No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball vs. Mount St. Mary’s preview

Maryland women’s basketball will be back at Xfinity Center Wednesday night to play its eighth home match in 10 games to start the season. Head coach Brenda Frese has another opportunity to go deep in her bench and develop some young players against Mount St. Mary’s, a team that her players should handle with ease.

The game, which will be the Terps’ LGBTQ+ Pride Game, will tip off at 7 p.m. and be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.

Mount St. Mary’s (2-4, 0-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)

2024-25 record: 15-16, 12-8 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Head coach Antoine White led the Mountaineers to the NCAA Tournament in his first year in charge in 2021, but since moving from the NEC to the MAAC, he hasn’t been able to make it back.

Mount St. Mary’s has only played one opponent within 30 NET ranking places of Maryland’s No. 10, and that was No. 36 Richmond — which the Mount lost to by 34.

Despite entering the matchup having won two of their last three against local mid-major foes, the Mountaineers will be up against the odds in College Park.

Players to watch

Gabrielle Kennerly, redshirt sophomore guard, 5-foot-9, No. 15 — Kennerly is by far the Mountaineers’ most dynamic threat on offense. After making the MAAC All-Rookie team last year, Kennerly’s production has increased to nearly 13 points per game. She is shooting worse overall, but better from beyond the arc — where she has done most of her damage — at 38.5% compared to 34.9% last year.

Giana Hoddinott, redshirt junior guard, 5-foot-9, No. 12 — Beyond Kennerly, the Mountaineers don’t have much offensively. But Hoddinott has proven herself a solid floor general in year two as the team’s starting point guard, leading the team in assists per game (2) and running up second in steals per game (1.3). Hoddinott could be a defensive pest for Maryland’s turnover-prone guards.

Amber Bullard, junior center, 6-foot-4, No. 14 — Bullard is the team’s only true center and leads the Mountaineers with 6.5 boards per game. Her offensive performances have been inconsistent, but she has scored in double figures twice, including a double-double against Bucknell.

Strength

Defense. The Mountaineers rank above the national average in scoring defense at 60.3 points per game allowed, blocks (3.3) and steals (9) per game. They have the potential to be a really scrappy team in their conference with a lot of ball pressure and rim protection. Their best chance to keep it close will be making the game a low-scoring slugfest and disrupting Maryland’s rhythm.

Weakness

Offensive versatility. Mount St. Mary’s doesn’t have much in the way of offensive threats to Maryland. Kennerly can get hot from deep, but its second leading scorer, Hoddinott, averages under seven points a game. It will be extremely tough for Mount St. Mary’s to keep pace with Maryland’s offensive firepower.

Three things to watch

1. Extended rotation is shrinking. Head coach Brenda Frese has said she scheduled more of these games this season to afford herself more opportunities to use her team’s depth. But the number of players available is dwindling. Starting point guard Lea Bartelme went down with a torn ACL early in the season, and during Maryland’s trip to Puerto Rico, reserve guard Ava McKennie went down with a knee injury.

Assuming McKennie is out, that leaves Frese with just the two freshmen — Kyndal Walker and Rainey Welson — available as guard options off the bench until Bri McDaniel’s potential 2026 return.

2. Garzon’s form. Yarden Garzon found her stroke from deep during Maryland’s trip to Puerto Rico, knocking down eight of her 13 three-pointers in two games. Wednesday night will be another chance for her to build on that form and prove she’s truly turned the corner on her early-season slump.

3. Streak watch. A victory against Mount St. Mary’s would make it 10 straight wins to start the season for Maryland. Frese led the team to 14 straight to begin last season, and her longest-ever stretch as head coach was 18 straight to begin the 2006-2007 campaign. Maryland has also beat the Mountaineers in all 11 previous matchups.