COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Brionna Jones ruled the paint for Maryland and the Terps’ defense held Tynice Martin in check during an 83-56 romp over West Virginia in the second round of the NCAA women’s tournament.
Jones had 22 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks for the third-seeded hosts, who pulled ahead for good with a 26-8 scoring edge in the second quarter.
“On a scale of 1 to 100, today was 100,” Terps coach Brenda Frese said.
Destiny Slocum added 21 points for Maryland (32-2), including a two-handed, 70-foot heave that extended the lead to 36-24 at half.
“Why not? Just throw it up and see what happens,” said the 5-foot-7 Slocum. “Watching that thing was crazy. I was in shock. I am still.”
The Terps advanced to the Sweet 16 where they will meet the winner of Duke-Oregon.
Maryland trailed 16-12 after missing 13-of-18 shots in the first quarter.
“We did a good job in the first quarter and then we kind of wore down,” West Virginia coach Mike Carey said. “It’s been the same thing all year. We don’t have a deep bench. We wore down and they kept bringing players in, and that’s what happened.”
The Mountaineers (24-11) got 16 points from Teana Muldrow and 14 from point guard Chania Ray, but Martin finished 3-of-18 shooting. The Big 12 tournament MVP scored 10 points.
“I’m proud of this team, honestly. We didn’t have it tonight,” Carey said. “We had to win games in the conference tournament just to get into NCAAs, so I’m very proud of this team. We just didn’t play hard enough and do the things we needed to do against a great team like Maryland.”
Senior Lanay Montgomery capped her career with nine rebounds, four points and three blocks.
The Terps shot 52 percent, while holding WVU to 31 percent.
“Maryland is a great offensive team,” Montgomery said. “They’re always in attack mode and looking to score. They’re good players, and they’re No. 3 in the country for a reason.”