In rout, Terrapins experience a boost for younger players

Thanks to Maryland’s comfortable cushion throughout the second half Sunday, Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman enjoyed the rare treat of relaxing on the bench in the closing minutes of the Terrapins’ first-round NCAA tournament win against Dartmouth.

More importantly, coach Brenda Frese was able to give Maryland’s young supporting cast valuable tournament experience. It was the first NCAA appearance for five Terps players, all of whom expressed relief that first-game jitters were out of the way.

“I was excited, but it was definitely a game where I had to work the kinks out,” said redshirt freshman Kim Rodgers, who logged 26 minutes off the bench. “It was a good game for us to all get in there. We had the big lead, and it was good for us to get experience for the upcoming games.”

As the Terps progress through the tournament - beginning Tuesday when they face ninth-seeded Utah at Comcast Center - contributions from their younger players will grow increasingly important. That was evident two weeks ago in the ACC tournament, when Rodgers came off the bench to average a much-needed 10.0 points a game.

So even though Sunday’s result was never in doubt, the minutes were valuable for the newcomers - just to be on the court and contributing.

“Everybody getting their feet wet gives us more confidence because, as you could see, we were out there, we were still playing hard and we kept the lead,” said redshirt freshman Anjale Barrett, who played 21 minutes.

While the reserves got to enjoy playing after Toliver had knifed through Dartmouth’s zone defense, no such luxury was awarded to starters Dee Liles, a junior college transfer, and freshman Lynetta Kizer.

“It was a little nerve-wracking, but we got through it,” Kizer said. “We just gotta keep going from here and win five more.”

Maryland likes its chances of doing just that with Toliver and Coleman leading the way. Toliver had 27 points in 26 minutes against the Big Green. Coleman didn’t score in double figures for the first time this season but racked up 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block.

The success of the Terps’ star duo has made it easier for the underclassmen to relax on the court. Opposing defenses already focus on Toliver and Coleman; the more big nights they have, the more space the Terps’ reserves find for their own shots.

“[Toliver] and Marissa are really good leaders,” Barrett said. “We just follow in their footsteps. They’re gonna go and get theirs, and we’ll be right there behind them.”

Everyone who suited up for the Terps on Sunday scored. Rodgers, Barrett and 6-foot-6 freshman Yemi Oyefuwa all tallied more minutes than their season average.

“It was really valuable to be able to get everybody involved and for everyone to have success,” Frese said. “Just like the ACC tournament, you’re going to have different situations, different moments of adversity. So the fact that we were able to get everybody significant minutes was really critical. We hope that will benefit our success going forward.”

Note - Tuesday’s game will bring mixed emotions for Terps assistant coach Daron Park, who held the same position at Utah from 2004 to 2007. Predictably, he drew the task of scouting the Utes.

“I’ve done everything I could to follow them the whole season,” he said. “I watched their Mountain West tournament games even before we knew we were going to play them. … But at the same time, it’s about business [Tuesday]. When the ball is thrown up, they’re just a team that’s in the way of a goal that we want to accomplish, and I know they feel the same way about me and our team.”