Takeaways from Maryland women’s basketball’s season-ending loss to South Carolina

Photo courtesy of Ashley Ray/Maryland Terrapins

No. 4-seed Maryland women’s basketball dropped its Sweet 16 matchup, falling to No. 1-seed South Carolina, 71-67 on Friday in Birmingham, Alabama.

Here are the takeaways from the season-ending loss. 

Maryland falters late

Maryland came in as massive underdogs, but held a one-point lead as the clock ticked under three minutes with a chance to knock off the defending national champions. 

However, this was the last time the Terps had the lead. Senior Allie Kubek fouled out at 3:07, but Maryland couldn’t make up for the loss, going scoreless for over two and a half minutes.  

Sophomore Milaysia Fulwiley scored 11 of her game-high 21 points in the fourth for the Gamecocks, knocking down clutch shots and free throws as South Carolina took control of the game. 

Maryland had two empty possessions in the final minute, starting with a Saylor Poffenbarger travel, but she knocked down a three-pointer to cut the deficit to three with 25 seconds left, ending the scoring drought and giving the Terps life. 

When the Terps regained possession, they had a chance to close the four-point gap, but a miscommunication between Shyanne Sellers and Sarah Te-Biasu on a dribble handoff led to the ball going out of bounds, and the season slipped away. 

“I’m super proud of this group. I’m proud of the way we fought. We made it a great game,” Sellers said. “I know people thought we were going to get crushed by 20.” I think we set the record straight to stop doubting Maryland.” 

First half defense

After a high-scoring 111-108 shootout in its round of 32 win against Alabama, Maryland’s defense made its presence early against South Carolina. The Terps held the Gamecocks to just 32% from the field, forced eight turnovers, leading to several Maryland points, while South Carolina couldn’t capitalize on seven forced turnovers. 

South Carolina didn’t make a field goal for over five minutes in the second quarter, scoring just 31 points in the first half. Despite taking ten fewer shots, though, Maryland entered the break with a two-point lead. 

Maryland’s aggressiveness put senior guard Te-Hina Paopao in foul trouble early for South Carolina, sending her on the bench for much of the first half and holding leading scorer Joyce Edwards to just four points in the opening half. 

“We showed that we could win this game,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “I think we gave a pretty good blueprint on how to beat South Carolina for the teams moving forward.” 

The up-and-down season comes to an end

Maryland women’s basketball’s up-and-down season ends in a Sweet 16 loss to the defending champion South Carolina Gamecocks. 

With ten new players on the roster, the Terps started the season 14-0, including three ranked wins against Duke, Michigan State, and Iowa, but injuries almost derailed the season. Maryland’s best defender, Bri McDaniel, tore her ACL against Minnesota, ending her season, followed by a Sellers knee sprain the next game against Texas, an injury she would nurse the rest of the season. 

Poffenbarger’s ankle injury against Northwestern on Feb. 20 was another blow to the Terps’ depth, as she never looked the same the rest of the way. 

Despite the injuries, Maryland never quit on the season. They trailed at halftime in their first-round matchup against No. 13 Norfolk State, but dominated the second half to advance, then overcame a 17-point third quarter deficit to defeat No. 5 Alabama in the round of 32. 

However, South Carolina’s depth was the deciding factor, ending Maryland’s tournament run. The Terps made it to the Sweet 16, exceeding late-season expectations when panic set in after some tough losses, showcasing the strong culture coach Frese has built, and continues to drive the program’s success. 

“After losing Bri, we also lost [Sellers], and we had the top 10 opponents with Texas and UCLA, and a lot of teams would’ve folded,”  Frese said. “I think there’s so many life lessons that you’re going to have these moments in life when you’re going through highs and you’re going to have some really low lows, and they can see how resilient they were through the course of the season.”