No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball falls to No. 1 UCLA after third-quarter struggles

Photo courtesy of University of Maryland Athletics

Despite Shyanne Sellers missing her second straight game, the Terps held their own in the first half against No. 1 UCLA. 

After trailing by as many as 12, Maryland cut the deficit to 5 at halftime. Despite this, UCLA’s strong second half stopped the Terps’ chance at a huge comeback, as they stayed undefeated on the season.

In a packed crowd at Xfinity Center, No. 8 Maryland (16-4, 6-3 Big Ten) dropped its third straight game 82-67 to the nation’s final undefeated team, No. 1 UCLA (20-0, 8-0).

The game’s first basket previewed a mismatch for the Terp’s defense, as UCLA standout Lauren Betts was fed inside for two of her career-high 33 points. 

“It’s just a credit to her,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “She just keeps working, and her efficiency, I mean 14-15 from the field, they do a great job.”

Despite being short-handed, Maryland did not shy away. Saylor Poffenbarger answered with a pull-up jumper, followed by another short jumper from Amari DeBerry, making her first start this season. 

“We were trying to match the length with Amari,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “She’s so physical, so strong we had to.” 

Betts continued to be an issue for the Terps, scoring two more easy buckets inside. Still, Maryland’s offense answered right back with a hook shot from Christina Dalce and a pull-up jumper by their leading scorer, Kaylene Smikle. 

After the media timeout, the Terps tied the game with a tip-in layup by Allie Kubek, energizing the crowd. 

While Maryland’s offense held its own, Betts’ presence inside plagued the Terps, scoring 14 points, as the Bruins held a 20-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. 

After a strong defensive stand, Maryland tipped the ball out of bounds, giving the Bruins a second-chance opportunity, where they capitalized on a three to open the second quarter. 

UCLA’s offense stayed hot, extending its lead to 12 following another post score from Betts. 

While the Terps defense struggled, Poffenbarger’s three-pointer cut the deficit to six, as Maryland’s made five straight field goals entering the media timeout. 

The offense stayed hot after the timeout, with Smikle making free throws and Mir Mclean putting in a layup to cut the deficit to two. 

However,  the Bruins answered right back with two of Betts’s 24 first-half points. 

After drawing a charge to spark the Maryland bench and crowd, UCLA’s defense stifled the Terps on the other end, leading to two free throws to end the quarter ahead by five – 39-34. 

UCLA opened the second half ready to play, scoring four points in the first minute to extend its lead to nine and force a Maryland timeout. 

Poffenbarger’s strong offensive performance continued with a reverse layup on the Terp’s first possession out of the timeout, but UCLA answered on their end with a three.

With another chance to cut the deficit, Dalce missed two free throws for the Terps, while the Bruins made 3-4 free throws on their ensuing possessions, giving them their largest lead at 13. 

Out of the timeout, Poffenbarger stayed red-hot, connecting on a moving three, followed by a pull-up jumper.
Despite this, UCLA answered with three straight three-pointers to prevent the Terps from gaining momentum and extend its lead to 16. 

The Bruins scored one more free throw in the third, giving them their largest lead – 17 points – 65-48 –heading into the fourth. 

Maryland opened up the fourth with momentum, scoring four points, while holding the Bruins scoreless for two and a half minutes. 

After two UCLA free throws, Te-Biasu’s three cut the deficit to 12. However, Gabriela Jaquez answered right back for the Bruins, followed by a Londynn Jones three to extend the lead to 18. 

As the Terps offense went cold, the Bruins’ run extended to 10-0, putting the Terps down 25 with 3:03 to play.

Maryland ended the game on a 10-0 run, but it was too little too late as the Bruins closed it out by 15.   

“Yeah I think every game we go out and play, we have an opportunity to learn,” Poffenbarger said. “I think it’s really important we learn in January and not March. We learn a lot about ourselves. It teaches us to stay together.”  

Maryland will travel to Penn State on Wednesday to face the Nittany Lions (10-11, 1-9 Big Ten), aiming to end its three-game losing streak.