Eager to rebound back from its first loss of the season, No. 8 Maryland would have preferred facing an opponent that enjoyed running up and down the court at a rapid pace.
Instead, the Terrapins were tested by a plodding Virginia team that worked the clock and pressed relentlessly on defense.
With much patience, Maryland pulled away to a 68-61 victory over Virginia on Monday night in a rugged Atlantic Coast Conference matchup.
''I thought Virginia was really, really good,'' Terrapins coach Brenda Frese said. ''They came in and had a really good game plan. They really made us play their tempo and their style of play - very, very aggressive. I thought it took us a while in terms of getting the feel and the rhythm of the game, but in the second half we were able to wear them down.''
Laurin Mincy scored 20 and Lynetta Kizer had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Terrapins (17-1, 4-1), who were coming off a 75-63 defeat at Miami on Thursday night.
''We just wanted to come out and prove we could bounce back after a loss,'' Mincy said.
Said Frese: ''Anytime you have that happen the first time, you want to get back out and play. Especially a game like UVA, a rivalry.''
Maryland shot 44 percent from the floor, went 13 for 22 at the foul line and committed 17 turnovers.
''At the end of the day, a win is a win,'' Mincy said.
But the Terrapins outdid the ACC's best defense by holding the Cavaliers to 39 percent shooting and finishing with a 43-33 edge in rebounding. Maryland was coming off a 75-63 defeat at Miami.
Lexie Gerson scored 15 for Virginia (14-5, 2-3) and Ataira Franklin had 14. The Cavaliers missed 20 of 32 shots from the floor after halftime.
''There were times we had a good pace to our offense and times that we didn't,'' coach Joanne Boyle said. ''That's just a work in progress for us.''
Virginia had a season-high 12 steals, which contributed heavily to Maryland's lofty turnover total. But the Cavaliers, who came in allowing an ACC-low 51.7 points per game, yielded 52 in the opening 29 minutes.
''All the credit goes to Maryland,'' Boyle said. ''They're a great team and know how to fight off opponents.''
It was 38-all before Maryland's Tianna Hawkins made a layup and reserve guard Kim Rodgers buried a 3-pointer to launch an 11-5 run that made it 49-43.
After a timeout, the Terrapins beat the press and got the ball to Brene Moseley, who hit a 3-pointer for a 52-43 lead with 11 minutes left.
The Cavaliers closed to 62-57 with 2:08 remaining, but Mincy made four free throws over a 31-second span to blunt the comeback and end Virginia's two-game winning streak in the ACC.
The Terrapins got 10 points from Mincy and outrebounded Virginia 21-15 in taking a 36-32 halftime advantage.
Despite committing six turnovers in the opening 10 minutes, Maryland held a 16-15 lead before the Cavaliers got four points from Chelsea Shine in a 9-0 run capped by Franklin's jumper from beyond the arc.
But Maryland's Alicia DeVaughn made three layups and Mincy hit a pair of 3-pointers in an 18-6 spurt to end the half.
