No. 6 Maryland 82, Manhattan 49

1/2/2006 10:18 PM

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Jade Perry helped No. 6 Maryland overcome a lackluster first half in its final tuneup for the Atlantic Coast Conference season.

Perry had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and the Terrapins routed Manhattan 82-49 on Monday night for their ninth straight victory.

Shay Doron scored 16 points for the Terrapins (12-1), Ashleigh Newman had 14, and Marissa Coleman and Laura Harper added 12 apiece. Maryland won easily despite shooting a season-low 36.2 percent, including 25 percent in the first half.

``I'm glad we got that first half out of our system, a lot of missed layups and just a lid on the basket,'' Terps coach Brenda Frese said. ``I thought we did a lot of nice things in the second half and it'll hopefully help us get ready for conference.''

Kymesha Alston scored 13 points for the Jaspers (4-7), who lost their third straight.

Manhattan's Gabrielle Cottrell hit a 3-pointer to open the second half, pulling the Jaspers within six, but the Terps outscored Manhattan 49-25 in the last 20 minutes for their 12th win by 20-plus points.

The Jaspers trailed 33-24 at halftime, largely because they effectively double-teamed Maryland's post players.

``That was going to be our best chance at not really letting Crystal Langhorne and Jade go off on the post,'' Manhattan coach Myndi Hill said. ``I thought we did a tremendous job in the first half with it.'' But the second half was the problem.

Frese said her team is looking forward to starting its ACC season Thursday night at No. 24 Boston College.

``I think we've made a statement with every game we've played,'' Frese said. ``I think they're all ready for conference play and it'll be easy to get them prepared and motivated for the first conference game.''