INDIANAPOLIS — Maryland women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese seemed to be in disbelief Friday night during stretches of the No. 2-seed Terps’ Big Ten tournament quarterfinal game against No. 10 Minnesota.

Frese put her hands on her hips and glared toward the court when an easy fastbreak layup for Minnesota cut Maryland’s lead to five points in the second quarter.

She tossed her hands in the air during the third quarter when guard Destiny Slocum travelled in the backcourt, helping spark a Golden Gophers run that pulled them as close as 11 points.

But with the help of 28 points from guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Maryland never allowed Minnesota to come closer, winning, 92-80, to secure its spot in the semifinals. The Terps will face No. 6-seed Michigan State on Saturday night for the chance to advance to their third consecutive Big Ten tournament title game.

“We started a little slow,” Frese said, “which sometimes is typical when you start a tournament. … But once we were able to settle in, we were able to make a lot of plays.”

Five days earlier, Maryland had beaten the Golden Gophers, 93-60, in College Park. In that game, Minnesota trailed by more than 20 for almost all of the second half and more than 30 for most of the fourth quarter. Frese had few complaints about her team’s play.

But Minnesota kept pace deep into Friday’s second half and made the Terps fight for their semifinal berth.

“If they made a run, we didn’t break down and stop playing,” Minnesota guard Carlie Wagner said of the difference between the two games. “We kept playing with them and kept coming at them.”

In the third quarter, however, Walker-Kimbrough had answers.

The reigning Big Ten Tournament MVP showed she’s still comfortable in Bankers Life Fieldhouse, making all six of her third-quarter shots — including four 3-pointers — and scoring 16 of the Terps’ 25 points.

“At halftime, [guard Ieshia Small] said, ‘Let that thing fly,'” Walker-Kimbrough said. “So I let the thing fly in the second half.”

Walker-Kimbrough didn’t miss after intermission, making another triple in the fourth quarter to push her to 28 points, matching Minnesota guard Gadvia Hubbard for the game-high.

Walker-Kimbrough’s scores tempered Minnesota’s push, giving Maryland a 16-point lead entering the fourth quarter. There was little stress from there, and an and-one from center Brionna Jones with about five minutes left in the quarter brought a slight smile across Frese’s face.

A sluggish start had the teams tied at six midway through the first quarter, Maryland forced four consecutive turnovers — three after the team implemented its press — and scored off all of them to take a 14-6 lead.

“Minnesota came out and threw the first punch,” Walker-Kimbrough said. “They had us on our heels a little bit, but I thought we responded really well.”

Minnesota, though, charged out to start the second quarter. The Gophers started the period on a 12-4 run over the first few minutes, capitalizing on the Terps’ uneven rhythm.

Slocum committed a turnover during that stretch, passing the ball right to Hubbard, who had an open court ahead of her. After Hubbard finished the layup and Frese finished her icy glare, the 15th-year head coach called timeout with about seven minutes left in the quarter.

The break appeared to settle the Terps, who spread their lead back to 15 over the next several minutes.

“Every time we made a run, they came right back,” Minnesota coach Marlene Stollings said. “That’s what championship teams do.”

Frese’s third-quarter timeout — when the Gophers came within 11 with less than two minutes left in the period — also stopped Minnesota’s momentum. Maryland scored three buckets over the final 86 seconds to widen its lead to 16 points.

A late Minnesota run against Maryland’s reserves made the final score appear closer than the 20-point gap separating the teams for much of the fourth quarter.

“They’re a seasoned team,” Stollings said of the Terps, “and a team that’s used to playing in these moments.”