Playing exceptionally well on both ends of the floor, No. 8 Maryland put on a performance that helped diminish the frustration of a loss to top-ranked Connecticut just four nights earlier.
Alyssa Thomas had 18 points and 14 rebounds, and the Terrapins never trailed in an 87-51 rout of poor-shooting George Washington on Tuesday.
Coming off a disappointing 17-point defeat at home against UConn, the Terrapins (3-1) dominated the first meeting between these crosstown schools since 2006.
''I really liked how we responded,'' coach Brenda Frese said. ''I liked the fact that we improved in every area - defensively, rebounding, sharing the basketball. Just saw a lot of great things, a lot of improvement by players that we disappointed the last time out and got better tonight.''
Thomas had a double-double by halftime and fueled a 17-5 run that put Maryland up 42-22 at the break. Early in the second half, a follow-shot by Thomas capped an 8-0 spurt that made it 52-25 with 15:57 remaining.
George Washington (2-1) beat then-No. 10 California on Friday night at home and was trying to build on that uplifting victory. The Colonials' bid to pull off another upset faded under a barrage of missed shots - they were 11 for 38 from the floor in the pivotal first half, including 0 for 11 from beyond the arc.
''The energy was lacking today,'' said guard Megan Nipe. ''I think we got excited for Cal - it was our home court - and we just didn't get up the same way.''
Nipe scored 31 against California and only 13 on 6-for-19 shooting against the Terps. The Colonials shot 22 for 63 (35 percent) and missed all 15 of its 3-point tries.
GW coach Jonathan Tsipis had a feeling he was going to get Maryland's best effort, and he was right.
''I thought you saw a Maryland team tonight that was mad because they knew Friday night wasn't their best shot,'' Tsipis said. ''We were coming off our best win in the last five years, but I thought Maryland was definitely the aggressor, and I feel like with the depth they have now they're able to come at you in waves.''
Thomas was the best player on the floor, but she had help. Freshman Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 15 and two other Terps reached double figures.
Clearly, Maryland couldn't wait to get back into a competitive situation after the loss to Connecticut.
''We learned from that,'' Thomas said. ''We just tried to get better and come out and win this game.''
The Terrapins outscored the Colonials 19-7 at the foul line and finished with a 53-32 rebounding advantage.
''Rebounding is something that we did not perform well in the UConn game,'' forward Alicia DeVaughn said. ''We knew we had to come back stronger tonight.''
The Terrapins limited the Colonials to 4-for-18 shooting over the opening eight minutes and took a 15-8 lead.
It was 25-18 before a follow-shot by Thomas and a 3-pointer by Walker-Kimbrough sparked the pivotal run that carried into the end of the first half. Five different players contributed to the spree, and the Maryland defense held GW scoreless over the final 3 1/2 minutes.
Thomas had 12 points and 11 rebounds by halftime.
