Preview: No. 14 Maryland women’s basketball travels to Penn State, looking to snap losing streak

Photo courtesy of University of Maryland Athletics

After facing six ranked opponents in its past seven contests, No. 14 Maryland women’s basketball (16-4) is relieved to see a much easier schedule awaiting. And that begins on Wednesday, as the Terps travel to Penn State (10-11).

Maryland is on a three-game losing streak, all to teams ranked in the AP Poll top-10. The Terps struggled to generate offense without two of their top three scorers including turning the ball over 62 times in their past three contests.

But Maryland will be hoping for the return of Shyanne Sellers soon, the fourth-highest scorer in the Big Ten during conference play.

In their absences, the Terps have relied on contributions from other role players. Sarah Te-Biasu has been more involved offensively and has seen more playing time as the primary ball handler. Over the past three games, Te-Biasu has played in all but five minutes, while producing consecutive double-figure performances for the first time this season.

However, Kaylene Smikle has remained Maryland’s go-to option. She averages 17.5 points per game — the sixth-best mark in the Big Ten. Smikle is also recording 3.7 boards and 1.8 steals. But she has struggled lately from three-point range, knocking down just four of 22 shots in the past six contests.

Saylor Poffenbarger has broken out of her shooting slump, posting back-to-back double-digit outings. She is also gathering 8.4 rebounds, the second-most on the team. 

The frontcourt has seen increased production, particularly Christina Dalce and Allie Kubek. Despite the inconsistency from the Terps’ bigs, they have always had a strong presence in the paint. Dalce and Kubek both average around nine points per game. However, Dalce’s biggest impact comes on the glass, as she has a team-high 8.8 boards a game.

Maryland has struggled this season with bench production, especially without Bri McDaniel. But in the Terps’ last game against No. 1 UCLA, they got a big outing from Mir McLean. She recorded a season-high 12 points on just seven shots. Maryland will need more offense out of its bench if it hopes to make a deep run.

While the Terps haven’t been the most efficient shooting team, they have excelled on the glass. Maryland boasts the 13th-best rebounding team in the nation and the fifth-highest rebounding margin, including 15 offensive rebounds a game. And these extra possessions have fueled it to one of the top offenses in the Big Ten. 

On the opposite end of the conference sits the Nittany Lions, who have picked up just one win in their ten Big Ten games. 

Last season, head coach Carolyn Kieger guided Penn State to its first winning record (22-13) since 2016-17. But that success has not translated over, as the Nittany Lions have struggled mightily in her fifth year at the helm.

Penn State went 9-2 during nonconference play, only falling to St. John’s and Kansas. But then the gauntlet of the Big Ten began. The Nittany Lions’ lone win in conference play came just over a week ago, taking down No. 8 Ohio State, 62-59, at home.

After transferring from Bellarmine, 6-foot-6 Gracie Merkle has been just as good in her sophomore campaign. She leads Penn State in points per game (14.9), rebounds (8.6) and blocks (1.6) while boosting the seventh-best shooting percentage in the nation (65%).

In her final year, guard Gabby Elliott has had her best season since her freshman campaign. Elliott has had an injury-riddled past three years, tallying 27 games played in that span. But she has taken full advantage of her time back on the court, posting 12 points a game and 4.4 rebounds this season.

Guard Moriah Murray is in her second season with the Nittany Lions and is having a breakout sophomore campaign. Murray is putting up 11.9 points while shooting 40.1% from downtown. But she has been red-hot lately, posting 24 and 21 points in the last two contests.

Alli Campbell is Penn State’s best facilitator, distributing 4.3 assists per game. She had seven assists in the team’s 77-73 loss against Rutgers on Sunday.

However, the Nittany Lions have had difficulties on the defensive end. They are the fourth-worst team in the Big Ten, giving up 69.5 points per game to their opponents. Penn State also ranks 279th in the country in opponents’ shooting percentage, 42.4%.

And sloppiness has not helped the Nittany Lions either. They turn the ball over 21 times a game, the 14th-most in the nation. In Penn State’s last matchup against a ranked opponent, it turned the ball over 26 times, leading to 30 points for Michigan State.

The Terps will be hoping to force turnovers and get out in transition in order to get its offense going again. 

Tip-off is at 6 p.m. and will take place at Rec Hall, just the second time since 1996 that the Nittany Lions will host a game there. The contest will air on Big Ten Plus.