COLLEGE PARK — Brionna Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough each scored 19 points before leaving early during another blowout by No. 4 Maryland, which rolled to a 97-63 victory against in-state foe Towson on Tuesday night.
Jones had 18 points in the first half and Walker-Kimbrough had 16. Together, they outscored the Tigers in helping Maryland (9-0) to a 56-29 lead at the break.
The margin swelled to 34 points when Terrapins coach Brenda Frese removed Jones and Walker-Kimbrough for good with 6:36 left in the third quarter.
Jones collected eight rebounds during her 14 minutes of playing time, and Walker-Kimbrough saw enough action to move into eighth place on the school’s career scoring list with 1,647 points.
Kristen Confroy scored 11 for Maryland, which entered with a nation’s best 38.0 scoring margin. This lopsided victory did little to affect that statistic.
Sianni Martin led Towson (6-2) with 19 points and Raven Bankston added 14. The Tigers were outrebounded 46-28.
After scoring the final two points of the first quarter to make it 22-10, the 6-foot-3 Jones scored Maryland’s first 12 points of the second quarter. All the shots were layups, and two of them resulted in 3-point plays.
Jones’ personal scoring spree ended when Walker-Kimbrough made a 3-point play for a 37-14 lead. The layup was set up by the unyielding hustle of freshman Destiny Slocum, who raced from midcourt to the baseline to whisk a bouncing ball headed out of bounds into the waiting hands of Walker-Kimbrough.
They shared a hug after the ball dropped through the hoop. It was one of Slocum’s team-high six assists.
Though the Tigers don’t have the size or talent to stick with Maryland, the inside play of Brianna Bush (11 points, six rebounds) and the court savvy of Martin should enable Towson to be competitive in the Colonial Athletic Association.
The Terrapins put on a dazzling display in the first half as they continue to gain momentum for their Dec. 29 home game against No. 1 Connecticut.
Maryland plays at home Thursday night against St. Peter’s, which lost its first six games by an average of 29 points before beating Marist on Sunday.
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