WOMEN: NO. 9 MARYLAND 87, GEORGIA TECH 79: Terps build 23-point lead, win 6th in a row

Maryland held off a late run by Georgia Tech on Thursday night and defeated the Yellow Jackets 87-79 for the Terrapins’ sixth consecutive victory.

Maryland freshman center Lynetta Kizer set the tone for the game, scoring the ninth-ranked Terps’ first eight points. She scored 17 points in the first half and finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

“She just gave us a tremendous post presence,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. “You could tell Lynetta was ready from the tip. She was active. She was aggressive.”

With Kizer playing well down low, Maryland was able to penetrate Tech’s defense, which kept the Yellow Jackets on their heels. The Terps scored 26 points in the paint in the first half and shot 61 percent from the field.

Maryland senior guard Marissa Coleman scored 15 of her 22 points in the half and was 11-for-11 from the line.

Tech guard Alex Montgomery, who scored 19 and had six assists, was hot throughout the first half, making 3-of-3 from behind the 3-point line and scoring 11 points.

Her teammates didn’t help much, however, and Maryland took a 45-37 lead at halftime.

The Terps (22-4, 9-2 ACC) dominated early in the second half and eventually built a 23-point lead, but when the game seemed out of reach, the Jackets (18-8, 5-6) made a run. They cut the lead to seven with less than a minute to play.

The comeback was too late, however, and the Jackets were dealt their second loss at home this season.

Still, Jackets coach MaChelle Joseph was pleased with her team’s play.

“I’m really proud and pleased with this young group, the way they battled back,” she said. “There was a turning point. They could have quit. They were down [23], and they didn’t.”

Four Tech players scored in double figures.

Guard Deja Foster had a huge game, scoring a career-high 17 points. She grabbed nine rebounds and forced three steals.

“That’s exciting for a coach to know you’ve got a sophomore doing that well at the end of her sophomore year,” Joseph said.

Off the bench, forward Brigitte Ardossi was 7-of-9 to score 16 points, and guard Jacqua Williams put up 12 with five assists.

Joseph saw a lot of bright spots for the young Jackets. The team grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, took 78 shots compared with 55 from Maryland, and made eight 3-pointers —- after making a combined eight in the previous five games.

“If we can continue to play as well we played tonight against the next three opponents, we’re going to be in a very good situation heading into post- season,” she said.