No. 21 Maryland women’s basketball defeats Michigan 85-77

Photo courtesy of University of Maryland Athletics

After a sluggish second quarter of play, No. 21 Maryland women’s basketball had an opportunity to pick up its first home win since Jan. 14. With 1:26 left in the game, the Terps led 77-73 and desperately needed a stop to pull away late.

Christina Dalce provided just that. As Michigan’s guard Syla Swords attacked the hoop for the easy layup, Dalce leaped into the air and blocked the shot. After a Wolverines’ shot-clock violation, Maryland had the opportunity to effectively ice the game.

On the ensuing possession, Shyanne Sellers missed the stepback shot. However, the Terps collected the offensive rebound, and Dalce was fouled. The usual 50.6% free-throw shooter knocked down both to extend Maryland’s lead.

Late-game heroics from Dalce and timely stops helped propel the Terps back into the win column. In a battle between two programs tied for fifth place in Big Ten play, Maryland came out on top against Michigan, 85-77.

“We’ve really challenged this group through our practices the last couple days and fighting through fatigue,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “I thought we were really connected on the defensive side.”

After a rough shooting performance in the Terps’ (20-6) last game against Nebraska in which she went 2-for-10 from the field, Kaylene Smikle started hot. She scored five of their first seven points.

However, with 3:46 left in the opening quarter, Smikle picked up her second foul. And Maryland’s offense went stagnant from that point on. It scored six points — four of which came from Mir McLean off the bench — and trailed by seven after the first quarter.

On the other side, Michigan’s (18-8) freshman guards Olivia Olson and Swords couldn’t be contained. Entering Monday’s contest, the duo averaged 31 of the Wolverines’ 78 points. And they got off to a red-hot start, combining for 17 straight points and 45 points in the contest

But the Terps’ defense didn’t help themselves out, though. They repeatedly left Swords open from downtown, and she made them pay. Swords knocked down three clutch first-half triples.

“I think a lot of those were kind of our mistakes,” guard Saylor Poffenbarger said. “We knew Michigan was going to come in strong. They are a really good team. Just making sure we handle the little things and being intentional is really important.”

Michigan also found success down low, scoring 18 paint points in the first half. Maryland’s opening 20 minutes of play looked eerily similar to its second-half collapse against Nebraska.

Frese emptied her bench early into the contest looking for any sort of spark. And Frese got exactly that, getting production from McLean and Allie Kubek. They scored all 13 of Maryland’s points off the bench in the first half.

“I think Mir has been really resilient as minutes have kind of gone away, especially as Emily [Fisher] was coming back into the fold, but she never stopped working,” Frese said. “We felt there was a strong advantage in this game for her … and credit to her just continuing to stay ready.”

After scoring just two points in the opening quarter and attempting three shots, Sellers was much more aggressive in the ensuing 10 minutes. She gave flashes of her play against Nebraska, scoring six second-quarter points on six shots.

With four minutes left in the opening half, Maryland trailed 40-31 and was at risk of falling apart once again. But a 7-0 run to close out the quarter cut the Terps’ deficit to just two heading into the break.

And Maryland carried that momentum into the second half, rattling off a 10-3 run out of the locker rooms. 

“I thought that run that we had at the end of the second and the start of the third was about the best we could possibly have played,” Frese said.

Saylor Poffenbarger — who combined for 16 points over the past two contests — broke out of her slump. She was the Terps’ best player from three-point range, knocking down both of her attempts. Poffenbarger was Maryland’s first player in double-figures and finished with 12 points.

While the Terps’ backcourt pairing of Sellers and Smikle had just 15 combined points through three quarters, Sarah Te-Biasu picked up the scoring load. Te-Biasu was near-perfect in the second half from the field, shooting 6-for-7 and scoring 16 points.

Poffenbarger and Smikle combined for 16 of Maryland’s 22 third-quarter points, knocking down all seven of their attempts.

Despite the Terps’ hot-shooting output in the third quarter, they only led by one heading into the final 10 minutes. And it was mainly due to self-inflicted wounds, as Michigan had six offensive rebounds and Maryland turned it over five times in the quarter.

Sellers stepped up her play in the fourth quarter when Maryland needed it most. She called her own number on the opening two possessions and splashed both mid-range jumpers. 

But the Wolverines wouldn’t go away, hanging within striking distance throughout the fourth quarter.

When it mattered most, though, the Terps got the stops it needed to. Clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch helped Maryland pick up a much-needed victory.

The Terps will be back in action on Thursday, as it travels to Northwestern (8-15).