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COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Midway through the third quarter, Maryland's Shatori Walker-Kimbrough made a steal at half court, swung the ball behind her back and never broke stride on her way to an easy layup.
The flashy play by the junior guard seemed to spark the No. 5 Terrapins to a 97-47 rout of crosstown Loyola on Tuesday night.
"She sets the tone. We really go as Shatori goes," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "When Shatori is in a great place, our team is in a great place. Just to see her growth and where she is leading us is exciting."
Walker-Kimbrough scored 21 points and Brene Moseley had 15 for Maryland, which shot 36 of 68 (52.9 percent) from the field. Brianna Fraser added 11 points and Kristen Confroy finished with 10.
Maryland (9-0) plays Southern and the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore before a showdown with No. 1 Connecticut on Dec. 28.
Diana Logan went 5 of 7 from 3-point range and had 19 points for Loyola (3-6). The Greyhounds' reserves were outscored 52-24 by their counterparts with Maryland. Loyola finished with just one free throw.
Colleen Marshall and Logan hit back-to-back 3-pointers to open the second quarter and get the Greyhounds within four. The Terrapins then overwhelmed Loyola with their size and speed, pulling away with a 26-6 run capped by Moseley's layup.
"I thought we responded really well," Walker-Kimbrough said. "We ramped up our defense. We got easy shots on offense and we executed. We sped them up on defense. I thought we did a good job on our press."
The Terps got points from nine players, including 14 from Walker-Kimbrough, and led 50-24 at the break. Maryland scored 16 points off 11 turnovers by Loyola.
A layup by Jones gave Maryland a 57-27 lead with 5:56 left in the third quarter. The Terrapins continued to wear down the Greyhounds. Another layup by Moseley provided a 71-37 margin.
Loyola tried to slow Maryland down with a 2-3 zone, but nothing worked. A layup by Kiah Gillespie extended the lead to 90-44 with 5:01 left.
"They are always hard to guard," Loyola coach Joe Logan said. "They are solid and so steady. I thought we got good looks but they just didn't go in. I'm proud of how we played. I just wished we could have made a few more shots."
It was the Terps' 27th straight home victory.
TIP-INS
Loyola: The Greyhounds went 1-3 on a stretch of four consecutive road games. ... Loyola fell to 3-22 all-time against Maryland.
Maryland: Walker-Kimbrough was named Big Ten Player of the Week after averaging 18.5 points in a pair of wins last week. ... Maryland senior forward Tierney Pfirman was held out with a hamstring injury.
UP NEXT
Loyola hosts in-state rival UMBC on Dec. 20 after a break for exams.
Maryland wraps up a four-game homestand Friday against Southern.
LOCKED DOWN
Marshall, a senior guard, was averaging a team-best 16 points coming into the game. But Walker-Kimbrough played aggressive defense and Marshall managed just seven points on 3-of-15 shooting in 33 minutes.
NO FREE PASSES
Maryland had a season-low eight turnovers and committed just four fouls. Frese has preached the importance of discipline throughout the season and her players responded.
"That's an area we have really focused on ... not bailing people out at the free-throw line," she said. "It's really great to see."
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