Virginia Falls to No. 4 Maryland 86-80
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Led by Paulisha Kellum’s 23 points, Virginia battled with No. 4 Maryland all the way to the end, but fell to the Terps 86-80 Friday at the Comcast Center.
Maryland’s Laura Harper had 25 points and 15 rebounds, Marissa Coleman scored 21 and grabbed 12 rebounds, as Maryland improved to 17-0 at home.
Kristi Toliver had 16 points and 12 assists, and Crystal Langhorne contributed 17 points on 8-for-10 shooting for the Terrapins (25-2, 9-1 ACC). Maryland trailed by eight in the second half before rallying to earn its sixth straight win over Virginia (17-6, 5-2).
Kellum scored 21 after a 1-for-10 shooting performance in the first half. Aisha Mohammed had 15 points and Sharnee Zoll 13.
Virginia has lost only twice in its last 13 games, both times against the Terrapins.
Maryland led 66-65 before Coleman scored on a drive and Toliver drilled a 3-pointer to expand the margin to six. Kellum answered with a 3, then followed two foul shots by Toliver with a three-point play to bring the Cavaliers to 73-71.
But Langhorne made Maryland’s next three baskets, and two foul shots by Harper gave the Terrapins a 79-75 lead with 1:28 left. After a Virginia miss on the other end, Toliver made two free throws with 42.8 seconds remaining.
The Terrapins made the lead stand up in the final minute at the foul line.
Neither team led by more than three points until Toliver sank a 3-pointer to make it 49-44 with 15:10 left. Kellum then made two free throws, a follow-shot and a 3-pointer to spark a 15-2 run that gave the Cavaliers a 59-51 lead. Lyndra Littles capped the surge with a layup and a shot from beyond the arc.
Coleman brought the Terrapins back, converting a pair of three-point plays in a 13-2 spree that put Maryland up 64-61 with eight minutes to go.
A first half that featured nine ties and nine lead changes ended with the Terrapins up 37-36. Maryland shot 62 percent from the floor compared to 38 percent for Virginia, but the Cavaliers took 16 more shots, in part because the Terrapins committed 12 turnovers.
Mohammed scored 13 points before halftime on 6-for-8 shooting.
Virginia will play host to Florida State at 2 p.m. Sunday at John Paul Jones Arena.