No. 5 Maryland extends win streak, beats Penn State 77-62

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) For Maryland's Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, it was a matter of doing what she was told: shoot the ball.

Her 21 points led No. 5 Maryland (20-2, 11-0 Big Ten) to an easy 77-62 win over Penn State Thursday night for the Terps' 14th consecutive victory.

''Coach kept telling me to shoot it, I had the hot hand, so they kept getting me the ball,'' said Walker-Kimbrough. ''They were finding me for open shots, they (Penn State) were penetrating our post, so I thought it was my job to knock down those shots.''

Maryland's Brionna Jones had 11 rebounds, Laurin Mincy scored 11 points and Tierney Pfirman added nine more for the Big Ten newcomer which has won 11 straight conference games.

Lindsey Spann scored 18 points, Sierra Moore 15 and Candice Agee 10 to lead Penn State (5-18, 2-10), which has lost 11 of the last 13.

Maryland shot 31 of 61 from the field and 4 of 14 from 3-point range. Jones' rebounding effort spurred the Terps to a 39-34 advantage on the boards despite Penn State's size advantage.

''It took us awhile to be able to adjust to Penn State's size,'' Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. ''They're huge.

''The difference for us was after our (first-half) timeout we were able to make a 20-1 run. We got active because of our press and were able to speed them up.''

Maryland led 41-24 at the half after trailing early, 17-10. Penn State's second half was slightly more spirited, but the Lady Lions had no answer for the Terrapins under the rim and their shooting woes continued.

Penn State was 27 of 68 from the field and just 1 of 8 from long range.

''I'd like to see more consistency on our team on both ends of the floor,'' said Penn State coach Coquese Washington.

Mincy knocked down a 3-pointer, a pair of fouls and a layup to help the Terps pull away to a 57-34 second-half lead.

Penn State then went cold, missing three layups and another short jumper before Tori Waldner made good on three straight layups. Walker-Kimbrough's 20th and 21st points gave Maryland a 62-40 advantage.

''Walker-Kimbrough got quite a few of her points in transition,'' Washington said. ''She's a very, very talented player. When she got free, she took advantage and made us pay.''

Penn State had a 7:34 scoring drought in the first half and one of 3:54 in the second.

Maryland used 12 players and 10 scored.

''Any time we're able to rest our starters in terms of minutes and also be able to gain experience is great,'' Frese said. ''We have to be able to have that when you talk about the number of games that you play when you get ready for postseason.''

TIP-INS

Maryland: The Terrapins are the only team in the Big Ten with four players among the conference's top 30 scorers. ... Brown and Mincy were starters on Maryland's Final Four team last season. ... Maryland leads the Big Ten in six offensive categories and is fifth nationally in scoring offense (83.7).

Penn State: Guard Keke Sevillian left the game with 5:19 remaining with an injury to her left ankle. ... Peyton Whitted and Maryland's Brown were teammates at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia. ... Penn State leads the series with Maryland 14-9 and had won the last six games, but the two teams haven't played since December 2003. ... Penn State hasn't defeated a team ranked among the top five since 2004 (North Carolina).

UP NEXT

Maryland: Home against No. 19 Nebraska on Sunday.

Penn State: At Purdue on Sunday.