Despite being the visiting team, Maryland women’s basketball had all the momentum heading into the final frame after Jakia Brown-Turner’s layup that beat the third quarter buzzer.
Down five points to No. 2 Ohio State with 10 minutes remaining, the Terps failed to capitalize off their third-quarter run. They were outscored by eight in the final frame as unnecessary fouls and a lack of defensive intensity ultimately pushed the Terps to a 79-66 loss Sunday afternoon.
With the win, Ohio State clinched the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and a share of the conference regular season title.
The Terps previously lost to the Buckeyes, 84-76, in College Park on Jan. 17. Since then, Ohio State has continued to win its big matchups, defeating both Iowa and Indiana to propel itself to No. 2 in the AP Top 25.
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Meanwhile, Maryland (16-11, 8-8) entered Sunday on a four-game winning streak after a losing streak of the same number. The team was “peaking at the right time,” coach Brenda Frese said Wednesday.
The Terps were tasked with taking down the Buckeyes without Lavender Briggs, who will miss the remainder of the season after injuring her knee against Rutgers. Briggs was crucial to keeping Maryland’s last matchup with Ohio State (24-3, 15-1) competitive last month — she tallied 16 points and often defended top scoring threats.
“I think we’ve faced a lot of adversity for this point in the season and you’ve got to be used to things constantly changing. And you also got to be ready when your number’s called,” Brinae Alexander said.
The Terps’ already short rotation received another blow when Sellers collected her second foul before the end of the first frame, sending her to the bench and leaving them without their top scorer and facilitator. She played just 29 seconds in the second frame.
Without her on the floor, Ohio State took advantage and built its lead up to 11 in the opening three minutes of the second quarter and held Maryland scoreless for most of that stretch.
“When you take Shy, our leader, out of the game with two fouls in the first quarter, it was a tough way to start it,” Frese said.
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The Terps eventually found more offensive rhythm and scored more than they did in the first quarter. Bri McDaniel and Alexander led that effort and finished the first half in double figures, but Maryland entered halftime down 44-31.
In its first matchup, Maryland had success against Ohio State’s vaunted full-court press defense and forced the Buckeyes to switch to a halfcourt defense. That continued Sunday, but Ohio State still forced turnovers and turned them into points. Maryland forced six first-half miscues of its own, but they translated to just two points.
“That’s the game right there — turnovers,” Alexander said.
“Yep,” McDaniel immediately echoed.
Alexander’s fourth-made three pointer of the game helped kickstart her team’s offense in the third quarter, spurring a 7-0 run to pull the Terps within single digits and spelling a coach Kevin McGuff timeout.
Maryland continued to chip away at Ohio State’s lead from the free throw line. A Cotie McMahon foul then a technical sent Sellers to the line, where she shot 3-for-4 and the team made 12 of its 16 opportunities. The Terps trimmed their deficit to just five, outscoring the Buckeyes — a team known for strong third frames — 24-16.
But despite its powerful third quarter, the short-handed Maryland team fell flat in the final frame to hand Ohio State its 14th straight victory.
