Maryland women’s basketball’s loss to No. 2 Ohio State featured everything that’s come with the Terps’ close losses to top teams. It ended in a non-competitive score. Brenda Frese said how proud she was of her team for competing, before she addressed similar areas that need improvement. Once again, a lack of depth showed down the stretch.

Sunday’s 79-66 road loss to the Buckeyes revealed how far Maryland has come since the beginning of the season. It also served as a reminder of the vast gap between the Terps and the top teams in the country.

Maryland is playing like an NCAA tournament team as of late. The Terps are in a good position to hear their name called on Selection Sunday. But this year’s roster is not up to the standard of the program’s past or that of other elite Big Ten teams.

Ohio State is loaded. Jacy Sheldon, Cotie McMahon and Taylor Thierry make up a trio that rivals any team in the country.

Maryland has stars of its own. Shyanne Sellers is a top player in the conference. Jakia Brown-Turner has been on a tear the past month. Bri McDaniel carried the offense Sunday. She scored 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting.

But the Buckeyes pair their stars with a deep supporting cast. That’s the difference between the two teams.

[Maryland women’s basketball snaps four-game win streak with 79-66 loss to No. 2 Ohio State]

Celeste Taylor, a Duke transfer, poured in 20 points. Rebeka Mikulasikova and Rikki Harris both chipped in as well.

Sellers scored just seven points and is shooting 32 percent from the field against ranked opponents.

“Shy has got to be better for us,” Frese said.

Other than Brinae Alexander, who poured in five threes, Maryland’s supporting players did not make up for Sellers’ struggles. A lack of experience is part of that.

Outside of its top three scorers, five healthy Buckeyes have played over 100 collegiate basketball games. Four of them average over five points per game in their careers.

Maryland has two: Alexander and Faith Masonius. Lavender Briggs’ season-ending injury was a major blow, but even before the graduate student’s injury, the Terps lacked high-level depth and experience. They have a starting lineup that rivals most in the conference, but their lack of depth is apparent.

“You got grad seniors on [Ohio State’s] roster and the experience showed,” Frese said.

[Faith Masonius eyes coaching future as Maryland career winds down]

Entering the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes led by five points. They held a six-point advantage with seven minutes remaining.

From there, Ohio State found another gear, going on a 13-6 run to claim the win.

“I thought Ohio State just wore us out,” Frese said.

Maryland has stuck around against elite opponents, but it hasn’t gotten over the hump. The Terps have failed to earn a ranked win with just one regular-season opportunity remaining against No. 14 Indiana.

“[Ohio State] had five [players] in double figures and, for us, we have a small margin for error,” Frese said. “Everybody’s gotta show up, we can’t have no-shows anymore, we can’t have players in foul trouble in the first half … we have a very small margin for error.”

Most teams shrink their rotations in March. Games become win-or-go-home, so coaches rely on a smaller number of players.

Frese does not have the luxury of replacing a slumping player with another alternative. The current rotation will likely remain set for the remainder of the season.

The Terps will have to live with that pressure. There are no other options left.