No. 10 Maryland routs No. 17 Iowa in Big 10 showdown

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) Kaila Charles scored 21 points, and No. 10 Maryland turned a showdown for first place in the Big Ten into a full-fledged blowout by taking charge early against 17th-ranked Iowa and coasting to 93-59 victory Thursday night.

Seeking revenge for a loss at Iowa last month, the Terrapins (21-4, 12-2) never trailed in extending their winning streak to 10 games. Maryland led by 11 after the first quarter, expanded the margin to 25 at halftime and took a staggering 74-38 lead into the fourth quarter.

Iowa (20-5, 11-3) had won 11 of 12, including a 66-61 win over the Terps on Jan. 6, but the Hawkeyes were no match for a Maryland team that spread the ball around on offense and was relentless on defense.

Ashley Owusu had 17 points and 10 assists, Shakira Austin scored 20 points and Stephanie Jones added 16, making all eight of her shots from the floor.

Monika Czinano led Iowa with 15 points and Kathleen Doyle scored 10 on 4-for-16 shooting. The Hawkeyes committed 27 turnovers, shot 40 percent and were outrebounded 38-31.

In the game at Iowa, Maryland guard Taylor Mikesell scored 5 points and went 1 for 9 from beyond the arc. This time, she nailed her first four 3-point attempts to help Maryland build a 34-16 lead early in the second quarter.

Charles had 14 points, and Mikesell and Owusu had 12 apiece to help Maryland go up 48-23 at halftime. Though the Terrapins had numerous layups and went 10 for 17 from the floor in the second quarter, their defense was even more impressive.

Pressing from the outset, Maryland forced 12 turnovers in first half - including three shot-clock violations - and limited Iowa to 10-for-26 shooting.

When these teams met at Iowa, Maryland trailed 39-30 at the break.

BIG PICTURE

Iowa: The Hawkeyes never had a shot. They were so outplayed and so sloppy, it's hard to fathom how they took apart Maryland just a month ago. Maybe it was just an off night, but Iowa has to wonder how to close the current gap between these teams if they meet in the Big Ten Tournament.

Maryland: Now this is what we expected all along from the Terrapins, who are finally living up to their preseason status as overwhelming favorites to win the conference. It doesn't get any more impressive than this display of dominance.

UP NEXT

Iowa faces Wisconsin on Sunday, the first of three straight home games for the Hawkeyes.

Maryland takes on last-place Penn State on Sunday. The Nittany Lions took a nine-game losing streak into Thursday night's game at Nebraska.

--

More AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/Womenscollegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25