Preview: No. 17 Maryland women’s basketball returns to College Park to host Nebraska

Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics

After wrapping up its near-week-long West Coast trip with wins over Oregon and Washington, No. 17 Maryland women’s basketball (19-5, 9-4 Big Ten) returns to College Park. The two-game home slate begins Thursday with Nebraska (16-8, 7-6) in its annual Play 4 Kay Pink Game to support breast cancer awareness.

Ninth-year head coach Amy Williams took over a program with regular postseason aspirations, as the Cornhuskers had made seven NCAA tournament appearances in nine years. Despite a hiccup in her first season, Williams has certainly met those expectations. 

She has guided Nebraska to three tournament berths and five winning seasons. Last year was by far her best season at the helm, as it made a run to the Big Ten title game and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament. 

However, the Cornhuskers struggled in conference play this year. They boast a 7-6 record and are currently in a four-way tie for ninth place in the Big Ten. Despite being ranked No. 21 at one point earlier this season, Nebraska has gone 1-5 against top-25 opponents. The lone victory came against then-No. 20 Michigan State, 85-80, at home.

Senior center Alexis Markowski — a three-time All-Big Ten honoree — leads the lines for the Cornhuskers. While her numbers are slightly down from last season, Markowski is still averaging 14.8 points on 47.2% shooting from the field and collecting 7.6 rebounds.

Nebraska’s major contributions from its backcourt come from freshman Britt Prince. The No. 16-ranked recruit according to Prospects Nation and No. 28-ranked recruit according to ESPN has lived up to the hype. Prince generates 13.1 points with 4.5 boards and is tied with a team-high three assists per game.

But after that, there is a drastic dropoff in offensive production. 

The Cornhuskers’ remaining starters — sophomore forward Jessica Petrie, sophomore guard Logan Nissley and junior guard Callin Hake — haven’t been effective on the attack. The trio combines for just over 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

However, the Cornhuskers’ second unit makes up for that. They rank 22nd in bench points per game with 26.5. Senior guard Alberte Rimdal is a big reason behind this success. The Florida transfer scores 6.8 points on 41.2% shooting from downtown while adding 2.2 assists.

Freshman guard Amiah Hargrove, senior guard Kendall Moriarity and freshman forward Petra Bozan round out Nebraska’s regular bench rotation.

While the Cornhuskers don’t have an overpowering offense or defense, their three-point shooting has kept them afloat. They knock down the fourth-highest clip in the Big Ten, 34.8%, and nearly eight per game.

Nebraska also doesn’t turn the ball over often, only 14.6 times a game. This will be key to slowing Maryland down, as it likes to get out in transition.

But the Terps aren’t an easy team to handle. They are back on track after hitting a skid, becoming the first team in the Big Ten to go to the Pacific Northwest and sweep both Oregon and Washington.

“I thought there were a lot of great things that you were able to see from our team as we’re continuing to put things together,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “Every game is critical. We know Nebraska is a really good team.”

Maryland’s recent success stems from the play of Kaylene Smikle. The Big Ten Player of the Week was phenomenal in the Terps’ two road games. Smikle scored a combined 57 points, including a career-high 36 against Washington. When she is on, Smikle is a tough guard for opposing defenders.

And her backcourt counterpart — Shyanne Sellers — has slowly returned to form. Sellers scored 15 points in Maryland’s last game after going scoreless against Oregon.

Sarah Te-Biasu has turned the corner on the offensive end. Sunday’s game marked her first single-digit performance in the past six contests. 

The Terps have also received an increased production on the glass from Saylor Poffenbarger. While she has been streaky on the offensive end, Poffenbarger has remained the top rebounder — collecting 18 rebounds on the road trip.

However, the frontcourt play has been a concern, as Christina Dalce and Allie Kubek have struggled on both ends of the floor. Their defense will be tested on Thursday – the duo has issues containing elite post players at times this season, and Markowski provides just that.

“We have challenged our post players because that’s been an area of weakness for us,” Frese said. “Another opportunity to show that we’re learning and growing in that area. It also works both ends. Our guards have to provide enough ball pressure and intensity so those passes into Markowski […] aren’t easy lobs and easy plays.”

If Maryland can slow down Markowski, it will most likely be able to extend its winning streak to three games. Nebraska, on the other hand, is looking to snap its three-game losing streak.

The Terps lead the all-time series, 16-3, but have lost three of the past four meetings, including both last season. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. and will air on Big Ten Network.