The Terps got back in the win column after two straight losses.
As time expired on No. 21 Maryland women’s basketball’s victory over Michigan — its first at home in a month — it felt like there was a palpable sigh of relief in Xfinity Center.
The Terps took down the Wolverines, 85-77. Sarah Te-Biasu led the way with 21 points, while Shyanne Sellers and Saylor Poffenbarger followed her up with 18 and 12 respectively.
“Really proud of our group for digging deep,” Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said. “We’ve really challenged this group through our practices the last couple days.”
The game began with some creativity from Frese, as she quickly shuffled her starters out for a small-ball lineup featuring Ava McKennie, Emily Fisher and Te-Biasu. As recently as a month ago, it was a rarity for McKennie or Fisher to play in a game at all, but Frese was clearly looking for a spark.
“In film, I’m not going to watch [my] kids go three-quarters speed, I’d rather have all-out effort,” Frese said. “So yeah, it was intentional.”
However, the lineup didn’t exactly generate rave results, as Michigan scored on Maryland at will early on.
The Wolverines have been powered by a big three of Olivia Olson, Syla Swords and Jordan Hobbs. That trio scored all of Michigan’s first quarter points, as they got remarkably open looks, both from deep and at the rim.
Kaylene Smikle started hot for Maryland but quickly found herself in foul trouble, which became a theme for the Terps. They had four players with multiple fouls early in the second quarter.
Michigan’s lead ballooned as big as nine in the second quarter, as the Terps struggled through a stretch where defensive stops were hard to come by.
During that time, Mir McLean kept Maryland afloat off the bench, delivering her best performance in weeks and bringing significant energy to the court.
“I think Mir has been really resilient,” Frese said. “We felt there was a strong advantage in this game for her, with the matchups and defensively and credit to her, continuing to stay ready.”
The Terps fought their way back into the game heading into the half, turning up the intensity on the defensive end and attacking the rim hard on offensive. They trailed by just two heading to the locker room.
Unlike its apathetic start to the second half against Nebraska, Maryland came out of the break looking rejuvenated. Poffenbarger emerged aggressive, scoring eight of her 12 points early in the third.
“Sometimes, I allow myself to become one-dimensional,” Poffenbarger said. “I think utilizing, attacking, putting pressure on the rim is really important.”
Maryland’s lead got as high as seven, but the Terps’ inability to stop Swords and Olson continued to be an issue. Those two, as well as post player Yulia Grabovskaia, caused Maryland issues defensively.
The Wolverines attacked the rim hard, either drawing fouls or converting layups.
Maryland took just a one-point advantage into the final 10 minutes. It needed a boost from its star player in Sellers. It got one.
Sellers began using her size advantage to face up in the high post, knocking down midrange jumpers — one of her most effective offensive tools.
Te-Biasu, who had a slow start, began making extremely tough shots in the second half, highlighted by some flashy off-the-dribble threes. One of her vital triples pushed Maryland’s lead to six late in the game.
“I know it was tough in the first half,” Te Biasu said, “but in the second half I came out more confident.”
The Terps maintained a small lead, but the biggest moment of the game came when Christina Dalce drew a foul while battling for a rebound. She proceeded to sink two clutch free throws to put her team up by six with under a minute to go.
Maryland continued to hit clutch free throws, closing out an important home conference victory.
Terps fans also suffered a scare as Sellers got helped off the court with 30 seconds left, but she was walking around comfortably postgame.
“I just fell right on [her previously injured right knee]. I’m getting old, I’ll be alright,” Sellers said.
Three things to know
1. The Terps showed resilience. After a string of tough losses, it felt like Maryland’s season was in a sticky place when it trailed by nine points in the second quarter. The Terps hung tough, though, proving they can respond to adversity when it matters.
2. Maryland outdueled Michigan at the free throw line. The Terps made three more free throws than the Wolverines on one less attempt. That advantage was critical to their victory, especially late in the game.
3. Smikle took a backseat. Smikle missed a lot of the game with foul trouble, but even as she entered the fourth quarter with three fouls, Frese elected to keep her leading scorer on the bench, favoring McLean. Smikle still managed nine points in 14 minutes.