With her back to the basket, Tierney Pfirman faked to her right, then spun left before launching a baseline jumper that fell through the net for her ninth point against Virginia Tech on Sunday. In the Terrapins women’s basketball team’s regular-season finale, the forward was one rebound and point away from her eventual double-double, the first of her career.

With 50 seconds remaining, guard Brene Moseley missed a 2-pointer, but Pfirman snagged the offensive rebound between two Hokies defenders and finished the put-back layup. For the 6-foot-2 wing, the play that capped her milestone performance was a departure from her natural style.

“I never thought of myself as a post player,” Pfirman said Tuesday.

Mainly a mid-range player last season, coach Brenda Frese has played the sophomore in the post for most of this season. Though it took time to adapt, Pfirman’s recent performances have boosted the Terps’ bench entering this weekend’s ACC tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C.

“She’s really versatile because she has a perimeter skill set,” Frese said. “With the selfless move she made this year for us at the forward spot, it has really made us dynamic.”

With the No. 3 seed, the Terps sealed a double-bye, making tonight’s quarterfinal matchup with North Carolina, the first game of their final ACC tournament appearance. This time last season, Pfirman was sidelined with a dislocated kneecap, but she has appeared in every game so far this season. With her improvement on the inside, though, she’s become a different player entering this postseason.

A prolific scorer at South Williamsport Junior Senior High School, the Williamsport, Pa., native mostly operated outside the paint as a guard during her freshman year with the Terps after the position was ravaged by injuries. Pfirman averaged 7.3 points per game but shot a team-low 36.6 percent from the field.

With Moseley and guard Laurin Mincy returning from season-ending injuries — in addition to the arrival of guards Lexie Brown and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough — Pfirman switched to a frontcourt role.

“At first, I was kind of surprised and taken aback,” Pfirman said. “I mean, it hasn’t been the easiest, but I’ve adapted and am still adapting, and I think that my confidence in the post is picking up, and I’m learning new things.”

Pfirman started well in her new role. She had eight points and six rebounds in the season opener at South Florida, and she then scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds against Loyola. Pfirman went scoreless and had only two rebounds total in the next two contests, however, and those inconsistent stretches continued through the season’s first two months.

With centers Alicia DeVaughn, Brionna Jones and Malina Howard leading the Terps frontcourt, Pfirman played less than 10 minutes in four of their first six ACC games. She has played 10 or more minutes in nine of the past 10 matchups, though, helping her get accustomed to post play.

As the Terps became healthier and other offensive options such as Brown and Walker-Kimbrough emerged, Pfirman’s scoring dropped to 5.7 points per game, and she’s played fewer minutes despite appearing in more games. But she has become more efficient, shooting 48 percent from the field this season while taking 22 fewer shots than last season.

“Being able to play more and more minutes allows me to gain confidence,” Pfirman said. “Just how our team is right now, team chemistry and everything, it just allows you to play how you want to play.”

Instead of looking for jump shots, Pfirman spends more time jostling in the post for rebounds and layups. Her turnaround jumper, Frese said, has proved difficult for post players to defend.

Pfirman’s transition in playing style has helped her become a more efficient offensive threat and bolstered the team’s depth in the frontcourt. And with the possibility of three games in as many days looming this weekend, her run of performances has come at an important time.

“First and foremost, the credit goes to Tierney because she’s put in the work,” Frese said. “She just had her first double-double, now I expect that every night in terms of what she’s doing.