Maryland women’s basketball fell two spots to No. 11 in the Associated Press poll released Monday following its second loss of the season.
The Terps were ranked as high as No. 4 after a 12-0 start to the season.
But after a 1-1 mark last week — Maryland fell to No. 23 Michigan State, 77-60, on Thursday and bounced back with a 79-67 win over Penn State to close out the week — the Terps dropped out of the top 10 for the first time during the 2018-19 season.
[Read more: Second-half run buries Maryland women’s basketball in 77-60 loss to Michigan State]
Against the Spartans, Maryland clawed back from a 16-point first-quarter deficit to cut Michigan State’s lead to 37-34 at the break. But an off shooting night — the Terps converted just 2-of-12 attempts from behind the arc — and a 25-9 second-half deficit on the boards doomed Maryland to its second defeat of the season.
The Terps rebounded with a home victory over the Nittany Lions on Sunday to improve to 16-2 on the season and 5-2 in the Big Ten.
Just four Big Ten teams appeared in Monday’s top-25 two weeks after a season-high six teams slotted in the rankings.
[Read more: No. 9 Maryland women’s basketball survives upset scare to beat Penn State, 79-67]
Rutgers, who handed the Terps their first loss of the season on Dec. 31, climbed six spots to a season-high No. 14 rank. The Scarlet Knights are a Big Ten-best 7-0 in conference play.
Alongside Purdue and Maryland in second place, Iowa sits two games back of Rutgers with a 5-2 conference mark. The Hawkeyes moved up to No. 17, their highest position since being ranked No. 16 in the week eight edition of the rankings.
And despite the lopsided home victory over the Terps, Michigan State fell to No. 23 after stumbling against Iowa and Ohio State.
Minnesota and Indiana both dropped to the receiving votes echelon. The Hoosiers spent two weeks at No. 25 while the Golden Gophers had been in the top-25 since the second iteration of the rankings.
