IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — In a flash, third-ranked Maryland found itself trailing on the road to an average Iowa team.
The Terrapins steadied themselves at halftime and blew past the Hawkeyes over the final 20 minutes.
Brionna Jones had 25 points and 10 rebounds to help Maryland beat Iowa 98-82 on Saturday.
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough came off the bench and scored 20 of her 22 points in the second half for the league-leading Terrapins (17-1, 5-0 Big Ten). They outscored Iowa 55-35 in the second half.
“I thought we regrouped at halftime (and) really buckled down defensively,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said.
“We played much better defense in the second half.”
Maryland struggled in the first half after Jones picked up two quick fouls, falling behind by four at the break after a quick 20-3 Hawkeyes run.
The Terrapins finally got untracked with a 13-0 run in the third quarter, and Walker-Kimbrough’s 3 near the end of the third quarter made it 69-59.
Walker-Kimbrough’s 3 early in the fourth put Maryland up by 20 to cap a 39-15 spurt — fueled by pressure defense — that gave the Terrapins their expected result.
“We fought back,” Walker-Kimbrough said. “We had to match their intensity.”
Tania Davis scored a career-high 25 points for Iowa (11-7, 2-3), which rallied from an early 15-2 hole but couldn’t sustain that momentum.
“We got down big, and I’m proud of the way our team battled back,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “Tania did a great job of getting the fire going.”