No. 7 Terps Beat No. 16 Kentucky At Puerto Rico Shootout

Kaylene Smikle scored 22 points, leading the No. 7 Terps in a key 74-66 victory over No. 16 Kentucky in the opening game of the Puerto Rico Shootout. Maryland stays perfect on the 2025 season, moving to 8-0 and handed Kentucky its first loss of the year, dropping the Wildcats to 7-1.

Smikle shot 6-of-12 from the field and 9-of-11 at the free-throw line, also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists.

The Terps went on a key 10-0 run in the opening quarter to help them take a 10-2 lead early on.

However, in the first half, Yarden Garzon was huge offensively, scoring 12 points and shooting perfectly, hitting all four of her three-point attempts. She also got help from freshman Addi Mack, who scored timely buckets to help expand the Terps' lead 39-28 at the half.

Mack opened the third quarter, scoring the first eight Terrapin points with Maryland leading 47-32 with seven minutes left in the quarter.

The Terps and Wildcats traded buckets the rest of the way, with both teams taking a lot of shots from beyond the arc and knocking them down.

THE BANK IS OPEN 🤑#faMily 🐢 pic.twitter.com/l97fP65WPy
— Maryland Women’s Basketball (@TerpsWBB) November 27, 2025

Kentucky tried to make a late push in the final quarter, at one point cutting the lead down to six with 48 seconds remaining after a layup by Tonie Morgan. But the Wildcats could not get a stop without fouling on the next possession, sending Saylor Poffenbarger all but ending the game.

Maryland's defense was dialed in all game, holding Kentucky to shooting under 45% from the field and 36% from three, and sending them to the line only 8 times.

The Terps forced 20 turnovers and scored 20 points from them. They also added 21 fast break points compared to the Wildcats' six.

Ben Messinger of the Testudo Times got a chance to sit in on the post-game press conference with Terps Head Coach, Brenda Frese, about the defensive performance from her team, stating;

“Saylor and Mir [McLean] had the toughest assignment with [Clara] Strack to hold her to nine points and nine boards. I mean, she’s been averaging a double-double. They were really good,” Frese said. “Then our help-side defense kind of flooding that white line. Especially having to go inside and out with all the shooters that they had, but I thought we were the more aggressive team from a defensive mentality.

Tonie Morgan led the Wildcats with 22 points, shooting 7-of-11 from the field, hitting four of five threes, and all four of her free throws. Morgan also grabbed four rebounds, to go along with eight assists, two steals, and one block.

Asia Boone scored 13 points off the bench, and Amelia Hassett added 10 points.

Mack scored 15 for the Terps, while grabbing five boards and dishing out six assists. Poffenbarger finished with 12 points.