The Terps captured one of their most important wins of the season.
No. 21 Maryland women’s basketball got back on track on Monday, defeating Michigan, 85-77.
The Terps were blown out by Nebraska Thursday for their worst loss of the season, but showed resilience in its first home win in over of month.
Here are three takeaways from Maryland’s win.
Failing to contain Michigan’s freshmen
Michigan has experienced a freshman-heavy attack this season, with three of its top four scorers being freshmen.
“They’re talented, they’re confident and they just will outwork you an entire day. That’s what we talked about at halftime, that you’re gonna have to outwork the effort of those two freshmen,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “Nightmares that we’ve got to see them for the next three years.”
Maryland did not have an answer for Michigan freshmen Olivia Olson and Syla Swords. Both scored above their season average in points.
Olson had her second-highest scoring game this season with 26 points, shooting 9-of-18 (50%) from the field and 2-of-3 (66.7%) from deep. She fouled out late.
“Difficult matchup, especially when you’re not used to defending the bar within the way that that Olivia moved,” Frese said. “She was really big with her motor, her length.”
Swords didn’t shoot particularly well, going 6-of-17 (35.3%) from the field and 3-of-9 (33.3%) from deep. She finished with 19 points.
Olson and Swords led Michigan in rebounds as well, with Olson corralling seven boards and Swords six.
The duo combined for 24 of Michigan’s 40 first-half points and 45 of its 77 total points.
“They’re two of the best players in the country, and they’re only freshmen. I think when there are big games and when the lights go on, they are super aggressive. They live for those moments,” Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “They want to play against the best teams night in and night out. And we can always count on them in these big moments to come through, and they did again tonight.”
Extended bench
Maryland used all 10 players available Monday, as Frese made an effort to extend her bench early.
“It was a little bit more intentional to go to the bench,” Frese said. “Just not going to watch us relax on plays anymore, or take possessions off.”
Mir McLean was increasingly noticeable on Monday after not seeing much of the court over the past month. She scored nine points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field, coupled with four rebounds. McLean played just around 24 minutes, 10 minutes more than Kaylene Smikle played. Smikle was in foul trouble, but didn’t see much time in the fourth quarter.
“It’s a really proud moment in coaching. I think Mir has been really resilient,” Frese said. “As minutes have kind of gone away, especially as Emily [Fisher] was coming back into the fold, but she never stopped working. I think that’s the beauty.”
Within the first few minutes of Monday’s game, Frese went to a lineup that consisted of Ava McKennie, Emily Fisher, Allie Kubek and McLean, who all came off of the bench, within the opening five minutes.
Amari DeBerry entered the game in the second quarter, and recorded two fouls in a minute of action.
“I thought everybody was ready to come in and give a lot of great effort tonight,” Frese said.
McKennie played over 12 minutes in the first half, but didn’t see the court in the second half. She tallied four rebounds and a steal.
Well-rounded scoring
Maryland saw six players score nine points or more Monday. Kubek also scored seven points, which accounted for all of Maryland’s scoring in the win. The Terps produced a well-balanced scoring attack, something they desperately needed after having only one player in double figures against Nebraska.
“This is what it looks like for us, they’re all going to be hard, and you have to go out and you’ve got to go get it in order to win a game in league play,” Frese said. “Really proud of the response of this team tonight, and looking forward to it as we move.”
Sarah Te-Biasu led the team with 21 points, while Shyanne Sellers totaled 18, but it didn’t seem as though either of them commanded the offense to a point where others couldn’t get involved and score.
Saylor Poffenbarger had a solid game with 12 points and looked poised offensively. Christina Dalce was also strong with nine points, providing a bigger impact on Monday than she had over the last few games.
Maryland didn’t shoot well in the first quarter, going 6-of-15 (37.5%) from the field, but corrected itself toward the end of the first half and through the second half, finishing 21-of-63 (49.2%) from the field. Even McLean and Smikle were efficient with nine points apiece, shooting a combined 7-of-10.
“I thought that run that we had at the end of the second and to the start of the third was about the best we could possibly have played,” Frese said.