No. 6 seed Maryland women’s basketball falls 73-68 to No. 11 seed Oregon in Big Ten tournament second round

Photo by Grayson Belanger/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

No. 6-seeded Maryland women’s basketball needed a stop down by two and under six seconds remaining. 

Maryland’s defense collapsed on a drive to the net, leaving Oregon’s Avary Cain wide open on a kick-out three. The guard averaged just 3.6 points per game during the regular season, but laced the 3-point shot with 4.4 seconds remaining.

The shot put Maryland down by two possessions, and eventually led to a 73-68 defeat on Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Cain’s shot also marked the second straight Oregon fourth-quarter comeback against Maryland this season.

“Sadly, it felt like . . . deja vu,” said head coach Brenda Frese. “You saw Oregon’s experience play out a little bit stronger than what we were able to do.”

After falling to No. 11-seeded Oregon (22-11, 8-10 Big Ten) at home in an ugly 61-68 loss in January, Maryland (23-8, 11-7 Big Ten) had an opportunity to avenge its defeat in the first game of the Big Ten tournament.

The Terps’ offense saw dominant spurts throughout the first half, producing a 6-0 run in the first quarter and ended the frame leading 21-15. Junior guard Oluchi Okananwa and redshirt junior forward Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu both netted six points, scoring on every shot from the field. 

The Terps had a clear game plan to exploit the Ducks inside, scoring 24 first-half points in the paint. Maryland won the rebounding battle as it has all season, with hustle plays from Okananwa, graduate student guard/forward Mir Mclean and redshirt freshman forward Breanna Williams.

Oregon started strong in the second quarter, capitalizing on careless Terps’ turnovers and riding the momentum for a 13-2 run. Senior Yarden Garzon and Cain exchanged threes late in the half as Maryland finished the first half with a one-point advantage.

Frese emphasized the need for the Terps to string together more stops on defense at halftime and to improve shot selection on offense.

The second half did not play out that way as Oregon beat Maryland at its own game with hustle plays, stifling defense and scoring inside the paint. Oregon’s defensive pressure put Maryland in a stalemate for the rest of the game, outscoring the Terps 45-22 in the fourth quarter this season.

Sophomore guard Katie Fiso exploded for a quick 12 points after going scoreless in the first half. Maryland continued to give up transition layups following turnovers, putting the Terps down five. 

Ehis Etute also thrived in the second half for Oregon, finishing with a 20-point double-double. With Ozzy-Momodu in foul trouble, Maryland did not have the bodies inside to slow her down. The sophomore forward contributed defensively as well, tallying three blocks, including a stop on a speeding Okananwa in transition.

Okananwa dazzled with another 27-point performance and has now scored 20 or more in three of the last four games. But Okananwa received minimal help as Ozzy-Momodu was the only other Maryland player to accumulate double digits. 

“This is definitely not the outcome that anyone wanted,” said Okananwa. “There’s no way to reverse the clock, so either we use it, or we sink in.”

Part of the reason for Maryland’s offensive woes was its struggles on 3-point shots, as Garzon was the only Terp to net a 3-point shot. Maryland finished the game shooting 1-15 from three.

Despite Maryland’s early exit from the Big Ten tournament, the Terps should advance to the NCAA tournament. Maryland was a projected four seed heading into Friday’s contest, but Maryland may lose home-court advantage as a result of its loss to Oregon.

“It shouldn’t be judged off of one game,” said Frese. “I think you should be rewarded for your body of work.”