The Terps open Big Ten play.
Maryland women’s basketball’s season has started as well as it could hope, a 9-0 start over nonconference opponents. But nobody knows better than head coach Brenda Frese that the start of conference play represents an entirely new challenge.
“The slate is wiped clean and it’s a fresh new start for everyone,” Frese said. “Nobody cares what your record is going into conference play.”
The Terps will open conference play on the road Saturday against Purdue. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. and broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
Purdue Boilermakers (5-3, 0-0 Big Ten)
2023-24 record: 15-19, 5-13 Big Ten
While conference play does represent a new challenge for the Terps, Purdue seems to be one of the weakest teams in the Big Ten once again. After leading the team to 12th place in the conference last year, head coach Katie Gearlds is back for her fourth year at the helm.
The Boilermakers have five early-season wins under their belt, all coming against lower conference opponents. They have also lost by wide margins to the two power conference opponents — No. 10 Notre Dame and No. 3 South Carolina — they’ve played.
They also lost to Middle Tennessee State at the Fort Myers Tip-Off.
Players to watch
Destini Lombard, fifth-year guard, 5-foot-9, No. 4 — Lombard transferred to the Boilermakers after a three-year career at Stephen F. Austin, where she won the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year last season. Lombard is a true two-way force, as a multiple-level scorer and one of the best perimeter defenders in the conference. She is averaging 14 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game.
Reagan Bass, senior forward, 6-foot-2, No. 34 — Bass is also in her first year with Purdue after transferring from Akron, where she was a three-time All-Mid-American Conference nod. Bass is the team’s leader in rebounds (6.5 per game) and has shown an ability to affect shots around the rim, averaging more than a block per game. She also is averaging 13 points per game.
Lana McCarthy, freshman center, 6-foot-4, No. 35 — McCarthy plays center and should have a bit of a size advantage on both Christina Dalce and Saylor Poffenbarger, who are her likely matchups. The team has had success when they’ve got the freshman going, winning all three games where she has scored double-digit points. She was the New Hampshire Player of the Year in both volleyball and basketball in high school.
Strength
Unfamiliarity with Maryland. The group of players leading the Boilermakers this season will look very different to anyone Frese and the Terps saw in their blowout win over Purdue last season. Maryland will have to prepare for a group of players it largely hasn’t seen before, much like teams are having to do when preparing for it.
Weakness
Defense. Purdue has been plagued by a number of issues early in the season, but none more severe than its defensive struggles. The team is allowing a conference-high 71.1 points per game and has given up at least 99 points in both of its games against ranked opponents. With Maryland’s range of offensive weapons, it should exploit some mismatches on Saturday afternoon.
Three things to watch
1. Conference play on the road. Last season, Big Ten matchups on the road were Maryland’s downfall. The Terps went just 3-6 playing in conference opponents’ arenas. Purdue should present a favorable matchup for Maryland to start 1-0 in these contests this year, but nothing is a given in the Big Ten.
2. Starting five. Dalce was Maryland’s starting center in its first eight games — a role she did very well in, averaging 9.8 points and 7.9 boards per game. Still, in Maryland’s last game, Frese elected to replace her in the starting lineup with Poffenbarger. The matchup with Purdue will give a good indication as to whether the change was permanent or not.
3. Three-point shooting. The Terps have gone away from the 3-pointer in their last three games, making just eight combined. Luckily for them, they haven’t really needed to take many. They have experienced massive size and skill advantages on the low block. That won’t be the case against conference teams, though, and whether Maryland can get going from deep again will be interesting to monitor.