Unfortunately, one of the BCs ended up on injured reserve this weekend, so we couldn't make it up to College Park for Maryland's game today against Appalachian State. But that didn't keep us from following along on Gametracker.

Of course, that's not the same as live action . . . so many of you reading this who were there in person already know (better than we undoubtedly) what happened. That the Terps led but couldn't gain any separation against the Mountaineers during the first half, taking a mere one-point lead into the locker room after 20 minutes. But after the break, Maryland pulled out to a comfortable, double-digit lead, and cruised to an easy 81-65 win.

Four Terps ended up in double figures, including rookie sensation Alyssa Thomas, who scored 13 points, all in the first half. Late in that opening half, Alyssa ended up on the bottom of a pile-up and suffered a gash (above her left knee) that required 9 stitches. So for the 2nd 20 minutes, she joined BC Eileen on injured reserve, which explains why she was "scoreless" for the remainder of the game. A reliable source (thanks, Joan!) reports from speaking with Alyssa afterwards that AT was ready to return for the final period (had it been left up to her, which it wasn't). The Maryland coaches and trainer decided to keep Alyssa on the bench rather than risk a more serious injury. We certainly hope to see Alyssa back playing in the next game.

Of the remaining three Terps who finished in double figures, two recorded double-doubles, Lynetta Kizer (12 points, 10 boards) and rookie Alicia DeVaughn (10 points, 13 boards). But it was Diandra T who grabbed game-high scoring honors with 17 points. Although these are all positive stats, there's one negative stat that is still of great concern: the Terps' lack of 3-point shooting. For the second game in a row, Maryland shot 10% from beyond the arc; with the ACC season looming on the horizon, this is getting more than a little worrisome.

The Terps will have a chance to break out of this long-range shooting slump on Tuesday when they take on the Loyola Greyhounds on the road in Baltimore at 7 PM. The BCs made that trip from downtown DC during rush hour on a weekday evening for a game at Loyola several years ago. It took more than two hours in stop and go traffic (mostly stopped) to cover the 40-some miles; suffice it to say that once was enough, so expect another Gametracker report from us on Tuesday.

Go Terps . . . Beat the Greyhounds!