Alyssa Thomas

In the depths of the XL Center in December, after the Terrapins women’s basketball team fell to then-No. 2 Connecticut, Alyssa Thomas made a strong proclamation.

“I know we will see them again,” Thomas said.

The odds of that happening seemed slim. After all, the NCAA tournament would provide the lone chance for the Terps to face the Big East foe. And with 64 teams and so many possibilities for matchups, a March Madness meeting seemed improbable.

But Thomas’ postgame statement has come to fruition. Tomorrow, the No. 4-seed Terps will continue their tournament run against the No. 1-seed Huskies in the Sweet 16 at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn.

“I knew [the tournament committee would] probably try to match us up,” Thomas said Wednesday. “I wanted to see them again, so it’s just something that I said.”

The two-time ACC Player of the Year has plenty of reason to want to see UConn (31-4) again, too. In the 63-48 defeat on Dec. 3, Thomas shot 2-of-12 from the field, scored six points and turned the ball over eight times. That’s not the player Thomas is, and she knows it. The forward has scored in double figures in every game since, including at least 26 in each of the past four contests.

Thomas has added another dimension to her game since last seeing the Huskies. She rarely ran the offense from the point in that game, and the Terps (26-7) leaned on her to help break UConn’s full-court press. But in more recent games, there have been stretches in which she has been the primary ballhandler on the court to set up her teammates.

Huskies guard Kelly Faris was charged with guarding Thomas in December and responded with a full stat line. The 5-foot-11 senior scored eight points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished seven assists and notched eight steals. She did a bit of everything for a UConn team that posted its worst offensive performance up to that point in the season.

“I think we’ve grown a lot since,” guard Katie Rutan said. “We’ve really worked on our mistakes. We’ve had mistakes in the past, and we’ve been able to fix it. We just have to keep working the next couple days and just put it all together for them.”

Jumping to a fast start will be key for the Terps tomorrow. In their first meeting, the Huskies outscored the Terps by just two in the second half, but UConn’s 13-point halftime lead proved too much to overcome. A UConn press forced the Terps into five turnovers in the first five-and-a-half minutes, helping the Huskies build a 13-4 lead. UConn stretched its lead to as many as 19 in the second half.

“We know what to expect this time,” Thomas said. “I think last time, the nerves played into it. Now that we know what they want to do, we expect them to press, so it’s definitely going to be a different start for us.”

The Terps suffered a slow start against Quinnipiac in Saturday’s first round game and dug an early nine-point hole. But against Michigan State on Monday, the Terps were sharp from the outset and delivered what coach Brenda Frese called their most complete defensive performance of the season.

The first time the Terps faced UConn, Frese’s squad was going through a transitional phase. Forward Tierney Pfirman was making her first career start. It was guard Chloe Pavlech’s third career start. Thomas hadn’t yet rounded into the form she’s displayed in the past month. No one had established herself as a third scoring option behind Thomas and forward Tianna Hawkins.

Frese was upbeat after the game despite the struggles. Her team held down a rolling Huskies group three days removed from losing a key starter.

The game was also played in front of a pro-UConn crowd about 30 minutes from its Storrs, Conn., campus. Webster Bank Arena has sold out for tomorrow’s games, which feature No. 6-seed Delaware and No. 2-seed Kentucky, meaning the crowd might not favor the local team as heavily.

“I think we’re really clicking right now,” Pavlech said. “It’s the perfect time to click and peak as a team and as a whole.”

Nearly five months ago, Thomas thought she’d be returning to Connecticut to face one of the nation’s most historically successful program. Through a season with an assortment of twists and turns, that inkling has come true. The underdog Terps have a distinct opportunity for an unexpected upset.

“I do know this: Alyssa Thomas is an intense, fierce competitor,” Frese said. “No question, she’ll be ready to play.”

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