Maryland seniors finish off Richmond

Maryland's veterans made certain that a banner day at the University of Richmond would not include the Spiders' current women's basketball team.

The 14th-ranked Terrapins, outplayed and outworked for a big chunk of the afternoon, closed with an impressive flourish yesterday and escaped the Robins Center with an 83-65 victory.

Senior guard Kristi Toliver led Maryland (12-2) with 21 points. Senior wing player Marissa Coleman added 14 points and nine rebounds.

Said Toliver, who watched the Spiders (11-3) play their best and most intense basketball of the season while building a 43-38 halftime lead: "As seniors, it's up to [Coleman] and I to keep our poise and composure. The game lasts 40 minutes -- that's one thing we've learned. You can't get frustrated. You can't get down. You've got to keep playing and keep pushing until the end."

Maryland did.

The Terrapins pulled away from a 58-58 tie at the 11:04 mark with a burst that seemed nuclear-powered. They scored on 10 of 11 possessions over the next six minutes while holding Richmond to four points and only one field goal.

In the process, they ensured that the only UR celebration this day would be the halftime banner-raising that saluted the careers of former UR standouts Karen Elsner Davey (Class of '85) and Pam Bryant Jordan (Class of '90).

Toliver, from Harrisonburg, ignited the decisive surge with a 3-point rainbow from the right wing. Coleman finished it by scoring on three consecutive Maryland possessions.

Spiders coach Michael Shafer was not surprised that Maryland's senior leaders, both of whom played key roles in the Terrapins' 2006 NCAA championship, embraced responsibility when the game was there for the taking.

"They understand what it means to play for 40 minutes at the level we played for 24 or 25," Shafer said. "They have a level of experience in games like this that we can't match. When you play North Carolina and Duke and Virginia on a night-in-and-night-out basis, you learn pretty quickly what it means to maintain your level of play from start to finish."

Duly noted, said UR guard Danielle Bell, one of the key contributors to Richmond's sleek first-half performance. Bell scored 11 of her 17 points before intermission. She buried three of UR's seven first-half 3-pointers.

"If we can play every night the way we played in the first half, I think we'll be OK," Bell said.

Five players scored in double digits for Maryland. Spiders guard Brittani Shells scored 15 points, 10 in the first half.

Maryland coach Brenda Frese saluted the Spiders for pushing her club hard in its last game before the start of Atlantic Coast Conference competition.

"Richmond made us a better team today," Frese said.

MARYLAND (12-2)

Wiley-Gatewood 2, Kizer 12, Liles 12, Toliver 21, Coleman 14, Strickland 12, Barrett 4, Oyefuwa 2, Rodgers 3, Mingo 1. Totals: 31 14-23 83. 3-point goals: Strickland 3, Toliver 2, Coleman, Rodgers.

RICHMOND (11-3)

Shells 15, S. Bilney 6, Thomas 4, Bell 17, Goring 3, Tharrington 0, Oliver 9, R. Bilney 3, McKnight 8, Kretchman 0, Zygaite 0. Totals: 25 6-10 65. 3-point goals: Bell 4, Shells 3, Ol iver, R. Bilney.

Halftime: Richmond 43-38

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