PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Abby Meyers scored 13 of her 22 points in the first quarter to help Maryland get off to a quick start and the No. 13 Terrapins defeated Rutgers 78-67 on Monday.
Diamond Miller had 13 of her 15 points in the second half for Maryland (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten Conference), Shyanne Sellers added 12 points and Lavender Briggs 10.
Kaylene Smikle scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds, both season bests for the freshman, to lead Rutgers (6-10, 0-4). Kassondra Brown added 12 points and Chyna Cornwell had 13 rebounds to go with eight points.
The Scarlet Knights had 22 turnovers that were turned into 23 points but they closed the game on a 12-0 run.
Meyers set the tone early, opening the scoring with a pair of 3-pointers. She made 5 of 7 shots with three triples and a pair of 8-0 runs helped the Terrapins lead 24-9 after one quarter.
Elisa Pinzane hit a 3-pointer to open the second quarter to make it an 18-point lead but Smikle had 11 points to lead Rutgers back. It was 40-33 at the half as a Smikle layup capped a 7-0 run.
Smikle opened the second half with a basket but Miller had two layups, Sellers had a three-point play and Meyers another 3-pointer and the lead was quickly back to 50-35. Maryland outscored the Scarlet Knights 27-11 to take a 67-44 lead into the fourth quarter.
Maryland is home against Michigan State on Saturday when Nebraska visits Rutgers.
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