Williams scores game-winning, Miami ends Maryland’s 48-game home winning streak 80-77

Miami ends Maryland’s home streak 80-77

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The significance of the stunning victory was not lost on Miami coach Katie Meier, whose team had just ended Maryland’s 48-game home winning streak in dramatic fashion.

“This isn’t a big win unless Maryland’s Maryland,” Meier said. “We absolutely know what kind of program this is, and we have a ton of respect for that home winning streak. I’m honored that we were the team that snapped it.”

Riquna Williams made two 3-pointers in the final minute, including the game-winner with 2.4 seconds left, to give the Hurricanes an 80-77 victory Thursday night. It marked the first time Maryland lost at Comcast Center since falling to Duke on Feb. 18, 2007.

“Every streak is going to come to an end at some point,” Terps coach Brenda Frese said. “But I’m proud of what we’ve created here. … Now it’s time for this team to make a new streak.”

Williams, the leading scorer in the Atlantic Coast Conference, tied the game with a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 48 seconds remaining.

“It was, get the ball off,” Williams said.

“That one saved us,” Meier noted.

Then, after a Maryland miss, the 5-foot-8 sophomore guard drilled the game-winning shot.

“I was coming off a screen, I had already made up my mind I was going to shoot it,” Williams said.

Williams finished with 19 points and Shenise Johnson had 17 for Miami (14-4, 2-2).

Lori Bjork led Maryland (14-5, 2-3) with 17 points. The Terrapins, who trailed by 15 in the first half, took a 77-74 lead with 1:21 left before Williams took over.

Maryland had one final chance to draw even, but a 3-point try by Kim Rodgers fell way short of the rim.

The Terrapins hurt themselves by going nearly five minutes before scoring and finishing 14 for 25 at the free throw line.

“Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us,” Frese said. “You have to be able to move on.”

Maryland next hosts No. 6 Duke on Sunday night.

Neither team led by more than three points in the second half until Stefanie Yderstrom hit a 3-pointer to put Miami up 56-52 with 10:13 to go. Maryland then got a basket from Tianna Hawkins and added four straight foul shots to move back in front.

Terrapins center Lynetta Kizer picked up her fourth foul on the ensuing possession and hit the bench with 8:42 left. Hawkins took over inside for Maryland, making three straight baskets, but Miami led 69-65 when Kizer returned with 5:42 remaining.

The lead went back and forth to the finish.

The Terrapins closed the first half with a 20-4 run to turn a 15-point deficit into a 32-31 lead.

Maryland started 0-for-7 with four turnovers and fell behind 10-0 before Bjork hit a 3-pointer with 14:19 left in the first half. Two minutes later, Williams connected from beyond the arc to spark a 13-7 spurt run that made it 27-12.

Diandra Tchatchouang and Rodgers answered with successive 3-pointers, and Kizer added a 15-foot jumper to get Maryland within seven points.

Minutes later, Anjale Barrett scored on a drive and added a three-point play to cut the gap to 31-30, and two free throws by Bjork gave the Terrapins their first lead.