No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball handles Indiana in 82-67 win

Photo courtesy of Grayson Belanger/Maryland Athletics.

On Sunday, No. 7 Maryland Women’s Basketball had a chance to show that they could right the ship following their first loss of the season – a 73-70 defeat to Illinois. 

This matchup looked to be a pivotal one for the Terps (15-1, 3-1 Big Ten), an opportunity to regain form against a young and promising Indiana (11-5, 0-4 Big Ten) team that is eager to make some noise in the Big Ten.

Maryland executed on all fronts. The Terps cruised to a win by the score of 82-67, leading by as much as 21 points throughout the contest. 

The game got off to a fast start following the celebration of Maryland’s 2006 champion team. Both teams emphasized pushing the pace in transition. 

Indiana struggled to keep up. The Hoosiers picked up four quick fouls, putting the Terps on the edge of the bonus before the halfway point of the first quarter.

There was a clear emphasis on ball movement out of the gate for Maryland – its first five baskets all came off of assists.

In the first quarter, offensive rebounding proved to be a separating factor. A staggering 7-0 difference in favor of the Terps helped them control the game.

Indiana held up to its reputation as one of the better shooting teams in the conference, shooting 8-for-11 from the field in the first quarter to make up for their rebounding deficiencies.

The game reached a stalemate midway through the second quarter as the Terps struggled to score against the Hoosiers’ lively defense. However, Indiana’s ten turnovers kept the Hoosiers from capitalizing.

The star of the game for Maryland was Oluchi Okananwa. She played elite, disruptive defense against the Big Ten’s leading scorer, Shay Ciezki, holding her to just 17 points and limiting her as Indiana’s floor general. In addition to that, she led the Terps with a career high 34 points. 

“You see the head of the snake with Oluchi and how she sets the tone for us with the press,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “It really sets the tone for the energy of it.”

Maryland caught fire to start the second half, coming out of the break with a 12-0 run highlighted by back to back threes from Okananwa to extend its lead to 19. This offensive brigade from the Terps continued throughout the quarter – they scored 23 points in the third. 

“I didn’t like how we played in the first half,” Frese said. “We needed to get back to playing who we are. That starts with getting stops and then having better shot selection, moving the ball, and being unselfish.”

At the start of the fourth quarter the Hoosiers cut Maryland’s lead down to 13 with a 7-0 run, led by Maya Makalusky’s three point shooting. Maryland countered by upping its defensive pressure, which secured its lead.

Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu was essential in closing out this game. Her teammates often found her open in the paint for clutch buckets that kept the game out of reach – she finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds. 

“She’s an X-factor for us,” Frese said. “I thought she absolutely made the statement early for us early, on the glass.”

Maryland has a chance to build on this win, traveling to New Brunswick to take on Rutgers on January 8th.