No. 14 Maryland women’s basketball steamrolls Harvard in season opener, 98-75

Coach Brenda Frese entered Monday’s season opener against Harvard wanting to see her team establish its identity for the 2023-24 season. 

With the losses of WNBA first rounders Diamond Miller and Abby Meyers, the Terps showed their coach exactly what that identity will be: versatility and a play-by-committee approach. Ten different players entered the game in the first quarter alone and all scored by the game’s end, as No. 14 Maryland women’s basketball (1-0) rolled to a 98-75 season-opening win over Harvard (0-1).

All 10 players that reached the court recorded nine or more minutes after only eight players averaged as much time on the court last season. 

“Nice to be able to see that balanced attack from scoring and from defending across the board,” Frese said. “Like I said, it’s going to have to be by committee and I thought they showed that tonight.”

Shyanne Sellers led the Terps in scoring with 25 points on 7-for-11 shooting. The junior will be crucial to the Terps’ committee approach after averaging the third most points last season and earning All-Big Ten second team honors. After making facilitating an offseason priority, Sellers added seven assists. The guard will need to continue making the right passes with added defensive focus this season.

“Like I’ve said time and time again, I’m not going to go outside myself to fill in the shoes for Diamond and Abby … I’m just going to elevate my game and not change it up too much,” Sellers said. 

Two of Brinae Alexander’s five made threes came in the first quarter as the Terps built a 20 point lead by the end of the frame. The graduate senior finished the game with 15 points. 

The Terps began the quarter slowly, shooting 3-for-11, but ended the frame 13-for-24. The Terps defense mirrored the strong offensive end to quarter, holding Harvard scoreless for the final 2:42 while Maryland scored nine unanswered points. 

Alexander joins Lavender Briggs, Faith Masonius, and Jakia Brown-Turner as the graduate seniors on the roster. The quartet combined for 39 of Maryland’s 98 points and all started alongside Sellers. 

Brown-Turner transferred from N.C. State the past offseason with expectations to pick up some of the scoring load. The guard finished the game with 11 points on an efficient 5-11 shooting. She logged 25 minutes, the second most on the team. 

Redshirt junior Allie Kubek added eight points and four rebounds in her first game with the Terps. Kubek transferred from Towson last year and was on pace to make the starting lineup before a torn ACL in the off-season shutdown her year. Kubek played 22 minutes off the bench against Harvard. 

“I’m really, really excited about Allie,” Frese said. “She’s probably had a total of five practices under her belt just given her injury. So what she’s doing is mind boggling … I’m excited for her and for us as she continues to get in much better shape [and] she gives us a strong inside presence.”

Emma Chardon also returned from injury for the Terps after tearing her meniscus in the season opener last year. The six-foot-two forward added 10 points in 15 minutes off the bench. 

Bri McDaniel was a spark for the Terps in 20 minutes off the bench. The sophomore added nine points with a block and a steal. Frese said preseason that she believed McDaniel could have the same sophomore breakout season as Sellers did in 2022-23. 

Freshmen Emily Fisher and Riley Nelson also logged minutes off the bench for Maryland. Nelson recorded an and-one for her first points in the first quarter and then a highlight-worthy behind-the-back assist to McDaniel in the third. 

“I thought they gave us some solid minutes,” Frese said. “Emily is just getting more and more comfortable as she gets out there. Defensively she’s really picking up some things and getting a lot more confident on the offensive end.”

The Terps will look to build off their season-opening win Sunday at No. 6 South Carolina.