Maryland women’s basketball didn’t have to win on Sunday to know its Big Ten tournament fate. The Terps received the No. 4 seed and a precious double-bye by Illinois losing to Michigan earlier in the day.
But a victory over a top-15 AP poll opponent, a top-20 NET opponent and a Quadrant 1 win would increase Maryland’s stock for the NCAA tournament. The Terps have stacked quality wins all February, and it continued into March.
Sarah Te-Biasu’s game-winning 3-pointer lifted No. 19 Maryland over No. 12 Ohio State, 93-90, in overtime. The Terps picked up a fourth consecutive win and their sixth win in the past eight games. Maryland hopes to be awarded a No. 4 seed or higher in the NCAA tournament — and the opportunity to play at Xfinity Center one more time.
Te-Biasu stepped up in the extra frame. The graduate student scored a layup to push Maryland (23-6, 13-5 Big Ten) ahead by one with 26.5 seconds remaining. She then hit a running floater from deep range with one second remaining, giving Maryland its marquee win it craved.
“In shootaround we do a competition with the half-court shot, and I made it. I made that shot. ” Te-Biasu said. “It’s crazy, after that today, I just made that shot. I was really happy, and it felt good.”
[Live updates: Tracking Maryland women’s basketball ahead of March]
The victory didn’t come easily. Ohio State (24-5, 13-5 Big Ten) went on a 17-7 run over the final six minutes to tie the game at 78 with 29 seconds left. Maryland turned to its senior leader Shyanne Sellers for a potential game-winner, but her attempt didn’t hit the rim, and the game entered overtime.
Ohio State scored the first five points of overtime, but the Terps fought back. Guard Kaylene Smikle nailed a 3-pointer from the wing and tied the game with 1:16 left in overtime, 87-87.
Allie Kubek went 1-for-2 from the free throw line to push Maryland ahead by two with under a minute remaining, allowing Ohio State to tie the game once more. That led to Te-Biasu’s biggest 3-pointer of the night and secured a crucial home win.
“This is what a great team looks like, where just everyone made plays,” coach Brenda Frese said. “No more important than the last play there with Sarah.”
Maryland let a halftime lead slip away in Columbus in January. Turnovers and an inability to grab rebounds led to a 74-66 loss to Ohio State. The Terps made sure those same mistakes didn’t repeat themselves in the rematch, despite trailing by one at halftime.
Maryland’s commitment to corral rebounds limited scoring opportunities for Ohio State. It grabbed five offensive rebounds in the third quarter, leading to six second-chance points.
Forward Christina Dalce nabbed four offensive boards and accounted for four of the second chance opportunities in the third period. Dalce finished with eight points and 11 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
[Shyanne Sellers’ late heroics gives No. 19 Maryland women’s basketball 74-60 win at Indiana]
By limiting Ohio State’s second-chance opportunities and easy transition baskets off turnovers, the Terps didn’t allow the Buckeyes to set up their signature defensive pressure as often.
Maryland handled Ohio State’s press much better than it did in the previous matchup. It led to multiple easy layups, including a Kubek three-point play early in the fourth quarter.
After losing the turnover battle 17-6 in Columbus, Maryland won the battle this time. Te-Biasu’s increased comfortability within the offense contributed to the turnaround, as the guard only coughed it up twice.
“We had a few turnovers, but I thought we broke them out of [the press],” Sellers said. “We were one of the best teams in the country to do that to them.”
Smikle and Te-Biasu were ultra-aggressive offensively. Smikle ended with a team-high 26 points, albeit on 21 shots.
As strong as the Terps played, they couldn’t gain any separation from Ohio State. The Buckeyes even looked poised for a road victory within the opening minutes of overtime. But Te-Biasu’s shot gave Maryland another marquee victory and moved its record in two-possession games to 4-2.
The Terps will play their first Big Ten tournament game on Friday in the quarterfinals. More opportunities will be available for Maryland to earn high-caliber wins as the postseason begins, starting with a potential rematch with No. 5 seed Michigan.
“Our body of work speaks for itself,” Frese said. “We’ll see what the future looks like. Clearly we want to be able to host. If we just continue to separate ourselves with these kind of wins going into the Big Ten tournament, it’s great momentum for us.”
