For the first time since Maryland women’s basketball’s Sweet 16 loss against South Carolina last season, Kaylene Smikle took the court.
The senior came off the bench after missing the first three games of the year with what coach Brenda Frese described as “nagging injuries.” Smikle scored 13 points to help the Terps beat Towson, 88-70, at Xfinity Center on Thursday.
“I’m someone who trusts the process,” Smikle said. “I’ve had good coaches and teammates who’ve been giving me confidence on the side when I’m working out … helping me just stay in the moment has been a great help.”
The 6-foot guard was the Terps’ leading scorer last season, averaging 17.9 points per game. Smikle started and played in all 33 games, scoring in double-digits in 30 of them — a crucial part of Maryland’s historical performance last season. Her offensive precision led the Terps to one of their 17 Sweet 16 appearances in program history.
Smikle’s impact stretched to the other end. Her aggressive athleticism helped her reach 50 steals and 149 rebounds. In last season’s matchup against Towson (2-2), Smikle notched 21 points in 18 minutes.
“You can see what she brings to the table in such a short amount of time with limited reps,” Frese said. “Only [Smikle] could come out and do what she did tonight.”
Ahead of last season, Smikle transferred from Rutgers, where she made the All-Big Ten Freshman Team. She scored 573 points, the most for a freshman in Scarlet Knight history. This year, she earned Preseason All-Big Ten Honoree and was named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch list.
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Smikle hit a layup in the third minute of the second quarter for the first points of her senior year — inciting a cheer from the Maryland fans.
The Terps (4-0) scored 32 points in the paint in the first half — Towson recorded 23 points total. Addi Mack and Oluchi Okananwa led Maryland’s offensive effort with double-digits at halftime. Both rank top-three on the team in points per game this season.
Okananwa showed up defensively, too. Paired with Saylor Poffenbarger, the two tallied 11 rebounds out of the Terps’ 52.
Lea Bartelme went down at the start of the second quarter. The freshman guard was helped off the court and was unable to put any weight on her left ankle. She was not seen near the court after the first half.
The injury demonstrated the depth of Maryland’s roster. Seven players came off the bench, with three scoring double-digit points.
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Maryland struggled to slow the Tigers in the third quarter. Towson put up 23 points, almost doubling their offensive production in the first two quarters. The Terps had double the personal fouls of the Tigers, though they hit only one free throw.
“I think we still have a lot of work to do when we look at that assist-to-turnover ratio,” Frese said.
Frese previously mentioned the team’s goal to keep opponents under 60 points. On Thursday, Towson exceeded that limit by 10. The Terps turned over the ball 22 times, their highest number in any game so far.
But Smikle scored 10 of her 13 points in the second half, including two 3-pointers, to help Maryland maintain its large lead.
“Our focus and our attention to detail could have been a lot better tonight,” Frese said. “You’re going to have these ebbs and flows when you have a lot of players and a lot of new players that you’re working back.”
