Preview: No. 13 Maryland women’s basketball prepares for conference battle against Michigan State

No. 13 Maryland women’s basketball (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten) started the New Year strong with a convincing win over Rutgers, and now looks to build upon that momentum at home against Michigan State (10-5, 2-2 Big Ten) on Saturday. 

The Spartans enter on a four-game win streak, including their first two conference wins of the season over Northwestern and then-No. 4 Indiana in a massive upset, which was the Hoosiers first loss on the season. 

Michigan State had lost its previous two outings in conference play a couple weeks prior at home against Purdue and on the road at No. 3 Ohio State, but have since regrouped and looked to have found its stride.

After a shaky 7-3 start, Maryland has been rolling, winners of five-straight and has shown the potential to be a standout team come March. The Terps have found consistency on both ends of the floor, as they have used grit on the defensive end and have shared the wealth on the offensive end.

The Terps won each of their last three games against Big Ten opponents and have more experience against ranked opponents than almost any other team in the country right now due to the gauntlet they faced during non-conference play, which include ranked wins over Baylor, Notre Dame and UConn.

Senior guards Diamond Miller and Abby Meyers, and sophomore guard Shyanne Sellers, have all shown up during Maryland’s hot stretch, carrying the weight offensively between the three of them. The trio has performed all season long, as they all average over 14 points per game.

Maryland’s win against Rutgers came off the New Year break, which allowed many players much needed rest, according to coach Brenda Frese. Since, the team has spent time on a relatively empty campus practicing and building chemistry.

“We were able to really reset,” Frese said. “The chemistry is really gelling on both ends of the floor and our practices have been really efficient.”

Senior forward Faith Masonius, who has been a part of the program for four years, has seen how the team’s relationships have grown, specifically since the beginning of the season when they were still learning how to play with one another.

“We’re not a new team anymore,” Masonius said. “That’s not really an excuse anymore, so right now we’re just focused on staying consistent.” 

While Maryland has grown since the beginning of the season, it still has its flaws — and Michigan State’s strengths on paper seem to correspond with some of the Terps’ few weaknesses.

Entering this weekend, the Spartans average 15 offensive boards each game, most in the Big Ten. Rebounding is an area where teams have looked to exploit an undersized Maryland team, as its rebounding margin sits at -1.9.

“[Rebounding has] been an emphasis for us,” Frese said. “It’s going to be really important for us to be able to box them out every single time a shot goes up.”

Another key area Michigan State excels in is its perimeter shooting. Multiple Spartans are capable of knocking down shots from behind the arc, particularly their two stars. 

Sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh is the Spartans primary threat from downtown, where she shoots a whopping 44.3% percent on the year. Ekh averages 12.6 points per game and looks to become the latest perimeter player to break the Terps’ defense. 

“[Ekh’s] a great shooter, she’s been scoring for them in bunches and we’re gonna have to know where she’s at,” Frese said. 

Michigan State’s leading scorer, graduate student guard Kamaria McDaniel, averages 14.7 points per game. McDaniel is not too shabby a perimeter shooter herself, shooting a solid 35.4% from behind the arc. 

The former Baylor Bear and Penn State Nittany Lion has had a career resurgence in her return to the Big Ten. In the 2019-20 season, McDaniel averaged nearly 20 points with the Nittany Lions before transferring to Baylor for two years and barely seeing the floor. 

Either of the two will surely wish to join the company of players like Nebraska’s Jaz Shelley and Fordham’s Anna DeWolfe — guards who torched the Terps this season with shooting and twitchiness on the ball.

The game will start at 1 p.m. and will take place at the XFINITY Center in College Park.