Mikesell, Jones lead No. 9 Maryland past Coppin State 93-36

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Taylor Mikesell scored 18 points, Stephanie Jones had 17 and No. 9 Maryland beat Coppin State 93-36 Friday night.

Shakira Austin added 12 points and Kaila Charles had 11 as the Terrapins opened the season with a win after going 26-8 last year — its worst record since 2012-13. Maryland was then eliminated by North Carolina State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Terrapins returned four of their top five leading scorers — Blair Watson, Brianna Fraser, Jones and Charles, who led the team with 17.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Mikesell, who started, and Austin are the team’s top freshmen.

Mikesell scored 10 points in the opening quarter, paving the way for an early 31-13 lead.

Coppin State (0-2) has just three players that were on the roster last season — Chance Graham, Maraiyah Smith and Oluwadamilola Oloyede. Freshman E’Mya Price made the biggest impact and led the Eagles with 11 points. Graham managed nine points and 13 rebounds.

Coppin State had few answers for the Terrapins’ taller frontcourt and was outrebounded 71-39.

Maryland was never threatened and a late free throw by Austin provided a 48-20 lead at the break. The Terrapins scored 27 points off 20 Eagles turnovers in the game.

Terrapins coach Brenda Frese was able to rotate players freely in the second half and her team continued to overwhelm Coppin State. Another 3-pointer by Mikesell increased the margin to 75-32 with 8:22 left in the game.

The Terrapins improved to 15-0 all-time against Coppin State.

BIG PICTURE

Coppin State: The Eagles suffered their second straight lopsided loss after falling to No. 25 West Virginia 78-37 loss on Tuesday. However, the tough nonconference schedule should have them battle-tested for lesser-caliber opponents in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Maryland: The Terrapins won at least a share of the Big Ten championship in each of their first three seasons before finishing second last year. Maryland not only has the firepower and depth to compete for a conference title again, but could also be primed for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

UP NEXT

Coppin State: Hosts UMBC on Wednesday.

Maryland: Hosts Dayton on Sunday.

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