Maryland women’s basketball’s second half crumble results in 74-69 loss to Michigan State

Moira Joiner jumped through a crowd of Terps to grab a defensive rebound in the middle of the third quarter, trailing by only two.

The senior guard raced down the court. She flipped a pass to an open Theryn Hallock on the left corner.

Hallock gathered the ball for a second before releasing and connecting on the three, giving the Spartans their first lead since the first quarter. 

The Terps tied the game back even in the fourth quarter but a trio of threes from Hallock, Joiner, and Julia Ayrault solidified the Michigan State lead that didn’t evaporate. The Spartans (12-3, 2-2 B1G) defeated Maryland women’s basketball (10-5, 2-2 B1G), 74-69. 

Joiner and Ayrault led all Spartans with 20 points. The pair were especially crucial to Michigan State’s excellent second half, combining to score 30 of the Spartans’ 52 points after the break as they out-scored the Terps by 12 points to secure the win.

“I thought we came up flat, I can’t explain it,” coach Brenda Frese said. “It’s an area for us we’ve really got to be able to grow in and be able to push through that fatigue.”

Bri McDaniel set the tone early Tuesday night, recording three steals in the first quarter for Maryland. The sophomore guard hit all six of her free throws in the period as her early aggression showed on both ends of the floor.

McDaniel exited the game with a lower back injury in the second quarter after a hard fall following a drive to the basket. She returned at the start of the third quarter. McDaniel finished with 20 points, the only other Terp besides Shyanne Sellers to reach the double figure mark in scoring. Sellers led Maryland with 23 points.

Brinae Alexander connected on a three-pointer in the waning seconds of the first quarter to give the Terps a two-point lead as both sides played even in the opening frame. The make was one of three three’s Alexander connected on, finishing with Maryland’s only made attempts from beyond the arc.

Maryland carried its defensive prowess into the second quarter, holding the Spartans scoreless over the final 3:57 of the first half. Michigan State scored only seven points in the quarter, its lowest total yet this season on 2-15 shooting. The Terps’ offense scored seven unanswered points as the Spartans’ offense went ice cold, closing the frame and entering halftime ahead by as many.

“I think [in the] first half we started out high energy and it followed us all the way through halftime,” Sellers said. “Third quarter we came out flat …  they made adjustments and we just didn’t do our jobs efficient.”

Michigan State responded to its poor second quarter showing with a 22-point third period performance to reclaim the lead. Maryland struggled with fouls, recording nine in the frame — including three from Jakia Brown-Turner. The Spartans capitalized with their plentiful opportunities at the foul line, converting on seven of their 10 free throw attempts in the quarter.

The Spartans continued their excellent second-half shooting performance in the fourth quarter with a 4-8 rate from three in the frame. Maryland didn’t connect on a three-point attempt in the entire second half until the final minute — the Terps’ ultimate demise.

“I thought we did a really good job for the first 20 minutes and we lost our poise and composure in the second half,” Frese said. 

Maryland will travel back home for a three-game home stand starting Sunday against Purdue. The game was postponed from its original date on Jan. 6 after a water leak in the roof of the Xfinity Center was discovered shortly before tip-off.