For the second game in a row, Maryland’s opponent used depth to wear the Terps out, according to coach Brenda Frese. Maryland, which utilizes a rotation of seven to eight players typically, faced Michigan before taking on Penn State, teams willing to play 10 to 12 players.
On Sunday, 11 different Nittany Lions scored as Penn State dismantled Maryland women’s basketball, 112-76.
“We were severely limited with the amount of minutes that people were having to play,” Frese said after her team’s loss. “So you saw that fatigue take place. I mean, with their depth and the pressing they were able to do and the amount of turnovers they were able to force us into really impacted us through their depth and our lack thereof.”
Maryland dropped its second straight conference contest amid a crucial stretch of games, falling to 4-5 in Big Ten play as Penn State (15-5, 6-3 Big Ten) defeated the Terps for the first time since 2003.
Frese’s squad now have two losses this season in which opponents surpassed the previous record for points Maryland has given up in a game after a 114-76 loss to South Carolina in November. Virginia set the previous record for opponent points in a game with 111 points in 1991.
[Maryland women’s basketball lost its composure, a 15-point lead and a key conference game]
Jakia Brown-Turner put together another impressive all-around showing with 21 points and six rebounds. The graduate transfer from NC State is now averaging 19.2 points over the Terps’ last five games, but her increased offense wasn’t enough for Maryland (12-8, 4-5 Big Ten) to keep it close against Penn State.
Maryland scored a season-low nine points in the first quarter, despite getting to the free-throw line early. The Terps, who averaged 78.5 percent from the line entering Sunday’s game, made just one of their six attempts in the opening frame.
Those missed points allowed the Nittany Lions to take an early lead they never relinquished thanks to precise shooting.
Bri McDaniel fought back in the second quarter, single-handedly going on an 8-0 run to put her team within six points. But every time the Terps challenged the Nittany Lions, they pushed back with even more aggressiveness on offense, responding with a 10-2 run to restore their double-digit lead.
Maryland faced another hurdle when Shyanne Sellers fell to the floor after making contact with a Penn State defender. Sellers, the team’s leader in points, rebounds and assists, was helped off the court and did not return to the game.
[Maryland women’s basketball collapses in second half, falls 79-77 to Michigan]
Sellers tallied four points and two assists in nine minutes before her early exit.
“Shy’s a great player, she’s our leader, our point guard, so when we lose her, it’s tough, but it’s important for us to keep playing for her,” Brown-Turner said.
Former Terp Ashley Owusu led both teams in scoring at the break with 14 first-half points as the Nittany Lions held a 45-32 advantage at halftime. While Maryland attempted to claw back and cut its deficit to single digits early in the third quarter, Penn State took control of the game with an incredibly efficient second half.
The Nittany Lions scored 67 points in the final 20 minutes of the game on 68.6 percent shooting from the field and 75 percent shooting from three. Penn State finished Sunday’s game shooting 61.5 percent from the field, 61.5 percent from behind the arc and 88.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Owusu finished with 16 points, six rebounds and seven assists. She was one of four Nittany Lions players to finish with double-digit points as the Terps gave up the second-most points in program history in a crushing 36-point loss.
