Maryland women’s basketball overcomes slow start, earns 82-69 round one win over Norfolk State

Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Miles/Maryland Terrapins

No. 4-seed Maryland women’s basketball looked to be in trouble midway through its NCAA Tournament first-round matchup with No. 13-seed Norfolk State. The Terps trailed 32-30 at halftime with no real glimpses of their ability to take charge and put a scrappy Spartans team away.

Then, the unthinkable happened. Maryland’s offense came out of the locker room looking like a completely different unit, unlike its prior game against Michigan. Sarah Te-Biasu drained two triples on the first two possessions, handing the Terps a four-point advantage.

Along with Maryland’s efficient third-quarter start, its sloppiness seemingly disappeared. The Terps committed just four turnovers in the second half. And Maryland took full advantage of the extra looks, shooting 50% in the final 20 minutes of play

Despite numerous comeback efforts from Norfolk State, Maryland clung to its lead. A 30-point third-quarter outburst propelled the Terps to an 82-69 win in College Park. Maryland will now meet No. 5-seed Alabama on Monday, a quick turnaround.

“I thought we had to really make an adjustment in the second half to be able to pick up our pace, especially defensively once we were able to get that going,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “That led to great things on the offensive end.”

After crashing out in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, Maryland was forced to wait 15 days until it returned to action. That extended break was evident in the opening minutes of the game. Kaylene Smikle recorded turnovers on the team’s first two possessions, and Norfolk State made her pay.

The Spartans’ quick and physical defense gave the Terps fits in the opening half. Maryland committed 12 turnovers, all of which boiled down to simple miscommunications or bad reads. Those turnovers resulted in 13 points and limited the Terps’ offensive output.

“I just thought we came out really tight,” Frese said. “You saw that in the first half, we had to kind of work through those jitters.”

While Maryland showed signs of rust and nerves early in the game, Norfolk State looked comfortable on the big stage. They sprinted out to a 5-0 lead, using the Terps’ sloppy play to fuel their offense early on.

Meanwhile, Maryland’s defensive game plan had little success. Diamond Johnson — the team’s leader at 19 points a game — torched the Terps straight from the tip. The NC State transfer showcased her elite scoring with a 16-point first-half eruption on 6-of-13 shooting from the field.

Despite Maryland’s backcourt struggles early on, its frontcourt shouldered the offensive load. It was Allie Kubek in particular who led the offense. The senior used her size and crafty play to control the paint, notching eight points in the quarter.

“I thought this was one of her better games,” Frese said. “She gave us a great presence all night. She was really confident and really strong. You need to have that inside, outside presence within your team.”

Christina Dalce also had her way down low, scoring five points and gathering four rebounds in the opening quarter. 

Behind Dalce and Kubek’s combined 13 first-quarter points, the Terps led 18-12 after 10 minutes of play.

Then, Maryland’s offense hit an even bigger lull. Seven turnovers and a woeful 5-of-15 shooting let Norfolk State hang around. The Spartans looked like the better team and Johnson was a big reason. She accounted for 10 of Norfolk State’s 20 second-quarter points.

Outside of Kubek’s post dominance, the rest of the Terps’ players couldn’t find their offense. Maryland shot just 36.7% from the field and knocked down three triples, a number that Johnson single-handedly exceeded.

Despite this, the Terps trailed 32-30 heading into the break. Maryland was at risk of becoming the first four seed to exit in the first round of the NCAA Tournament since 2021.

However, the Terps’ experienced starting backcourt flipped the script in the third quarter. After combining for 11 points and making just four of their 15 shots in the opening half, they couldn’t miss in the third quarter.

Maryland scored on four straight possessions out of halftime. 

Te-Biasu matched her first-half scoring total in just over a minute of play in the third quarter. After a 26-point outing in the Terps’ last game, Te-Biasu took some time to adjust to Norfolk State’s hounding defense. But she capitalized on her first two open looks of the game, drilling back-to-back three-pointers to restore Maryland’s lead.

Both Shyanne Sellers and Kaylene Smikle followed suit, utilizing the Spartans’ physical presence to draw fouls. The Terps splashed all 12 free-throw attempts in the third quarter, helping them take a 60-52 advantage into the final 10 minutes of play.

The Terps’ defense tightened up on Johnson, holding her to just two second-half points. However, Kiarra Wheeler picked up the slack, contributing 16 points to keep Norfolk State in the game.

While Maryland mustered up 22 points in the final period, the Spartans wouldn’t go away, cutting the deficit to four at one point.

Te-Biasu finished with a game-high 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting while Smikle added 21 points to help push Maryland to the finish line.