No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball vs. Central Connecticut State preview

After a nine-day break, No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball will host one of its most highly anticipated events of the season. 

Friday is Maryland’s annual Field Trip Day. The Terps are expected to have upwards of 13,000 elementary school students in attendance at the Xfinity Center as they host Central Connecticut State. 

Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m., and the game will be streamed on Big Ten Plus. 

Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (0-10, 0-0 Northeast Conference)

2024-25 record: 11-19, 10-6 Northeast Conference

The Blue Devils have started the season with 10 consecutive losses under head coach Kristin Caruso in her first full season at the helm. Last season, as acting head coach, Caruso led the Blue Devils to a 9-6 record and third place in the NEC standings. 

This season has been rough for Central Connecticut State — its closest loss came Wednesday in a three-point defeat to New Hampshire. The Blue Devils have been relatively uncompetitive, and making matters worse, they only have one day off to prepare for the Terps. 

Maryland is Central Connecticut State’s final nonconference opponent. Last season, the Blue Devils saw 10 of their 11 wins come in NEC play. 

Players to watch:

Lucia Noin, senior forward, 6-foot-0, No. 12 — Noin is in her second season with Central Connecticut State after spending time at Raritan Valley Community College. The Spain international leads the Blue Devils with 11 points per game this season while starting all 10 games. Last year, she averaged 5.5 points per game. 

Kayla Henry, junior forward, 6-foot-0, No. 11 — Henry is in her third season with the Blue Devils and has started all 10 games this season. She averages 6.2 points per game on 20-of-43 (46.5%) shooting this season. Last season, she appeared in 29 games with 15 starts and averaged 2.7 points per game. 

Cierra Pearson, senior guard, 5-foot-8, No. 21 — Pearson is in her fourth season at Central Connecticut State. After not starting a single time through 67 games in her first three seasons, she has started all 10 games this year. She averages 4.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game on 16-of-67 (23.9%) shooting. Last season, she tied the program record with nine steals in a game — she currently averages 1.6 steals per game.

Strength

Free throws. There aren’t many notable strengths for a team that started the season with an 0-10 record. But the Blue Devils have shot better from the free-throw line than their opponents. Central Connecticut State averages 15.6 free throw attempts and 11 free throws made per game.  Opponents average 20.2 free throw attempts and 13.7 free throws made per game. The Blue Devils are 70.5% from the charity stripe, while opponents only shoot 67.8%. 

Weakness

Winning games in nonconference play. The Blue Devils are 0-10 on the season and have struggled against all of their opponents thus far. To finish its nonconference slate, the Blue Devils head to College Park to face the Terps, who most recently beat Delaware State by 70 points and held the Hornets to 21 points. Central Connecticut State has lost its games by an average of 20.9 points, and it has performed worse in every statistical category except free-throw percentage. 

Three things to watch:

1. Field Trip Day. It won’t be a typical crowd Friday. Xfinity Center will be filled with several screaming kids — it will be deafening for those in the arena. If and when the Terps score 67 points, there will be pandemonium unlike College Park has ever seen.

“I got a little taste from the bench, so I heard all that screaming,” Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu said about the 2024 Field Trip Day. “I had earplugs in when I was on the bench, but this time I’ll be on the court, so it’s gonna be even louder.”

2. Injury trouble after a long break. Maryland, which enters Friday off a nine-day break, will have a 10-day break following the game. In Maryland’s last matchup, Addi Mack and Saylor Poffenbarger sat out with ankle injuries. In the midst of this long break against a relatively non-competitive opponent, it will be interesting to see how head coach Brenda Frese utilizes her key contributors.

3. Fritea’s usage. Freshman forward Nicole Fritea has played 32 minutes through six games this season and has been a low option on Maryland’s bench. Against Delaware State, Fritea played a season-high 10 minutes and tied her season-high of three points. She has shot 3-of-6 (50%) from the field, 1-of-1 from deep and 1-of-4 from the charity stripe. Fritea could potentially top all of her season-highs on Friday in Maryland’s final nonconference matchup.