UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (AP) — Stephanie Jones scored 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds and No. 10 Maryland clamped down defensively in the second half to roll to a 106-69 win over Penn State on Sunday.
The Terrapins, who only led 46-45 at halftime, won their 11th straight while the Nittany Lions lost their 11th straight.
Diamond Miller and Shakira Austin, who had eight rebounds, added 16 points apiece for Maryland (22-4, 13-2 Big Ten Conference), Ashley Owusu had 14 points with eight assists and Kalia Charles and Taylor Mikesell picked up 11 points each.
Kamaria McDaniel led Penn State (7-19, 1-14) with 22 points, her 11th 20-point game of the season, Siyeh Frazier added 16 and Alisia Smith 10.
Coming off an emotional win over No. 17 Iowa in a showdown for first place, the Terrapins didn’t play a lot of defense in the first half. They allowed the Nittany Lions to shoot 61% (17 of 28) and McDaniel to score 15 points, including going 7 of 8 from the foul line.
The second half was a different story with Maryland scoring the first six points and last six points of the third quarter, outscoring PSU 32-12 to take a 78-56 lead. The Terrapins were 14 of 20, the Nittany Lions 3 of 14 and had five turnovers while getting outrebounded by 10.
The trend continued in the fourth quarter as Maryland turned the late surge in the third quarter into a 16-0 run, seven points coming from Austin. The Terrapins shot 65% (24 of 37) in the second half to finish at 58% for the game. Penn State was 8 of 32 in the second half to finish at 42% for the game.
Bridging halftime, Maryland made 10 straight shots while Penn State missed 10 straight during one stretch.
The Terrapins had a 45-26 rebounding advantage with 15 offensive boards leading to 21 second-chance points. They also turned 22 PSU turnovers into 29 points.
BIG PICTURE
Maryland: The Terrapins have been focused since an early January loss at Iowa. Of their nine wins over RPI top 50 teams and six over ranked teams, five have come in their current streak, including a stunning 93-59 pounding of the Hawkeyes in a first-place showdown on Thursday. ... Charles is the sixth Maryland player with 1,900 points and 900 rebounds. ... The Terps surpassed 100 points for the fifth time this season, the first time in conference play. Their last Big Ten century game was a 100-65 win over Illinois on Dec. 28, 2017.
Penn State: The young Nittany Lions continue to take their lumps. They just don’t have the firepower to keep up in such a tough conference. ... Penn State only trails in the series 16-14 but has lost all eight matchups since Maryland joined the Big Ten, and last topped the Terps in 2003.
UP NEXT
Maryland stays on the road, playing at Wisconsin on Wednesday.
Penn State goes to No. 17 Iowa on Saturday.
