No. 9 Maryland overcomes sloppy start, pulls away to beat George Washington 75-65

George Washington guard Shannon Cranshaw, third from right, passes the ball to Jonquel Jones (35) against Maryland forward A'Lexus Harrison (33), Chloe Pavlech (15) and Kristen Confroy (12) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) (The Associated Press)

Maryland guard Lexie Brown, left, goes to the basket against George Washington guard Lauren Chase, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) (The Associated Press)

WASHINGTON – Laurin Mincy scored 23 points, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough had 16, and No. 9 Maryland overcame a sloppy start and slowly pulled away in the second half Saturday in a 75-65 win over nearby rival George Washington.

After committing 13 turnovers in the first half, the Terrapins (4-0) opened the second half by going more than nine minutes before giveaway No. 14. They turned a one-point halftime deficit into a modest cushion by forcing the action and taking the ball inside.

Jonquel Jones scored 18 points to lead the Colonials (2-2), who committed 22 turnovers and didn't make a free throw until 1:30. They finished 4 for 9 at the line.

The momentum started to swing when a driving layup by Walker-Kimbrough was followed by Mincy's steal of the inbounds pass. Mincy then drew a foul and made both free throws to give Maryland a 41-34 lead with 15 minutes to play.