Amidst the agony of defeat for the Maryland men in the NCAA Tournament, the women have been experiencing the thrill of victory in the Women’s NIT.  The top seeded Terps opened the tournament with a 88-53 win over Iona on 3/19, and then continued their dominance with a 87-52 drubbing of East Carolina on 3/21.  The Terps will enjoy a home court advantage throughout their side of the bracket.

According to UMTerps.com, the win over Iona was keyed by the Maryland’s dominance in the paint, where they enjoyed a 38-20 margin.  Maryland had five scorers in double figures against Iona.  They benefited from great play off the bench from Tianna Hawkins, who ended-up with 15PTS/10RB.

Against ECU, the Terps finished with 23-3 margin in points off turnovers.  The Terps also enjoyed a 55-35 rebounding edge, including 17 ORB.  Efficient glass work combined with tough defense enabled the Terps to get out in transition and score in bunches.  Guard Lori Bjork led the Terps with 20PTS on 6/10 shooting, and center Lynetta Kizer dominated in the post with 16PTs/9RB.

Maryland plays in the WNIT Sweet 16 against Providence tomorrow.  This young Lady Terps team is getting everyone involved, and they’re receiving meaningful contributions from different players every night.  While I can’t get too excited being that this is just the WNIT and not the Big Dance, their high level of play does bode well for next year, and it’s great for the younger players to get meaningful minutes in the postseason.  If nothing else, a deep run in the WNIT will prepare them mentally and physically for a potential run in next year’s NCAA’s.

Go Lady Terps.