If the Maryland women’s basketball team had beaten Ohio State on Monday and clinched the Big Ten regular season championship, perhaps guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough would be in a more reflective mood ahead of Senior Day against Minnesota on Sunday.
Instead, the Terps lost, 98-87, ending their undefeated run in conference play and moving the Buckeyes into a tie with Maryland at the top of the Big Ten standings.
The loss has occupied Walker-Kimbrough’s mind more than the Senior Day festivities, which will include honoring her and center Brionna Jones’ jerseys in Xfinity Center’s rafters.
“I kind of forgot about it, I’m not gonna lie,” Walker-Kimbrough said. “This loss was — I wouldn’t say heartbreaking, but I mean, it’s not a good feeling.”
Walker-Kimbrough and Jones, the team’s only seniors, said they are turning their sorrow into motivation in practices.
“They’ve had four years to build through a lot of hard work,” coach Brenda Frese said.
A win against Minnesota (14-13, 5-9 Big Ten) on Sunday would guarantee the seniors and No. 2 Maryland (26-2, 14-1) at least a share of its third consecutive Big Ten title.
It will be the Terps’ second chance to take the Big Ten regular season crown. Ohio State was a game behind Maryland when the teams squared off for their only regular-season matchup this year.
Before the game, Maryland said defense would be important against the Buckeyes’ third-ranked offense.
Still, Ohio State guard Kelsey Mitchell scored a game-high 31 points, the Buckeyes scored 35 points in the first quarter and led for the last 34 minutes.
The team said it will continue trying to improve its defense as it nears postseason play, and the seniors are taking it upon themselves to show Maryland’s younger players — the team has six freshmen — how to bounce back from the loss.
“It’s one thing to tell them,” Walker-Kimbrough said, “but just continuing to show them in practice [the] consistency.”
Walker-Kimbrough wasn’t known for her shooting in high school, and shot just 36.9 percent from beyond the arc in her first two seasons with the Terps. Then, the Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, native led the nation with a .545 mark as a junior and drained more 3-pointers than she had in her first two seasons combined.
Now, Frese said she “has no weaknesses.”
Jones entered Maryland rehabbing an ACL tear and dedicated herself to the team’s nutrition and strength and conditioning programs, shedding weight and adding strength, to become what Frese called “one the most dominant low-post players in the country.”
Frese hopes Maryland’s players are learning as much as they can from Walker-Kimbrough and Jones.
“I would be soaking up every single moment they have left with the two of them,” Frese said before practice last week. “I stare out on the court, and Shatori’s probably been out here for hours working on her game while some [others] are still in the locker room. She [and Jones] are always in the gym.”
Sunday, the team will celebrate Walker-Kimbrough and Jones’ contributions. Their careers include two Final Four appearances, Big Ten regular season championships and conference tournament crowns.
The same mindset that helped the duo reach those heights also prevented it from dwelling on the accolades or festivities of Senior Day.
“These next couple of days [of practice], we’re going to be working on things we can get better at,” Walker-Kimbrough said. “Just to see it all unfold on Sunday, that’s what I’m looking forward to the most.”
