No. 19 Maryland women’s basketball wins regular-season finale 93-90 in overtime versus No. 12 Ohio State

Photo courtesy of University of Maryland Athletics

With seven seconds left in overtime, No. 19 Maryland women’s basketball (23-6, 13-5 Big Ten) found itself tied at 90 points after blowing a nine-point advantage late in the fourth quarter. However, the Terps had a golden opportunity to secure its first ranked win since Jan. 14. 

Neither team had any timeouts remaining. After an inbounds pass to Sarah Te-Biasu, the graduate guard quickly pushed the ball up the court, weaving through the defense. Te-Biasu rose off of one leg and floated the ball into the basket from behind the arc as the packed crowd at the Xfinity Center erupted.

“For the shot, in shoot-around, we do a competition with the half-court shot, and I made that shot,” Te-Biasu said. “It’s crazy because after that, today, you guys see I just made that shot and I was really happy and it felt good.”

In a back-and-forth affair down the stretch that saw eight lead changes, Te-Biasu’s shot sealed Maryland’s 93-90 overtime-thrilling victory over Ohio State (24-5, 13-5). The win avenged the Terps’ lone road loss on the season from Jan. 23 and extended their win streak to four games.

“Clearly was a game we were looking forward to ever since Jan. 23 when we felt like it was a game we let slip away,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “This is what a great team looks like where everyone made plays throughout the game.”

After erupting for 21 fourth-quarter points in the Terps’ last game, Shyanne Sellers wasted no time picking up where she left off. She knocked down back-to-back jumpers behind the arc, scoring six of Maryland’s first eight points. Sellers finished with 21 points.

She entered Sunday’s contest shooting 42.9% from three-point range, including 9-for-15 over the past two games. That remained true, as Sellers rained in four first-half triples and shot 6-for-11 against Ohio State. 

The Terps’ frontcourt play continued to threaten the Buckeyes, just as they did early in the last meeting. The duo of Amari DeBerry and Allie Kubek combined for all 10 of Maryland’s paint points in the opening quarter.

While the offense clicked in the first half, the defense struggled to contain Ohio State’s forward Taylor Thierry. The senior shot red-hot from the field, splashing down her first two three-point attempts and notching 11 first-half points to lead the Buckeyes. 

Outside of Thierry, Ohio State relied on a balanced attack. And it was quite successful, with eight players recording points in the opening half. The Buckeyes also got to the charity stripe often, making 19 free throws in the contest.

Maryland held a 24-17 lead after the first quarter and handled Ohio State’s press break easily, tallying just two turnovers.

However, it was a tale of two completely different quarters. After playing a clean first quarter and beating the press on one pass, Sellers struggled to get the Terps into their half-court offense. She forced multiple tight passes along the sideline and cross-court, leading to four second-quarter turnovers.

The Buckeyes turned Maryland’s five turnovers into five points, fueling them to a 38-37 lead at the break.

And it got worse for the Terps early in the third quarter. Sellers — who has been dealing with a lingering knee injury since returning to play on Jan. 29 — was carried off the court nearly three minutes into the period.

“It’s been anything but easy when you talk about the injuries and just the resiliency this group has played with,” Frese said. “I think the bench has taken ownership that they got to do a little bit more. … I love where we’re at where we’re playing collectively on both ends of the floor, hard for each other. This is what we have to do with our limited numbers.”

During her quick absence, Maryland extended its advantage from one point to three. It was Christina Dalce that took over the game. After being assessed a technical foul midway through the third quarter, she scored six points in quick succession to help keep the Terps’ lead intact.

Dalce’s presence on the glass became a big factor. She recorded seven rebounds in the quarter, four of which came on the offensive glass. These extra opportunities resulted in six points.

Maryland led by one heading into the final quarter. The team boasts a 64-1 record in such games over the past three seasons.

Kaylene Smikle and Kubek looked poised to fuel Maryland to victory. The duo scored the Terps’ first 12 points of the fourth quarter to gain a nine-point advantage. 

However, Ohio State clawed back into the game using its full-court press. Five costly turnovers in over three minutes of play helped tie the game at 72. The Terps also had no answers for forward Cotie McMahon. The junior scored four points late in the fourth quarter to push the game into overtime.

In the extra period, the Buckeyes sprinted to a five-point lead out of the gates, but Maryland wouldn’t go away. Smikle’s fifth point of overtime leveled the score at 87. The final 85 seconds of the period saw two lead changes before Te-Biasu’s game-winning jumper closed it out.

“We talked about whoever wants it more,” Sellers said about heading into overtime. “I think the tougher team is going to win, and that’s what we kind of came out and preached ourselves.”

The Terps will be back in action on Friday at 2:30 p.m. in their first game of the Big Ten Tournament.