Delaware State coach Ed Davis knew his young team would be overmatched by No. 5 Maryland.
He had no idea the difference between the Terrapins and Hornets was that substantial - until just before the opening tip. From that point on, Davis could only watch helplessly as Maryland rolled to 108-33 rout Thursday night.
Laurin Mincy scored 15 points, one of eight players to reach double figures for the Terrapins. The Hornets, conversely, didn't have a player score more than seven points.
''I realize they're a very good team, but I didn't realize how good they were until the kids got on the floor,'' Davis said of Maryland. ''They executed like a ranked team, and unfortunately we played like an extremely unranked team.''
The Terrapins (10-0) connected on 13 of their first 18 shots and shot 67 percent from the floor in taking a 57-14 halftime lead. Maryland made as many baskets (24) in the first half as the turnover-prone Hornets attempted.
''We had a lot of fun tonight,'' Maryland coach Brenda Frese said.
The Hornets did not. Delaware State (2-7), which has now lost seven straight, doesn't have a senior on the squad, and it showed.
''I don't use excuses,'' Davis said. ''We just right now have a lot of problems defensively with the young kids. We will make the corrections.''
The 75-point victory topped the Terrapins' previous high of 71 points, set in 1975 against Frostburg State and matched in 1993 against Maryland-Eastern Shore.
''We've been challenging this team,'' Frese said. ''What makes this game satisfying is we just continued to play hard for 40 minutes.''
Maryland went 43 of 65 from the floor (66 percent), finished with a 48-20 rebounding advantage, limited the Hornets to 20 percent shooting and forced 23 turnovers - including six shot-clock violations in the first half alone.
The Terrapins ruled every facet of the game, including the duel between twin sisters Tianna Hawkins and Tierra Hawkins. Tianna had 13 points and nine rebounds for Maryland, and Tierra, who came in as Delaware State's leading scorer and rebounder, was limited to seven points (on 3-for-17 shooting) and six boards.
''When I came on the court I thought I wasn't nervous,'' said Tierra, a redshirt freshman. ''But I was nervous. This is something new to me.''
It was the third meeting between the schools, and the third Maryland blowout. The Terrapins won 73-46 in 2008 and beat the Hornets 79-49 on the road in 2010.
After Tasia Bristow hit a 3-pointer to give Delaware State a 3-2 lead, Maryland took over. Mincy scored to spark an 8-0 run, and after the Hornets closed to 12-7, seven different Terrapins scored in a 19-2 run that made it 31-9.
Delaware State went 5 for 24 from the field with 12 turnovers in the first half and made only one field goal during the final 12 1-2 minutes.
