The Terps came back to win by 13 after trailing at the half.
Many didn’t expect No. 4-seed Maryland women’s basketball to get the opportunity to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, but it did.
The Terps seized that opportunity Saturday afternoon, defeating No. 13 Norfolk State, 82-69, in its home arena, setting up a second-round matchup with No. 5-seed Alabama Monday.
Sarah Te-Biasu led the way with a 22 points and six threes. Kaylene Smikle added 21 and Kierra Wheeler led the Spartans with 18.
It didn’t take long for the Terps to get a taste of what Norfolk State was all about. Maryland went down 7-0 out of the gate after Smikle made an ill-advised pass that was picked off, which led to a Diamond Johnson catch-and-shoot three in transition.
“We knew Diamond Johnson is a really, really good player,” Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said. “She showed that throughout the entire game.”
Maryland found its way into the game through its post players, as Christina Dalce and Allie Kubek established themselves around the rim, combining for Maryland’s first eight points. The Terps also settled in defensively, allowing just five points in the final seven minutes of the quarter.
“I thought this was one of [Allie’s] better games,” Frese said. “I thought that she gave us a great presence all night, I thought she was really confident and really strong.”
The biggest moment of the opening 10 minutes came when Kubek, who hit seven threes in Maryland’s only NCAA Tournament game in 2024, splashed a three from the wing. As the ball went in, Mir McLean was fouled battling for position. She went to the line and hit a pair of free throws, giving Maryland a five-point possession to close the quarter. The Terps led, 18-12.
Johnson came out firing in the second quarter, though, scoring seven early points to put Norfolk State back in front.
Maryland’s offense slowed as its guards couldn’t find anything, with Smikle, Shyanne Sellers and Sarah Te-Biasu starting off a combined 2-of-12 from the field.
The Spartans built their lead back to five points before Te-Biasu knocked down a three to close the gap to two heading into halftime.
The guards quickly shook off their poor first half, as Te-Biasu’s hit two threes to open the third quarter, and Sellers and Smikle got to the rack for layups and fouls.
“Late in the half, I hit one and was like ‘Ok, shoot the next one’,” Te-Biasu said. “It’s just confidence.”
At one point, Dalce appeared to have an and-1 that the referees changed to a foul on the floor. In response, Sellers threw the baseline inbound pass off a distracted defender’s back and finished through contact for an and-1 of her own.
As Maryland’s guards found their rhythm, the Terps’ lead grew, getting as high as 11 points in the third quarter.
“I think one thing we focused on was calming down,” Smikle said. “We weren’t playing our basketball … we just adjusted and played freely.”
Maryland held an eight-point advantage heading into the final 10 minutes of the game. As had been the case all afternoon, though, Norfolk State refused to go anywhere. It jumped on Maryland to start the fourth quarter, forcing a quick timeout from Frese.
The timeout yielded positive results for Maryland, as it opened a 10-2 run sparked by three straight triples from Smikle and Te-Biasu. The final three came from Te-Biasu, her sixth of the game, and caused an eruption Xfinity Center to gave Maryland its biggest lead of the game at 14 points.
Norfolk State gave the Terps one last push, but couldn’t get within six points. Maryland finished lights-out at the free-throw line, not missing a single attempt in the second half.
Three things to know
1. The Terps slowed down Johnson in the second half. Johnson paced Norfolk State all season, averaging 19 points per game. She looked poised to blow past that number as she put up 16 in the first half. The Terps adjusted in the second half, though, holding Johnson to just two more points the rest of the way.
“I think we were letting them do what they wanted in the first half,” Smikle said. “I think we came out in the second half, we dictated what they were doing.”
2. Three-point shooting loomed large. As Maryland took and built its lead in the second half, 3-point shooting was key. The Terps went 9-of-18 (50%) from deep to Norfolk State’s 7-of-25 (28%). Smikle hit two threes back-to-back, while Kubek knocked in her only attempt in the first half.
3. Poffenbarger was a nonfactor. A potential concern for the Terps going forward is that Saylor Poffenbarger did not seem to have fully recovered from her sprained ankle. She played just eight minutes and sat out the entire second half Saturday. In her brief stint, she looked hobbled and did not move with the confidence she normally does.