The Terps have lost three straight games after a 12-0 start.
No. 14 Maryland women’s basketball entered 2025 with a 12-0 record, seemingly destined to be a top-five team in the nation.
The Terps then encountered arguably the most difficult stretch in all of women’s college basketball this season, facing six ranked opponents — No. 4 USC, then-No. 7 Texas, No. 1 UCLA, then-No. 23 Iowa, then-No. 12 Ohio State and then-No. 24 Minnesota — in eight games.
Maryland didn’t have many weaknesses early. The Terps were strong both offensively and defensively, led by multiple transfers and a few key returners. Maryland’s size also contributed to strong rebounding, and coupled with versatile guard play, Maryland seemed nearly unstoppable in most aspects of the game.
But the Terps lost four of those six games.
“What I’m probably most impressed with this group is they keep battling, they keep showing up. They’re running to it, not away from it, and just trying to get better every single day,” head coach Brenda Frese said after Maryland’s loss to UCLA. “We’ll be better because of it as we continue to move forward.”
Maryland suffered its first loss of the season narrowly to the Trojans, 79-74, giving the game away late. But the loss didn’t seem too concerning for Frese and company at the time, with two more chances for a a top-seven win.
But that was the last game the Terps played at full strength this season.
In the next game, the Terps escaped Wisconsin with a win — despite being without Saylor Poffenbarger and Sarah Te-Biasu — but the following Tuesday night at home against then-No. 24 Minnesota, Maryland’s roster received a massive blow.
Near the end of the first quarter, junior guard Bri McDaniel suffered a torn ACL while attempting a buzzer-beating layup, sidelining her for the remainder of the season. She had been a key contributor and a huge reason why Maryland got off to a hot start, averaging 10.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
Maryland then faced Texas in the Coretta Scott King Classic in Newark, New Jersey. Things started off poor for Maryland in its first full game without McDaniel. Then things got worse.
In the second quarter, star guard Shyanne Sellers got knocked down by Texas guard Jordan Lee during an inbound attempt and suffered a knee sprain. Without Sellers, the Terps had no chance to come back, falling to the Longhorns by 38 points.
With Ohio State and UCLA on deck, Maryland was left without two key contributors.
“We’re not going to get too high or too low in January. It’s obviously been a tough week with both [Sellers] and [McDaniel] going out while preparing for three straight top-10 matchups,” Frese said after Maryland’s loss to Texas. “It’s a really mature group. They’ve all been through adversity in their careers, and they know how to ride the ups and downs of the long season. So, I know they’ll stay focused and continue to control what they can control.”
Against Ohio State, the Terps surged early, but surrendered a 15-0 Buckeye run en route to their second defeat in as many games.
With UCLA being the last remaining undefeated team in both men’s and women’s Division I college basketball, the shorthanded Terps faced an almost impossible task.
“I think there’s leadership across the board on our team, but those are two vets out of our whole team, and they’re really valuable to us in the sense of they’re always encouraging,” Christina Dalce said of Sellers and McDaniel after Maryland’s loss to Ohio State. “At the end of the day, like not here right now, and we truly do miss them, but we just need to just focus on ourselves and just play the best that we can.”
The Terps displayed a valiant effort, but were bullied by UCLA star center Lauren Betts, who scored a career-high 33 points and missed just one shot, en route to a 15-point loss. The three consecutive losses caused Maryland to fall six spots in the Associated Press poll, from No. 8 to No. 14.
After starting the eight-game stretch 4-1, Maryland lost its last three games. Injuries had a great impact, but Maryland struggled when playing from behind and blew a double-digit lead to Ohio State.
“It is hard when you lose 32 points [per game in conference play between McDaniel and Sellers], but it’s next man up,” Poffenbarger said after Maryland’s loss to UCLA.
Now, the Terps enter a far less arduous stretch starting Wednesday at Penn State. From there, they will only face one more currently-ranked opponent — No. 8 Ohio State — in the final nine games of the regular season.
“I’m excited to get [the Buckeyes] off of their home court and bring them back [to Xfinity Center] March 2,” Frese said after Maryland’s loss to Ohio State. “Hopefully, by then, we’ll have a healthy roster.”
Over the last few games, Maryland has certainly lacked depth, with Kaylene Smikle, Allie Kubek, Poffenbarger, Dalce and Te-Biasu bearing the brunt of playing time. But Sellers, slated to return at some point during this upcoming stretch, should quell some of those concerns. She brings significant size and ball handling to a lineup that needs it.
Despite this stretch and the injuries Maryland has faced, the Terps should still be a dangerous contender in March. If anything, the experience from these losses will help Maryland make adjustments before the conference and national tournaments.
“Every time that we go out and play, we have an opportunity to learn. I think it’s really important to learn in January and not March,” Poffenbarger said after Maryland’s loss to UCLA. “Going out, we learn a lot about ourselves. It teaches us to stay together. It teaches us to play together, play through hard times.”