COLLEGE PARK, MD – After a blowout loss to Michigan State without Blair Watson, the Terps bounced back against the Tyra Buss led Indian Hoosiers. However it was not an easy task.
When it was announced last Thursday that Watson tore her ACL the day before in practice, the momentum with her being out carried over into their second straight home game.
The game was very back and forth, with some early sloppy play on both ends. In the end in front of a crowd of 4,000, the Terps avoided a second straight home loss. They also avoid a loss from only a 3rd team since joining the Big Ten conference. Junior Eleanna Christinaki’s nine points in the fourth quarter sealed the deal for the Terps in getting their 16th win of the season.
Amanda Cahill and Jaelynn Penn combined for 36 points for the Hoosiers. Tyra Buss finished with 14 points, as it was just not enough for a Terrapins squad. Head coach Teri Moren knows that her girls are only one play away from being top tier.
“I thought we showed up in a big way today and really proud of our effort turned the ball over too much in the first half took care of the ball the second half when they were in their three-court press.In spite of the record they’ve continued to fight and we’re really close its just one or two plays away from winning at a high level.”
The biggest takeaways
Kaila Charles will now be the person to really lead Maryland to the victories that they need to help lead them to victory. The Terps will go as far as she can take them.
Blair Watson’s impact
It’s no secret that Watson’s injury has changed the play style of the Terps. Her defense and offense was Maryland as a whole. However, they still need to dial in and continue to fight without her in order to stay afloat in the Big Ten race.
Indiana is still a young team
Even though Amanda Cahill and Tyra Buss are dynamic seniors, the Hoosiers still have seven underclassmen on their roster. With time, they will definitely get better. However, losing Buss and Cahill will be tough for next season.
Maryland will face Ohio State in their last home game Monday while Indiana will face Michigan State in hopes of winning their second overall Big Ten game.