Maryland women’s basketball went through a difficult stretch. It lost four of its last five games, and travelled across the country falling down the Big Ten standings.
The Terps responded with a win in their first-ever visit to Eugene. No. 16 Maryland topped Oregon, 79-61, Thursday night at Matthew Knight Arena as guard Sarah Te-Biasu scored a season-high 26 points. It was the Terps’ first win over the Ducks in program history.
Maryland’s first win on its West Coast trip was coach Brenda Frese’s 600th at the helm of the Terps’ program. She’s now led Maryland teams to 18 or more victories in every season since 2002-03, her first in charge in College Park.
“When I came into Maryland, [I] remember not knowing if I was going to be good enough,” Frese said. “And to now be 23 years here at Maryland … it makes it kind of the cherry on top, and just to be able to do it with this group.”
Oregon (16-7, 7-5 Big Ten) entered the game as the second-worst Big Ten team offensively in conference play. The Ducks’ poor shooting let Maryland (18-5, 8-4 Big Ten) gain an early advantage.
As Oregon missed 13 of its first 15 field goals, Te-Biasu outscored the Ducks by herself in the first nine minutes. The graduate student nailed her first 3-point attempt amid a perfect 3-for-3 run from the floor for a quick seven points.
[Illinois’ pace slowed Maryland women’s basketball in 1-point loss]
Graduate student forward Allie Kubek hit two layups during a 17-5 scoring run to close the first quarter, extending Maryland’s lead to 19-9 by the end of the frame.
Te-Biasu continued to score in the next period. She hit a pull-up jumper and connected on a deep 3-pointer to continue a perfect start from the floor. The guard followed with a driving layup and yet another 3-pointer, her third of the first half, to convert her first six field goal attempts.
Te-Biasu ended the opening half hitting 7-of-8 field goals en route to 17 points as she notched a double-digit point tally for the fifth straight game. She propelled the Terps into a 39-22 halftime advantage.
“The coaching staff, my teammates, they say ‘We need you to be aggressive, we need you to be confident,’” Te-Biasu said. “That’s what I’m doing right now.”
Baskets continued to fall for the guard in the new half. She swished her fourth deep-range shot on Maryland’s first shot of the third quarter and finished the frame with six.
Maryland did an excellent job at limiting the scoring output of Oregon center Phillipina Kyei, who averages over seven points a game. Its experienced troubles against centers earlier this season, like UCLA’s Lauren Betts and Penn State’s Gracie Merkle.
[Illinois hands No. 14 Maryland women’s basketball 4th loss in last 5 contests, 66-65]
Kyei scored just four points in the opening half and only grabbed two rebounds. She didn’t score in the second half and only picked up one more rebound.
“With [Kyei] being able to kind of have that banging post, I thought Allie did a remarkable job with that,” Frese said.
The Ducks made only seven first-half field goals and put up 22 points, tying a season-low that Maryland’s allowed against conference opposition.
The Terps coasted in the second half behind junior guard Kaylene Smikle and a 17-3 scoring run to begin the third quarter. Smikle added 11 points in the third period alone, putting six in from the free throw line. Redshirt junior guard Saylor Poffenbarger netted a corner 3-pointer for five third-quarter points, and recorded a double-double in the fourth.
Senior guard Shyanne Sellers didn’t score a point in the contest, but Te-Biasu led the Maryland offense with her second 20-point performance in the past three games. She hit her fifth 3-pointer late in the fourth to grab a new season-best.
Maryland picked up a vital win against a team it entered the contest tied with the same conference record. The Terps stay in contention for a top-4 finish in the conference with their eight Big Ten triumph of the season.
“Just love seeing the production from everyone,” Frese said. “Sarah had a monster game for us … and [Smikle] as well. Just attacking, getting to the free throw line, 100 percent, being really aggressive. Just love the response from Sunday.”
