Preview: No. 11 Maryland women’s basketball prepares for rematch against Nebraska

No. 11 Maryland women’s basketball (15-4, 6-2 Big Ten) looks for revenge Sunday against Nebraska (12-7, 4-4 Big Ten), who blew out the Terps 90-67 in College Park earlier in the season. The Terps will travel to Lincoln this time, looking to add to the impressive stretch of wins they have accumulated during conference play.

The Terps are coming off a good showing against Wisconsin, which saw them comfortably cruise by the Badgers with a double-digit lead for nearly the entire game, winning 77-64.

Sophomore guard Shyanne Sellers and senior guard Diamond Miller led the Terps, combining for 40 points. The duo was complimented by a great performance from senior guard/forward Faith Masonius (11 points, six rebounds and three assists). 

Senior guard/forward Brinae Alexander scored 10 points in the win over the Badgers and continues to tear it up from behind the arc for the Terps, ranking sixth in the country in three-point percentage (48.8%). Her presence off the bench has been a deciding factor in games lately due to her ability to catch fire from the bench, as she has averaged 15 points per game over the Terps’ last three games. 

“[Brinae] adds a lot of value to us with her being able to stretch the floor and shoot the three,” Sellers said.

Unfortunately, the team’s other star sharpshooter, senior guard Abby Meyers, has seemed to slip into a slump as of late. Meyers has shot 33.3% from both the field and three over the last four games, averaging just 9.5 points per game during the stretch.

“Abby’s a great player,” coach Brenda Frese said. “Shooters shoot … her shot will come back. It’s just [about] staying true to who you are.”

Before these past four games, Meyers had been averaging 14.8 points, but her numbers have since taken a noticeable dip as her shooting splits have dropped. Meyers will look to regain her shooting stroke versus the Cornhuskers.

Nebraska has been a bit more up and down lately compared to the Terps, who have continued winning in conference play save for their loss against No. 6 Indiana. 

The Cornhuskers have faced a tough stretch of their schedule, winning just two of their last six games. This stretch has included losses against No. 14 Michigan, No. 6 Indiana and No. 2 Ohio State. The lone loss not against a ranked opponent was to Rutgers. 

Junior guard Jaz Shelley and sophomore forward/center Alexis Markowski remain Nebraska’s biggest threats heading into this Sunday’s matchup.

In the last contest between the two teams, it was Shelley who stunned the Terps with a 29-point performance that included a fantastic 6-10 from three. She was simply unstoppable throughout the game, scoring at will whenever the Cornhuskers needed a basket. 

Markowski held her own that game as well, putting up 14 points and six rebounds, though the rebounds were below her high standard of 9.3 per game, which ranks second in the Big Ten.

“She’s really talented,” Frese said. “Great size, great power game inside, can also step out and shoot the three. She’s really versatile.” 

After losing the way they did in the first outing, the Terps were forced to study the flaws that led to their loss and are eager to get a second chance at Nebraska. Sellers spoke about building on the mistakes they made and playing a more clean game this time out. 

“We just got to play more connected,” Sellers said. “Got to know where shooters are and push the pace on offense.”  

Frese spoke about her coaching philosophy behind moving on after the previous loss against the Cornhuskers and how the team is preparing for a deep Nebraska team a second time out. 

“All you can control is the next game,” Frese said. “In conference, every team is going to compete for 40 minutes.”

Tip-off will be at 2 p.m. at the Pinnacle Bank Arena.