TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014 | sports | The Diamondback
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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Quarterfinal loss overshadows Thomas’ milestone Forward becomes program’s all-time leading scorer as North Carolina bounces Terps from ACC tournament By Paul Pierre-Louis @PaulPierreLouis Staff writer
GREENSBORO, N.C. — With 11:19 left in the Terrapins women’s basketball team’s 73-70 loss to North Carolina on Friday night, forward Alyssa Thomas dribbled through midcourt on a fast break, stopped near the free throw line and hit a jumper that further solidified her place with the program’s greats. But rather than flash her trademark smile after the basket that made her the program’s all-time leading scorer, Thomas sported a stoic expression. Trailing 52-45, Thomas and the No. 3-seed Terps were focused on preventing an early exit from the ACC tournament courtesy of the No. 6-seed Tar Heels. Despite Thomas’ 16 second-half points, the team’s sluggish start and second-half mistakes at Greensboro Coliseum detracted from her milestone achievement. “[It’s] just a huge honor,” Thomas said. “But we didn’t come up with the win tonight, so [it’s] something I’m not really thinking about.” The three-time ACC Player of the Year has 2,258 career points, 11 more than former forward Crystal Langhorne. But Friday’s slim defeat in the quarterfinals marked Thomas’ earliest exit from the ACC tournament since her freshman year. “I know she’s not going to appreciate it right now because of the competitor and the winner that she is,” coach Brenda Frese said. “She would turn all of that away to be able to get that win.” The Terps had won eight of their past nine games entering the matchup, but their recent form disappeared. They
Forward alyssa Thomas has scored a program-record 2,258 points in her college career, 11 more than former forward Crystal Langhorne. alik mcintosh/the diamondback committed 19 turnovers, 14 of which were in the first half, and shot 1-of-12 from three-point range. The team had moments when it looked poised for a comeback, but foul trouble prevented it from sustaining scoring runs. Center Alicia DeVaughn, forward Brionna Jones and guard Shatori WalkerKimbrough each had three fouls by the 14:57 mark in the second half, forcing
Frese to keep them on the bench for extended periods. With DeVaughn and Jones playing fewer minutes, Thomas played in the post more often. “The way they were calling the fouls, obviously that impacted us being able to play our bigs,” Frese said. “We had to put A.T. inside in a spot that she’s never played in before because of all the fouls that were being called.”
North Carolina shot 11-of-12 on free throws to help weather the Terps’ comeback attempt. “I thought that was very important,” Tar Heels coach Andrew Calder said. “We were very poised down the end, and we just made great plays.” Eventually, the Terps cut the deficit to one point, when Thomas’ step back jumper capped a 9-1 run and made it 71-70 with 1:35 left. On their next possession, she led the team in transition and then attempted a pull-up jumper similar to her record-breaking basket. Guard Allisha Gray tipped the shot, however, and the ball fell short of the basket. About a minute later, Thomas lost her dribble while trying to drive into the lane for a layup, resulting in a turnover. Finally, her open 3-pointer to tie the game at 73 hit off the front rim. “To be able to have a shot with Alyssa with the ball with a three, and it was a great look, that’s the take you want,” Frese said. “Definitely thought it was going in.” Those failed attempts in the game’s final moments ended the Terps’ ACC title hopes, making it difficult for Thomas to appreciate her achievement from the night. With the NCAA tournament looming, Thomas sits 12 points away from passing men’s basketball icon Juan Dixon for the school’s all-time scoring record. But as the team aims to make a deep postseason run after a sobering defeat, Thomas isn’t in a position to think about her individual accolades. “I know Alyssa will after her career is over,” Frese said. “Everything that she’s meant to our program, to our university, it’s only fitting for her to be the all-time leading scorer in Maryland.”
Thomas’ record-breaking 2-pointer midway through the second half made it a seven-point game, and the Terps on the bench jumped out of their seats and cheered in excitement while Thomas clapped her hands. On the Tar Heels’ next possession, though, guard Jessica Washington drew Jones’ fourth foul and hit both free throws, sapping the Terps’ momentum. ppierrelouisdbk@gmail.com
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guard seth allen shot 7-of-17 from the field and avoided committing a turnover in the second half and overtime of the Terps’ victory over the ACC regular season champion Cavaliers on Sunday. rebecca rainey/the diamondback
ALLEN From PAGE 8
for him. It’s been a process.” Allen appeared to find a successful balance in his offensive role for the final five minutes of Sunday’s win. After scoring the five points in overtime, he helped set up guard Dez Wells at the high post. Wells followed Allen’s lead, driving the ball toward the rim to finish a short floater that helped ice the game. “As the point guard, I always have the ball in my hands,” Allen said. “Our offense has been focusing on getting the best shot. Instead of settling for like a quick three or something, we grinded it and we got a great shot.” Allen set the tone for the Terps offense in overtime. He took control of the game by getting into the lane and finishing high-percentage shots near the basket; he avoided committing a single turnover in the second half and overtime, and he played a major part in the Terps’ biggest win of the season. “He can do it really whenever he wants,” Smotrycz said. “He’s done a good job of picking and choosing his spots. Done a great job just distributing the ball. He’s the guy if you need a bucket, he’ll get a good look for you.”
Terps a four-point lead with 3:12 to play. The pattern continued as Allen, who has a tendency to settle for contested jump shots, attacked the lane for the third straight possession and drew a foul. After Allen made one of two free throws, the Terps had a 69-64 lead with 2:20 to play. “He passed up a couple threes to drive the ball, which I liked,” Turgeon said. “In the overtime, he got all the way to the rim and got fouled or some other times he passed.” The Terps held onto the lead Allen provided, and the sophomore soon was celebrating with a mob of students who rushed the court after the team’s first win over a top-25 team this season. It was a moment Allen said he appreciated after a trying season. Allen spent the first 12 games sidelined with a broken bone in his left foot and experienced mixed results transitioning into his role as floor general. “He’s still learning how to play and learning the game,” Turgeon said. “He has to run the team. It’s not natural akasinitzdbk@gmail.com
talented at both ends of the field.” After a Syracuse (6-1, 2-1 ACC) goal less than two minutes into the game, the No. 2 Terps (8-0, 2-0) were trailing for the first time since their season opener against UMBC. The Terps were quick to respond, scoring two goals on passes from McPartland in the following two minutes to take their first lead of the contest. For the next 11 minutes, the Terps continued to supply offensive pressure but couldn’t find the back of the net with any of their six shots on goal. Behind its strong goalkeeper play, the Orange added two goals on three shots on goal during that time to regain the lead. “We had a lot of opportunities on goal in that first half,” Reese said. “We were just missing and their goalie was just making some great saves. And so we just got a little frazzled and out of rhythm.” The Terps, who average more than 13 turnovers a game, didn’t turn the ball over until about nine minutes reamined in the first half. Despite the ball security, they led by only one goal at the half after the Orange scored six seconds before the break. After McPartland’s early goal in the second half, the back-and-forth nature of the game continued as Syracuse responded a few minutes later. “They work hard all over the field, and they challenged us everywhere,”
shawaryn From PAGE 8 himself in the No. 2 spot in the weekend rotation. It’s a welcome sign for a Terps team that had a reliable No. 1 starter in left-hander Jimmy Reed last season but made numerous rotation changes at the other two spots. While right-hander Jake Stinnett, the Terps ace, won ACC Pitcher of the Week twice and threw a no-hitter against Massachusetts on March 1, Shawaryn has also contributed to the Terps’ success. Shawaryn has held opponents to a .179 batting average and struck out 18 batters in 24 innings, including seven in five innings against UMass. All season, Shawaryn has displayed the potential that helped make him the Kansas City Royals’ 32nd-round pick in the MLB draft
midfielder kelly mcpartland scored the first goal of the second half at Syracuse. chester lam/the diamondback Reese said. “When they had the ball, they found ways to score on offense.” Midfielder Taylor Cummings, the Terps’ leading goal scorer entering the game, scored her first of the contest with 20:23 remaining to give the Terps the first three-goal lead of the night at 10-7. In the ensuing eight minutes, each team turned the ball over three times, with the Orange attempting a lone shot that went wide of the net. After Syracuse cut the lead to two, the Terps’ strong transition game struck when midfielder Zoe Stukenberg found midfielder Erin Collins for the Terps’ 11th goal of the game. Midfielder Beth Glaros’ goal with 2:12 remaining gave the Terps a three-
goal lead, but Syracuse attacker Kayla Treanor scored her third of the contest 10 seconds later. Terps goalkeeper Abbey Clipp made just four saves on the night but made a late stop on a free position shot with 1:24 left. The Terps cleared the ball to run out the remaining minute and secure the victory. For the third time this season, the Terps took down a top-10 opponent. And McPartland’s play, especially right after halftime, was key. “We played them last year in our semifinal game, and that game was really close, so to come out here and have a win against them is really good for us,” McPartland said.
this summer, and he’s pitched especially well with runners in scoring position. In his Terps debut on Feb. 15, Shawaryn allowed a second-inning leadoff double against then-No. 23 Florida but followed it by escaping the inning despite hitting another batter. In his second start against B rya n t o n Fe b. 2 2 , S h awa ry n stranded a runner on third with one out in the fourth to preserve a 1-0 lead. On Saturday, Shawaryn had his deepest outing, topping his previous long by more than an inning against a Seminoles team that leads the conference in on-base percentage. “Just throwing strikes and having the mentality of attacking hitters and not really backing down — that helps with the consistency because you’re always focused,” Shawaryn said. “You’re looking to complete the next pitch.”
The performances Shawaryn has delivered this season will be pivotal if the Terps hope to clinch ACC series victories. Last season, the Terps had 11 conference wins, their most since 1971, but didn’t win a series until the last weekend of April. Shawaryn didn’t expect this start to the season, but he said he focused on a short-term approach — the next pitch, the next batter, the next inning. And he’s not going to abandon it any time soon. “Coming out of the fall practice, I just did my thing and we really worked on consistency and stuff,” Shawaryn said. “As a high school senior going into your freshman year of college, you don’t really know what to expect. Right now, it’s worked out really well, and I’m happy about it.”
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