Takeaways from No. 4 Maryland women’s basketball’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal loss to No. 5 Michigan

Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Miles/Maryland Terrapins

After defeating Michigan just 18 days prior, No. 4-seed Maryland women’s basketball didn’t have the same success the second time around, falling in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, 98-71, Friday afternoon.

The Terps were outscored by 37 combined points in the first and third quarters, cementing one of their quickest exits in the conference tournament and shutting the door on any NCAA Tournament hosting chances they had.

Here are three takeaways from the contest.

Terps’ sluggish play 

Maryland couldn’t have pictured a worse start to the game. To say that rust was the main factor behind its sloppiness would be an understatement. Self-inflicted wounds killed the Terps all game long, particularly in the opening quarter. 

Nine first-quarter turnovers led to seven Michigan points and limited Maryland to 13-shot opportunities. When the Terps had a look, they couldn’t buy a bucket. Outside of Kaylene Smikle — who shot 2-of-4 from the field — Maryland made just one of its nine shot attempts.

With the game tied at six midway through the first quarter, the Terps’ struggles became evident. Michigan embarked on a 25-0 run that looked to have sealed Maryland’s fate and put the game out of reach. The Terps were held scoreless for nearly nine minutes.

“Disappointed we came out as flat as we did, [it] can’t happen in March,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “You saw the tougher team, mentally and physically, wear us out in the second half.”

While Maryland mustered up a comeback, its offensive struggles struck again in the second half. The offense returned to its stagnant play, notably in the third quarter. After the Terps brought the game back within one possession, seven turnovers helped fuel the Wolverines 22-5 run, which turned out to be the knockout punch. 

“When we had errors, they really did capitalize and they pushed it,” Christina Dalce said. “To be honest, some of us were tired and there’s really [only] so much you can do.”

Maryland’s transition defense labored, allowing Michigan to score 18 fastbreak points. However, part of these struggles can be attributed to the full-court press Frese deployed in hopes of getting her team back in the game. At times Maryland found success with it, but when the Wolverines broke the press, they usually got easy buckets.

The Terps combined for 18 points in the first and third quarters, a recipe for disaster heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Sarah Te-Biasu’s second-quarter explosion

Maryland’s usual key contributors — Shyanne Sellers and Kaylene Smikle — failed to make an impact in their limited court time. Sellers’ nagging knee injury took its toll on her play, making her a defensive liability. Smikle battled foul trouble all game long. In their absences, it was Sarah Te-Biasu who rose to the occasion. 

Fresh off her late-game heroics in the Terps’ last contest, Te-Biasu got off to a slow start, similar to the rest of the team.

After Michigan’s lead ballooned to 25 points, Te-Biasu’s passive offensive tendencies vanished. The graduate student looked for her shot instead and caught fire in the process. Te-Biasu exploded for 16 second-quarter points and finished with a game-high 25 points. She was responsible for all four of Maryland’s three-pointers, missing just one shot in the second quarter.

“I loved our response in the second quarter. I thought we got back to playing and being who we are, getting everyone involved in getting on the glass,” Frese said.

Her biggest bucket of the game came with 1:26 left in the second quarter. Te-Biasu rolled off the screen, caught the pass at the top of the key, sized up her defender and nailed the jumper from near the logo to trim the Wolverines’ lead to one.

Michigan’s three-headed monster couldn’t be contained

While Te-Biasu and Dalce totaled 44 points — including 23 in the second quarter — their efforts were outdone by Michigan’s stars.

The trio of Olivia Olson, Syla Swords and Jordan Hobbs wasted no time picking where they left off in the last meeting, combining for 25 of the Wolverines’ 27 first-quarter points. They accounted for 65 points, each reaching the 20-point mark and spraying jumpers from around the court.

“[Michigan did] everything we expected,” Frese said. “I don’t know if the big stage for a lot of these guys for the first time impacted that, but I know we can learn and get better from it.”

The Terps’ three-point defensive struggles have been a problem at times this season, and Michigan took full advantage. Olson, Swords and Hobbs went 10-of-19 from deep, capitalizing on any open looks they were given.

These three propelled the Wolverines to a blowout victory and handed Maryland its season-high in points allowed.

“Us losing by 27 to a team we beat in-season is unacceptable,” Dalce said. “Everyone in the NCAA Tournament is going to think they can beat us.”