Oluchi Okananwa’s strong performance guides No. 14 Maryland women’s basketball past Northwestern 79-57

Photo by Mackenzie Miles/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

No. 14 Maryland women’s basketball’s history against Northwestern is nothing short of dominant.

The Terps entered Wednesday’s matchup boasting a 15-1 all-time record against the Wildcats, including a seven-game winning streak.

Maryland did not struggle to keep this trend alive on Wednesday night, cruising to a 79-57 win over Northwestern at the Xfinity Center in College Park. The win is Maryland’s sixth straight.

This win added crucial insurance for the Terps (23-6, 11-6 Big Ten) regarding their seeding in the Big Ten Tournament, giving premier position to secure a bye. 

Guard Oluchi Okananwa was Maryland’s engine on Wednesday. The junior embodied Maryland’s run-first style of transition basketball with her aggressive perimeter defense and willingness to go full steam to the rim on the fast break. Okananwa’s 25 points and four steals both led the team.

Maryland’s defense followed the example set by Okananwa, playing suffocating on the perimeter and being a constant presence in the passing lanes. Its effort was reflected by generating 24 points off 21 turnovers.

Offesnsively Maryland struggled from three, shooting 3-for-21. The shooting woes forced the Terps to get creative on offense, breaking down a Wildcat defense that often collapsed to guard the paint. They did so through second-chance points and points generated by the defense.

“Every game is gonna be different. Our shots aren’t falling, so let’s be a little bit more patient when we go and take some of those threes,” coach Brenda Frese said. “We took better shots in the second half.”

But Maryland made up for its 3-point shooting struggles on the offensive glass. While the Terps did not boast a clear size advanatge their strategic positions allowed them to secure 20 offensive rebounds, giving a plethora of extra possessions. Maryland turned those rebounds into 27-second chance points.

This advantage was also reflected in Maryland having 24 more field goal attempts than Northwestern.

“Rebounding, in the non-conference, was our identity, and I think we got a little bit away from it,” senior guard Saylor Poffenbarger said. “In February … a big emphasis has been our defense and our rebounding.”

A big three from Poffenbarger in the second quarter put the exclamation point on an 8-0 scoring run that separated the Terps. This shot also snapped their streak of 10 straight missed 3-pointers to start the game.

Okananwa commanded the offense in the first half, cutting through Northwestern’s (8-20, 2-15 Big Ten) weak transition defense and pushing the pace for Maryland.

Maryland converted at the rim with ease, with 54 of their points coming in the paint.

Freshman guard Kyndal Walker’s driving layup around the 4:20 mark in the third quarter exposed Northwestern’s defense’s lack of energy in the second half. The Wildcats often sagged off Maryland players receiving passes on the perimeter, allowing the ball handler to drive to the rim with ease.

Walker finished the game with 10 points, putting her in double-figures for the second consecutive night.

Maryland’s offense has also found production by committee as of late. The Terps’ bench thrived on Wednesday, outscoring Northwestern’s reserves 22-7.

Maryland’s regular season will conclude on Saturday with a trip to Ann Arbor to take on a Michigan team that is ranked eighth in the AP Top 25.