Maryland women’s basketball extended its NCAA tournament streak to 14 years on Sunday. The Terps were selected as a No. 10 seed in the Portland 4 region and will take on Iowa State in the first round on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
“I’m just excited,” Jakia Brown-Turner said. “This is what we work for, just to be able to play in March. We’re just excited and we’re going to be ready.”
The Terps had a tumultuous season a year after making the Elite Eight, but demonstrated their potential with an upset over top-seeded Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. They finished eighth in the Big Ten regular season standings, resulting in their lowest seeding since missing the tournament in 2010.
Junior Shyanne Sellers, who averages 15.5 points, six rebounds and seven assists per game, leads the squad. Sellers scored 25 points in the win over the Buckeyes. Brown-Turner and sophomore Bri McDaniel average 13.8 and 12.7 points per game, respectively.
No. 7 seed Iowa State, Maryland’s first opponent, finished 20-11 overall and 12-6 in the Big 12. The Cyclones’ conference tournament run ended in the championship game when they lost to Texas.
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Audi Crooks leads Iowa State with 18.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Terps and the Cyclones, but coach Brenda Frese is familiar with the program. She served as an assistant coach in Iowa City from 1995 to 1999 and called Cyclones coach Bill Fennelly one of her biggest mentors Sunday.
A fourth straight Sweet Sixteen appearance will likely require the Terps to take down No. 2 seed Stanford. The Cardinal went 28-5 this year and are led by All-American Cameron Brink.
Frese is 42-17 in the NCAA tournament and won the national championship in 2006. The Terps have not made the Final Four since 2015.
“For us, it’s this last push that we have and this last tournament that we’re most excited about,” Frese said.
