Brenda Frese wins 600th game at Maryland with 79-61 victory over Oregon

Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics

Maryland’s offense could not be stopped, as back-to-back threes by Allie Kubek and Saylor Poffenbarger gave the Terps a 31-point lead midway through the third quarter. 

However, as the Terps failed to score in the first four minutes of the fourth, Oregon’s 9-0 run cut the deficit to 16 – as Maryland looked to avoid another late-game collapse. 

The Terps cleaned things up, as head coach Brenda Frese earned her 600th victory at Maryland. 

“You get time to reflect on all those years, so many incredible wins,” said Frese. “Those don’t happen without great players, great support staff, being able to put that together.”

In a crucial Big Ten matchup, No. 16 Maryland women’s basketball (17-5, 7-4 Big Ten) traveled across the country to take on Oregon (16-6, 7-4), a new and formidable opponent in the Big Ten, in its first of two matchups out west.

After a heartbreaking loss to Illinois on Sunday, where Maryland narrowly missed out on a win in the final seconds, the team was determined to prevent that against an Oregon team with a 13-1 record at home. 

Despite a quiet game from Shyanne Sellers, Sarah Te-Biasu stepped up, scoring a season-high 26 points as the Terps dominated the Ducks 79-61. 

“Just believe in yourself,” said Te-Biasu. “The coaching staff, my teammates say we need to be aggressive, we need to be confident, and that’s what I’m doing right now.”

Early in the first quarter, Maryland’s recent issue of controlling the paint was evident. Oregon grabbed four offensive rebounds in the first five minutes but only converted on one of those opportunities. 

Despite the early rebounding struggles, the Terps’ offense showed resilience, converting four of their first six shots, as guard Sarah Te-Biasu’s three-pointer extended the lead to five going into the media timeout.

As the Terps’ offense gained momentum, their defense stepped up, forcing a five-minute scoring drought for the Ducks. This defensive dominance led to a 15-2 Maryland run, with four consecutive points from the Terps’ leading scorer, Kayene Smikle.

Sofia Bell answered with a three for the Ducks to control the bleeding, but Emily Fisher, a recent addition to the Terps’ rotation, knocked down a jumper to give Maryland a 19-9 lead to close out the first. 

The Terps’ offense, fueled by their early success, did not skip a beat to open the second quarter. 

Saylor Poffenbarger opened up with two free throws, while Te-Biasu stayed red hot. She knocked down a mid-range jumper, followed by her second three-pointer to stay perfect from the field. 

Despite a three-minute scoring drought, the Terps defense only allowed two points, preventing the Ducks from gaining any momentum.

The Te-Biasu show continued with another three of an Oregon turnover, while Poffebarger knocked down a three of her own as Maryland extended its lead to 22 with a 12-0 run. 

Despite an injury to leading scorer Peyton Scott, Oregon stayed resilient. They ended the half on a 7-2 run and prevented the Terps from making a field goal in the final three minutes of the quarter, cutting the deficit to 17 – 39-22. 

The Terps’ slump did not carry over into the second half, as Te-Biasu knocked down her fourth three-pointer to open the half, while Smikle scored six straight points to extend the lead to 23, forcing an Oregon timeout. 

While the Ducks looked to climb back, Maryland came out of the timeout firing, scoring seven straight points to extend its run to 12-0 and take its largest lead of the night. 

Oregon would not go out without a fight, getting within 19 points with a 13-4 run. 

Maryland prevented further slip-ups, extending its lead to 23 – 68-45 to end the third quarter. 

Despite Oregon getting within 16, the Terps held it down, scoring 11 points in the final five minutes to close out the 18-point victory. 

“Just a great road win for us to get, and we know how precious road wins are, especially when you’re dealing with adversity,” Frese said. I thought we really came out strong, aggressively, especially on the defensive end.”

Next for the Terps is a trip to Seattle to face Washington on Sunday at 4 p.m.