No. 8 Maryland finishes 2024 as they push their winning streak to twelve straight into 2025.
Ten Days after their eleventh straight win against William & Mary, the Terps were back at the Xfinity Center as they looked to finish on a high note going into 2025. The Terps welcomed No.19 Michigan for Big Ten conference play Sunday afternoon. Maryland has had their best start to the season in the past 2018-2019 year.
The Takeaways….
The Officials, at times, dictated the pace of the game.
Fouls dictate the game’s pace and even throw off players’ rhythm. Sunday’s game saw many questionable calls. Christina Dalce had two fouls that limited her to 15 minutes of play, which is something to watch as the Big Ten Play continues for the Terps. Saylor Poffenbarger and Allie Kubek were leaned on more as the game progressed. Dalce did have two clutch moments late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the Terps.
The Terps stayed resilient. Maryland is not a pushover in Big Ten Play.
Maryland only played No.14 Duke then, and many people were downplaying the Terps’ success as the season progressed. Sunday afternoon, Maryland silenced those critics as they defeated a ranked Michigan State with only one loss on their schedule coming into the matchup. Maryland has proven they can beat the best. When it counted, the Terps stayed poised against the Spartans. Defense wins championships
There is a lot to clean up.
While Maryland did win the game, our offense had hiccups at times that will need some attention as the season progresses. For Example, the Terps went scoreless for five minutes. That cannot happen, especially when Michigan State tied the game and missed opportunities to win. Maryland committed 25 turnovers, which has been the only glaring issue. That is something to watch as January evolves.
12 for 12 going into 2025…
Maryland, six seasons ago, had the same feat…six years later, a full-circle moment. While some games have been one-sided, some have been battle-tested. The team is going to do some unique things as the season progresses.
Maryland returns to the Xfinity Center on January 2nd as Rutgers University takes on the Terrapins.
