The Cornhuskers’ blistering outside shooting sent the Terps home in the conference tournament semifinals for the second straight year.
All it takes is one bad quarter to spoil a game.
Unfortunately for Maryland women’s basketball, that quarter happened to be the final one in its Big Ten Tournament semifinal against Nebraska.
Headed into the fourth quarter down one, the Terps — one day removed from an upset over No. 1-seed Ohio State — finally tired out. They shot 21.4% from the floor and turned the ball over four times in the frame, with Faith Masonius being the only starter to score in the final 10 minutes.
“We were right there,” Terps guard Shyanne Sellers said. “I feel like we just didn’t make a shot when we needed to push over that hump.”
The Cornhuskers overwhelmed the Terps with a barrage of 13 threes on the afternoon, and behind 30 points from guard Jaz Shelley, sent Maryland packing, 78-68.
Thirty-nine of Nebraska’s 78 points came from 3-pointers.
After running a seven-player rotation for three games in three days, it seemed like Maryland head coach Brenda Frese’s team was a step slow from the tip. Nebraska got out to a double-digit lead early, which forced Maryland to climb uphill the rest of the way, and its tired legs couldn’t finish off the comeback.
Nebraska was also superior on the glass, securing eight offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points.
It also didn’t help Maryland that Bri McDaniel, who has often been a spark of energy this season, was in foul trouble throughout the second half and eventually fouled out in the final minutes.
Without McDaniel on the floor for much of the contest, Shelley had a field day. She hit six triples and dished out nine assists. Shyanne Sellers tried to will Maryland back with 15 points and seven assists, but was held in check in the game’s most important moments.
The Cornhuskers were the first to find a steady rhythm — especially from beyond the arc. Even though Maryland kept pace for most of the first quarter, Shelley closed the period by hitting three straight shots from beyond the arc, part of an individual 11-0 run. All of a sudden, what had been a four-point game ballooned into a 13-point lead for Nebraska.
“I thought she was the difference in that first half,” Frese said of Shelley.
Maryland actually shot the ball well in the first half — the Terps shot 59.3% from the field — but almost all of Nebraska’s makes came from distance. Ten of Nebraska’s field goals were threes, while Maryland made just one three in the half.
That disparity made it nearly impossible for Maryland to crawl back. Maryland tried its best, though, going on a 6-0 run to end the first half, which provided some much-needed momentum. Still, the Cornhuskers led 47-40 at the break.
The Cornhuskers then started to cool off. In a matter of minutes, the Terps were down only two points, in the thick of a one-possession game.
Nebraska still managed to ward off Maryland, though, fighting to stay on top. The Cornhuskers were up seven with two minutes to go in the third, enough to maintain a slight lead after two threes from Maryland guard Brinae Alexander as the period approached its conclusion.
Ultimately, Nebraska’s fourth-quarter performance proved too much to handle.
Three things to know
1. Maryland was cold from three. Maryland didn’t have the necessary performance to counter Nebraska’s hot outside shooting, making just four of its 13 attempts from distance. The Terps missed seven of their eight 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter.
2. Masonius performed well again. After being a silent force during the regular season, Masonius played some of the best basketball of her career during the tournament. She put up 14 points and nine rebounds Saturday, her second straight game with over 10 points.
3. The Terps are an NCAA Tournament team. A few days ago, the Terps were an unsure NCAA Tournament selection, but despite Saturday’s loss, all but punched their ticket this week. In ESPN’s latest bracket projection, released Saturday morning, the Terps were a No. 9 seed.
“You see that they’re built for March, and we’re ready to take on the next tournament,” Frese said.