No. 11 Maryland women’s basketball dominates Wisconsin, 77-64

The Terps swung the ball around the three-point line as the game closed in on three minutes left in the fourth quarter. 

The Badgers had battled to keep its deficit at 15, having been down double digits nearly the whole contest and down 20 not long ago. 

As the Terps swung the ball, Brinae Alexander backed up in the corner, setting her feet before Diamond Miller made the last bounce pass to her and Alexander stood alone, wide open staring at the basket. 

The scoreboard read 70-55 as Wisconsin’s Sara Stapleton closed in on her as quickly as she could, but it was too late as the ball was released from the sharpshooter’s fingertips, hitting the bottom of the net not long after that.

That shot would put the game out of reach, as No. 11 Maryland women’s basketball cruised past Wisconsin, 77-64.

In the early going, after a couple empty possessions for both teams, sophomore guard Shyanne Sellers opened the scoring, something that happened early and often in this game.

Sellers began the game with 11 of Maryland’s first 13 points, knocking down three shots from behind the arc before the halfway point of the first quarter.

“The hot hand that Shy had was fun to see,” coach Brenda Frese said. “They didn’t have an answer for her.”

The Terps controlled the game early thanks to their offensive excellence and full court press. Wisconsin turned the ball over seven times, while the Terps shot an excellent 63% from the field and 80% from three on their way to a 24-9 lead.

At the end of the first quarter, Sellers and senior guard/forward Faith Masonius led the way for the Terps, combining for 20 of their 28 points.

“It’s definitely when you see the shots going into the hoop,” Masonius said about her performance. “It definitely gives you that confidence to keep shooting and keep going.” 

That said, Wisconsin did not turn the ball over again after Maryland gained that 15-point lead, and the Badgers did not go away lightly as they headed into the second quarter down 28-15.

To start the second quarter, Miller broke her scoreless spell, knocking down a much needed three-pointer for her after going 0-3 from behind the arc in the Terps’ previous game against Rutgers. 

However, the senior guard was forced to take a seat not too much later after picking up her second foul of the game, leaving a void for her fellow teammates to fill during her absence. 

This was a void the Terps filled fairly well though, utilizing their depth as they hung on to a 13-point lead until Miller returned to the game later in the quarter. 

The Badgers slowly showed signs of piecing things together as during parts of the second quarter, as they began to break the Maryland defense a little more and force the Terps into some turnovers of their own. 

The Badgers had cut their deficit down to 10 before a late Terps run, with Sellers hitting a reverse layup and Alexander continuing her stellar shooting, knocking down a three with only a second to spare before halftime. The Terps had regained their 15-point lead despite a shaky second quarter offensively, heading into half up 42-27.

Despite the offense slowing down, Maryland still shot at a 47% clip from the field and 50% from beyond the three-point arc at halftime. 

Sellers, despite her quiet second quarter, was still on pace to have her best offensive outing of the season with 15 points at the half.

For Wisconsin, its top scorer at the half was an unlikely one, freshman guard Ronnie Porter, with seven points. Porter had averaged 1.5 points prior to this game, but heading into halftime had only missed one shot while lifting the Badgers’ offense as a whole.

For the Badgers’ junior guard Julie Pospisilova, she had to go to work in the second half if she wished to reach 1,000 career points. Heading into the game 23 points shy of the mark, Wisconsin’s leading scorer only scored two points in a first half where she struggled to find her footing.

To begin the second half, Maryland began to take over the game much like it did in the first half, growing its lead to 22.

Wisconsin struggled to find its shot, turning the ball over multiple times as Maryland put together a run. Maryland topped off the early stages of the third quarter with a 6-0 run in a minute, now up 56-34.

Again though, Maryland could not take control for long. Wisconsin went on a 7-0 run of its own to bring Maryland’s lead back to 15. 

Up to this point, the teams seemed to be in a dance where Maryland would take two steps forward and then one backward, the Terps unable to truly put the Badgers to sleep with a lead too out of reach.

“I thought they had  a better second half than us,” Frese said

That would stay true as the Terps allowed a pivotal three just before the end of the third quarter, causing the lead to hold at 15 despite Miller’s best efforts as she surged into double figures after a few trips to the foul line. 

For Wisconsin, it was all junior guard Brooke Schramek and freshman forward Serah Williams as the game progressed through the fourth quarter, the two being its only two players in double figures at the time with 24 combined points. 

Miller continued her great second half play, carrying the weight of the Maryland offense. Miller nailed a deep three down the stretch to grow the lead back to 18 and bring her point total to 17 after scoring just three first half points. 

After some more back and forth play, the Terps’ defense proved to be too much as Wisconsin simply could not will itselves back into the game.

Sellers seemed to be comfortable in this one, tying her career-high of 21 points and adding to her amazing sophomore season, which is headlined by a few great performances in the Midwest.

“Apparently the Midwest is my best friend,” Sellers said. “It’s like going to my high school game with all the snow outside.”

Following Sellers’ great first half, it was Miller who took back the keys to the offense in the second. Miller finished with 19 points, 16 of which in the final two quarters.

Frese was happy with her team’s ability to play without much help from two of the team’s stars, particularly in the first half.

“Uncharacteristic night for Abby, it took Diamond a while to get going,” Frese said. “Loved the fact that we were able to find [success] from other players.” 

For Popisilova, she did not reach the 1,000 career points mark. She only finished with the two points she scored in the first half, as Maryland’s defensive game plan effectively shut her down.

It wasn’t only Popisilova who had problems on the offensive end for the Badgers, as Maryland forced Wisconsin into 20 turnovers over the duration of the game, proving why its swarming press should be feared among teams in the Big Ten.

“[Forcing turnovers] sets the tone,” Frese said. “I think we’re obviously getting a lot more connected, playing aggressive…that’s who we are.” 

The Terps will hope to extend their win streak to three while avenging their previous blowout loss to Nebraska Sunday afternoon in Lincoln.