BLACKSBURG, Va. - -On Thursday, Maryland women's basketball players walked off the court at Cassell Coliseum without so much as a round of high-fives.
Judging by their muted reaction, it would have been hard to guess that the Terrapins desperately needed their 60-44 victory over Virginia Tech.
But Maryland (15-6, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) picked up a crucial, elusive road win Thursday and took a step to right its course after losing three in a row.
"For us, we've been knocking on the door but needed to put a complete game together," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "I thought tonight was a great game for 40 minutes."
Maryland guard Lori Bjork, who led with 22 points, put on a 3-point shooting clinic in the first half, which in turn opened up the Terrapins' options in the paint in the second half. Maryland center Lynetta Kizer took over after halftime and scored 15 of her 18 points.
"I still thought we kind of hung that out to dry and played that one-on-one," Virginia Tech coach Beth Dunkenberger said of the way her team defended Kizer.
The struggling Hokies (12-8, 2-4) were the remedy for Maryland's ills. Virginia Tech has lost three of its past four, and its upset of then-No. 10 North Carolina on Jan. 14 seems like eons ago.
Virginia Tech had a hard time getting in sync offensively. The Hokies picked their shots poorly and only made 29.3 percent of their attempts from the field.
Virginia Tech was playing without its point guard, Nikki Davis, who sprained her left knee Tuesday in practice; her status is unknown for Sunday's game at No. 25 Georgia Tech. Lindsay Biggs, the Hokies' shooting guard, started in Davis' place.
"It's harder to score from the point guard position, trying to worry about things like getting the offense set up and trying to lead," said Biggs, who was the Hokies' second-leading scorer entering the night.
The Terps went into halftime with a 29-22 lead because of another crisp shooting effort. They shot 50 percent (5-for-10) from 3-point range to overcome 13 first-half turnovers.
Bjork led Maryland in the first half with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
"Obviously, I was getting pretty good looks," Bjork said. "I ran the same play twice in a row and came off clean twice in a row; it was kind of surprising."
Maryland returns to ACC play with home games against Georgia Tech next Friday and Virginia on Feb. 8, both of which should test the young team's mettle.
MARYLAND-Tchatchouang 3-9 0-3 6, Kizer 8-13 1-4 18, Taylor 1-6 1-2 3, Rodgers 0-4 0-0 0, Bjork 8-11 2-2 22, Nared 2-5 0-0 5, Barrett 2-7 0-0 4, Oyefuwa 0-0 0-0 0, Hawkins 1-5 0-2 2. Totals 25-60 4-13 60.
VIRGINIA TECH-Drye 5-10 4-4 15, Gordon 0-6 0-0 0, Fenyn 4-7 3-4 11, Biggs 1-9 0-2 2, Harrison 5-9 0-0 10, Redick 1-3 0-0 2, Wilson 0-2 0-0 0, Logan 0-4 0-0 0, Grey 1-4 1-2 3, Ayers 0-4 1-2 1. Totals 17-58 9-14 44.
Half: Maryland, 29-22. 3-point goals: M 6-15 (Bjork 4-7, Kizer 1-1, Nared 1-2, Barrett 0-1, Tchatchouang 0-1, Rodgers 0-3); VT 1-12 (Drye 1-1, Fenyn 0-1, Grey 0-1, Logan 0-2, Biggs 0-7). Rebounds: M 49 (Kizer 16); VT 35 (Harrison 7). Assists: M 12 (Taylor 9); VT 7 (Biggs 3). Total fouls: M 12, VT 11. A: 2,725.
MARYLAND @LONGWOOD
Sunday, 2 p.m.