No. 20 Maryland women’s basketball drops conference opener to Nebraska, 90-67

After entering halftime up five, Maryland let its lead slip away in the third quarter, as the Cornhuskers outscored the Terps by nine.

With just over eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Terps were one basket away from staring down a 10-point deficit.

Isabelle Bourne backed into the corner as the seconds ticked down on the shot clock, with the Nebraska bench yelling at Jaz Shelley to make something happen.

Shelley drove into the lane, and with four seconds on the clock, dished the ball to Bourne upon being faced with a double team. Bourne rose up and nailed the shot as the clock ticked down to one, extending Nebraska’s lead to 11 as the Cornhuskers could sense the upset win.

Nebraska’s high-powered second half offense proved too much for No. 20 Maryland, as the Terps dropped their Big Ten opener to the Cornhuskers, 90-67.

“We knew they were going to come in hungry after their loss to Virginia Tech and I thought they exposed us in every way possible,” coach Brenda Frese said.

Maryland was forced into a hole early after Bourne started off the game strong, scoring all of Nebraska’s first eight points during an early 11-0 run.

The Terps quickly got their offense together, courtesy of a great first quarter performance from sophomore guard Shyanne Sellers. Sellers finished 3-3 in the quarter with a team-high 8 points, and her performance kept Maryland in the game early on. 

The game was tied at 16 entering the second quarter.

Maryland emphasized driving the ball into the paint early, where the Terps scored 18 of their first 23 points. They attempted just two threes during that stretch.

Usual stars on offense Diamond Miller and Abby Meyers both struggled in the first half, as they finished a combined 1-9 from the field for just two points, and turned the ball over four times. 

“It really hurts when Diamond had to sit that second quarter,” Frese said.

Sellers and senior guard/forward Brinae Alexander shined as a result.

Sellers and Alexander combined for 25 of Maryland’s 36 first half points, and Sellers also racked up seven boards in the half. Their play led to a 13-0 Maryland run midway through the second quarter, which pushed the Terps ahead by five, 36-31, at halftime. 

Juniors Bourne and Shelley led the Cornhuskers in the first half with 21 combined points on an efficient 8-15 shooting from the floor.

Miller quickly made an impact in the second half, as she immediately scored nine points in just four minutes of play. 

However, Nebraska continued to pester the Terps, taking a 60-56 lead entering the fourth quarter after a stunning offensive performance to end the third that left the Terps scrambling for answers.

“I thought it was our defense to be honest [that caused the Nebraska run],” Frese said. “We had way too many breakdowns where they drove to the middle to get us to overhelp and just kicked [out] for threes.”

Shelley was phenomenal in the third, as she scored 16 points and didn’t miss a shot. As a team, the Cornhuskers shot the lights out in the quarter as the Terps seemed to have no answer on the defensive end. In the third, Nebraska shot nearly 80% from the field. 

Maryland’s defensive frustration continued early in the fourth quarter, as the Terps desperately searched for stops against Nebraska’s hot offense. 

Nebraska kept its foot on the gas all throughout the fourth.

After the Cornhuskers had grown their lead to double-digits with just under six minutes left, back-to-back made free throws from Sellers kept Maryland alive for a moment.

In the fourth, the Terps continuously attacked the hoop time-and-time again, reaching the charity multiple times as they looked to claw their way back in the game. However, Nebraska’s offense was lethal down the stretch.

The Cornhuskers shot a fantastic 50% from the floor and 50% from the field, and made 14 of their 16 free throws in the fourth. 

“Fatigue obviously plays a factor in this game, but it isn’t the reason why we lost,” Frese said. “This team’s got to be able to toughen up. We play on Thursday, Sundays all the time in league play.”

The hole Nebraska dug Maryland into proved too large, as Nebraska’s lead slowly grew above 20 in the win after a late 13-0 run in the fourth. The Terps were outscored 30-11 in the quarter.

Shelley was utterly dominant in Nebraska’s win as she finished with 29 points on 10 of 17 shooting, and finished 6-10 from beyond the arc.

“I thought Jaz Shelley really sparked us,” Nebraska coach Amy Williams said. “When she plays aggressive-minded offensively our whole team is better.”

The Terps suffered their second 20-plus point loss of the season in the conference opener, and will look for a bounce back showing on Thursday at Purdue.