Cruisin'

One of Miami's claims to fame is that it's home to a primo cruise port. Cruise ships heading to the the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Bermuda, the Panama Canal and other more exotic destinations -- including across the Atlantic Ocean -- find a home in the Miami area.

So this evening, after the Terps had raced off to a 10-1 lead against holiday tournament host Florida International, apparently they decided to enjoy the weather, the party atmosphere . . . and cruise a little bit themselves. Bad idea. Before you know it, the score was tied 17-17 (about half-way through the first period).

Since the BCs weren't there and we were only following "the action" via live stats, we don't know for sure, but we suspect that didn't make Coach B happy. In fact, we suspect it made her somewhat unhappy. And perhaps Coach B and her staff reminded the players that they weren't in south Florida to cruise . . . but to play Maryland basketball.

In any event, whatever was said, it worked. The game didn't stay tied for long. About 5 minutes later, the Terps were leading the Golden Panthers by 13 points. The margin was 14 at the half (in Maryland's favor, of course), and when the final buzzer sounded, the Terps had cruised to their 6th win of the season, 84-52.

Although she didn't start today's game, Lynetta Kizer played the most minutes of any Maryland player, 28. Netta also tied with Laurin Mincy for team-high scoring honors, each finishing with 15 points. But possibly the most impressive stat-line of of the night belonged to Anjale Barrett, who dished out 5 assists in the first half . . . and then another 5 in the final period. 10 assists! In only 23 minutes. Wow. Obviously, the injury that forced Anj to make an early exit from the St. Joe's game didn't hamper her performance today. That's really good news.

Other Terps finishing in double figures: Tianna Hawkins had 13 points (all in the first half) and a game-high 9 rebounds, while Alyssa Thomas was close behind (in scoring) with 12. Brene Moseley came close to double figures, with 8 points.

No day at the beach for the Maryland team tomorrow, as they tip-off against CSU Bakersfield at 2 PM.

Go Terps . . . Beat the Road Runners!