Here’s what to know about the Terps’ comeback victory.
Down 14 points after the first quarter, No. 8-seed Maryland women’s basketball battled back against No. 9-seed Illinois to earn a 75-65 victory in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday. In doing so, it clinched a matchup with No. 1-seed Ohio State in the quarterfinals.
Here are some takeaways from Thursday’s game.
Maryland got off to a sluggish start
The Terps’ first quarter offered no silver linings or moral victories. It was simply bad.
Illinois embarked on a 12-2 run within the opening five minutes of the game, shooting a scorching 8-of-9 from the field.
Maryland, which initially ran a zone defense, had no answer for the Illini’s offensive scheme. Despite the Terps trotting out a big lineup, they couldn’t stop Illinois in the paint. The Illini managed 14 points in the paint and won the rebounding battle, 13-6, in the period.
“I really thought we were gonna play more zone in this game … but I thought the switch defensively when we went all predominantly man, we just got a lot more aggressive,” said Terps head coach Brenda Frese.
It wasn’t much better on the perimeter for Maryland, as Illinois used a pick-and-roll action with speedy guard Genesis Bryant to open up the middle of the court. But contrary to the Illini, the Terps were often not nearly quick enough on their rotations, and it led to quite a few open buckets and quick dishes around the rim.
“When you look at the stats in that first quarter, it’s just us not guarding,” said Frese.
On offense, Maryland struggled greatly, shooting just 22% from the field. Jakia Brown-Turner, who recently earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, went 0-for-5.
The second-quarter turnaround was rapid
The Terps demonstrated a sequence of play commensurate with their season being on the line. And they did it largely with Shyanne Sellers sitting on the bench with two fouls.
While she didn’t have much of a choice, Frese didn’t shy away from employing a lineup with the trio of paint presences Brown-Turner, Allie Kubek and Emily Fisher.
Each of those players garnered plenty of interest inside when together, opening up the rest of the court. That created room for the primary ball handler, Bri McDaniel, to operate on the perimeter. In the first 20 minutes, she shot 5-of-8 from the field, while the rest of the team managed just an 8-for-30 performance.
Furthermore, Kubek’s output can’t be understated. After some defensive miscues and missed layups in the first quarter, Frese took her out for a period of time. But after she was re-inserted into the game when Sellers got into foul trouble, Kubek shined. In the second period, she notched eight points, hit two 3-pointers and sank two free throws to give the Terps a much-needed boost.
Maryland also had 15 points off turnovers in the first half, a testament to its continued aggressiveness and on-ball presence.
“We know that Maryland basketball is getting out, rebounding and running in transition, and also starts on the defensive end,” said guard Brinae Alexander. “It’s not really how you start. It’s about [how] you finish. And so I think we finished strong.”
An ending to save the season
The Terps were down 50-46 with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. By the end of the frame, they were on top by a score of 55-50.
And they didn’t stop there.
Over the final 13 minutes of play, Maryland went on a 29-15 run to secure a spot in quarterfinals. And — at least for the final 3:33 of play — it did so without Sellers, who fouled out.
In the fourth quarter, the Terps shot 5-for-13 and won the rebounding battle, 15-6. McDaniel led the way with six points in the frame and notched her first career double-double. Six different Maryland players scored in the period.
“[Frese] told me I gotta get on boards more,” McDaniel said. “Just being extra aggressive … that’s really what it was today.”
The Terps didn’t hit a field goal in the final 3:11, but they didn’t need to, getting sent to the free-throw line on a consistent basis. In the quarter, they shot a staggering 16 free throws and made 10.