The Terps picked up their fourth ranked win of the season.
No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball welcomed No. 24 Minnesota women’s basketball to College Park Tuesday to test the legitimacy of the Golden Gophers’ 16-1 record.
They failed, as Maryland won, 99-92, on one of its best shooting nights of the season. The Terps shot over 53% from the field and knocked down nine 3-pointers en route to its fourth ranked win of the season. Shyanne Sellers led the way with 27 points.
“Great win for us to get at home as we open this stretch of games against four ranked teams,” Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said.
The positive emotions were dampened by an injury, though. In just her second start of the season, Bri McDaniel left the game with a right knee injury and did not return. She was carried off the floor by Maryland trainers.
The game tipped off at a lightning pace, particularly for Maryland, who rarely let the shot clock reach 20 seconds. The Golden Gophers had no issue keeping up, though, as they built a slight advantage before the game’s first timeout.
McDaniel paced Maryland before her injury, leading the Terps with six first-quarter points.
Minnesota responded with strong offense of its own as Amaya Battle — sister of Minnesota men’s basketball star Jamison — gave Maryland early fits, starting the game 4-of-5 from the field. Her efforts earned Minnesota a 19-17 lead after the first quarter, but the larger concern was McDaniel’s injury, which had seemingly sucked the life out of Xfinity Center.
Maryland uncharacteristically struggled to keep Minnesota off the glass — particularly 6-foot-5 Sophie Hart, who helped Minnesota generate 14 second-chance points in the first half.
The Terps were in need of a lift, and Sellers stepped up to deliver it. She scored eight second-quarter points, including two triples, as the Terps finally extended their lead in the back half of the second quarter.
Mir McLean also saw a larger role with head coach Brenda Frese’s rotation down to just seven players. McLean stepped up with her best offensive performance of the season, cutting off the ball for easy looks at the rim.
Maryland led by five points at halftime and looked strong but still vulnerable to a Minnesota run. But as the second half started, Maryland’s offense improved from good to great.
“I thought they better started to understand how Minnesota was defending them, and [were] able to make the one-mores,” Frese said.
The Terps shot 10-of-15 from the field and 3-of-3 from deep in the third quarter to push their lead into double figures. Kaylene Smikle, who had a quiet first half, finally got going in the frame, posting five points.
Allie Kubek, who was battling Hart down low, also looked more aggressive, taking more 3-pointers than she had in a game all season. She ended the game 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
“The coaches told me shoot the ball, let it fly,” Kubek said. “I feel like I’m kind of in a slump, so I’m just trying to get my confidence back, but my teammates and coaches know that I can shoot the three so them just letting me be able to feel lit out helped a lot. I think that today I finally got it back.”
Sellers continued to look like herself, calmly dicing up Minnesota’s defense and either pulling up for jumpers or setting up her teammates for easy buckets. She ended the night with seven assists.
“She’s playing the game with so much poise,” Frese said. “The game has really slowed down to her.”
The combination of Kubek and Sellers helped Maryland build a double-digit lead, which reached 20 points in the fourth quarter.
But just when it looked like Maryland had the game won, it let up a 16-0 Minnesota run. The Golden Gophers got within three points with 30 seconds left, but the Terps ultimately put the finishing touches on their win from the free-throw line.
“Still need to work through the fourth quarter, I think that’s probably the most disappointing part of the game, but I’d rather learn lessons from a win versus a loss,” Frese said.
Three things to know
1. Maryland improved on the glass. After being outrebounded in the first half and giving up a plethora of offensive rebounds, Maryland tightened up, outrebounding Minnesota, 17-9, in the second half.
“They were challenged at halftime,” Frese said. “I was really disappointed. I felt like Minnesota was the tougher team, and just our energy and our effort were uncharacteristic of us.”
2. Physical battle. Minnesota gave Maryland one of its most physical matchups of the season thus far, fouling the Terps 25 times. Kubek and Sellers both appeared to suffer blows to the face at various points in the game. Five Golden Gophers fouled out.
3. The Terps checked one off the list. Tuesday’s game was Maryland’s first in a string of four against ranked opponents. The win provided some positive momentum heading into almost a week of rest before it plays No. 7 Texas, which will be followed up by No. 9 Ohio State and No. 1 UCLA.