No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball decimates Hofstra, 95-38, in Puerto Rico

Maryland women’s basketball gave up its Thanksgiving turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes for a tropical trip to Puerto Rico, where it competed in its only multi-team event of the 2025-26 season.

The Terps will head back to College Park thankful for an undefeated showing, following their win over No. 16 Kentucky with a pure domination of Hofstra Thursday.

The Terps won 95-38 in a game they led by 20-plus points from the first quarter on. Kaylene Smikle led all scorers with 13 points.

Maryland instantly made it clear it had no intentions of letting the Pride believe they had a chance at a competitive affair. Frese put on an instant full-court press, making it as difficult for Hofstra to cross midcourt as it was to score points.

Saylor Poffenbarger and Kaylene Smikle quickly knocked down transition 3-pointers, capitalizing on giveaways and setting the tone for the next 40 minutes of basketball.

By the end of the first quarter, Frese had emptied almost her entire bench and Maryland was spreading the wealth, getting and-ones for Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu and Mir McLean and layups for Breanna Williams. Maryland pitched one of its most dominant quarters of the season — it was up by 26 after 10 minutes.

It wasn’t a matter of if the Terps could score on a given possession, but rather how they wanted to do so. The second quarter saw various reserves get opportunities to shine.

Freshman center Marya Boiko rattled off six points in a matter of minutes, including an impressive face-up midrange from the free throw line. Williams got inside for another layup.

As the clock ticked toward halftime, Ava McKennie, previously 0-of-6 from beyond the arc in her Maryland career, capped the dominating half off with her first career 3-pointer. She sent her teammates into a frenzied celebration.

Maryland had more fun in the second half, as Nicole Fritea became the 13th player to check in to the game, fully emptying Frese’s bench. The Terps continued to find new ways to score, playing through its post players in Boiko and Ozzy-Momodu much more than it has in other recent games.

Defensively, Hofstra had no chance to break Maryland down unless it simply made difficult shots. The Terps length and athleticism makes it easy to smother any underprepared mid-major opponent. The Pride ended the game with 38 points, the second time Maryland has kept an opponent under 40 this year.

Then McKennie laced another triple, solidifying what was her best game as a Terp. She looked to be about to continue to add to her output, when midway through the fourth quarter she swiped a steal and pushed the ball down the court. As she went up for the open layup, she was fouled and went down seemingly in extreme pain.

Kyndal Walker substituted in for McKennie to shoot her free throws, as the commentators said she was unable to put any weight down on her right knee.

The injury left a bad taste in Maryland’s mouth, but it cruised its way to the win. The Terps added more production from Breanna Williams, who finished with nine points in the game’s closing minutes.

Three things to know

1. Tale of two games. Against an elite Kentucky team, Maryland relied on its starting five and Mir McLean for pretty much all its meaningful contributions on either end of the floor. Against Hofstra, Frese went back to the well of her young rotation and played every available player at least seven minutes. Everyone but Nicole Fritea scored.

2. Garzon’s breakout. In two games in Puerto Rico, Yarden Garzon shot 8-of-13 from beyond the arc. That is a massive step forward for Maryland’s wing, who entered the tournament shooting just above 30% from deep. A return to her Indiana form unlocks a whole new dimension to Maryland’s offense going forward.

3. Terps get a break. The Terps will now get a well-earned six days of rest at 9-0, the longest they’ve gotten between games so far this year. After the break, they will be back in the Xfinity Center to play Mount St. Mary’s.