The Maryland women's basketball team no sooner had survived a demanding road game against St. Joseph's on Sunday afternoon when the postgame discourse quickly turned to the Terrapins' next opponent. That would be third-ranked Duke, which has national championship aspirations after having won 14 in a row to open the season and 16 straight at storied Cameron Indoor Arena, where the Blue Devils and Terps will play Thursday.
Talk about little time to enjoy an 84-70 victory over the Hawks, during which the Terps showed why they could be primed for an NCAA tournament run of their own, getting a career-high 22 points from freshman Alyssa Thomas and an assertive performance inside from other members of their formidable front line.
"What a way to start, you know?" coach Brenda Frese said. "No. 3 in the country. Undefeated. We've got our work cut out for us. They're playing extremely well. It's a difficult environment. It's a situation where you have to be mentally and physically tough to play."
Elevated to No. 14 in the Associated Press poll after their 12th consecutive win, the Terrapins have brandished such fortitude during much of their nonconference schedule leading up to Thursday night's matchup between two of the Atlantic Coast Conference's most prosperous programs. In addition to the victory over St. Joseph's, which had won seven in a row entering Sunday, Maryland has a 66-60 home win against then-No. 17 St. John's and a 56-55 triumph over Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
In all three of those games, Maryland leaned heavily on sophomore forward Diandra Tchatchouang and junior center Lynetta Kizer. Maryland figures to need more of the same from both in order to topple perhaps its most bitter rival.
Against St. Joseph's, Tchatchouang and Kizer combined for 23 points and 23 rebounds. The Terrapins' statistical advantage along the interior included edges of 48-30 in rebounding, 42-12 on points in the paint and 18-0 in second-chance points. Maryland's rebounding prowess also allowed for quick transition into the team's preferred up-tempo offense, leading to a 14-2 margin in fast-break points.
"We hope with our depth and our size that we can absolutely wear down opponents," Frese said. "We take pride in being a great, dominant rebounding team."
The Terps have outrebounded their opponents in all but one game this season, which explains their plus-16.4 rebounding margin. It's that brand of corporal basketball that, along with a deep, youthful bench filled with prized recruits, has Maryland bidding to break into the group of truly elite teams in the country this season.
Leading the freshman class has been Thomas, who's emerged as perhaps the Terps' most important player of late. Thomas is second on the team points per game (12.7) and third in rebounds (6.2) as well as second in field goal percentage (.523) among players in the regular rotation.
"I feel like I'm playing like I've been here for a while," said Thomas, among five highly regarded freshmen in one of the country's most promising recruiting classes.
Thomas had one of her most proficient games of the season against the Hawks, making seven of 12 shots and eight of nine from the free-throw line. She added five rebounds, one block and one steal in 34 minutes, tied with Tchatchouang and junior guard Kim Rodgers for most playing time for the Terps.
Thomas's 24.4 minutes per game also are the most for a Maryland freshman this season. Center Alicia DeVaughn is averaging 19 minutes per game, and guards Laurin Mincy and Natasha Cloud play roughly 16 minutes per game.
"I like that we've been able to go on the road and been able to secure some wins," Frese said. "With this young team, we've been able to develop together. Obviously, I don't think either team has to get up for this game. We've enjoyed the rivalry, that's for sure."