Park, Md.
The Terps held Brown to just 16.7 percent shooting from the field in the second half and outscored them in the paint, 26-2, in that period as well. Overall, Brenda Frese's crew won in the paint, 50-14, and out-rebounded the Bears 43-24.
Maryland senior forward Tianna Hawkins put on quite a display in the opening period, to help her team shake a Brown squad that scored first 35 seconds in and led until 13:09 remaining in the first half. In the first, Hawkins was the reliable source of offense she has been all year, dropping 16 in a half that looked far more competitive than Terp fans expected it would be.
In the second half, the Terps ran away from the Bears, despite Hawkins adding just four more points and the team not making a single three the whole period and only one in the game.
Alyssa Thomas filled up the stat sheet once again, leading Maryland with eight rebounds and six assists to complement her 16 points. Brown was led by Lauren Clarke who had eight points, all in the first half.
As the Terrapin Classic wraps up, Maryland will now play the winner of University of Maryland Eastern Shore vs. Hartford on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Comcast. If they get Hartford, they will likely get a bit more of a challenge.