INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan guard Mila Holloway caught a pass on the right wing. The closest Maryland women’s basketball player to close out on the Wolverines’ freshman was on the other side of the floor.
Holloway took her time before nailing Michigan’s 11th 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter. The wide-open triple exhibited just how poor the Terps’ defense was against the three-point shot all game long.
Maryland didn’t have an answer for the Wolverines’ sharpshooting. No. 5 seed Michigan — led by guards Olivia Olson, Jordan Hobbs and Syla Swords — made 12 threes in a win over No. 4 seed Terps, 98-71, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Friday.
Maryland conceded seven or more 3-pointers in its last three regular-season losses. That trend continued against the Wolverines.
Hobbs made Michigan’s first about four minutes in and Olson scored a barrage of 3-pointers, with three coming in just under a minute. Hobbs and Swords each added one more to account for five Wolverines’ makes from deep — their most in any quarter of the game.
Maryland’s reprieve only lasted a quarter. The Wolverines cooled from deep temporarily, making just one three in the second quarter to allow the Terps to get within four at halftime. But the second half mirrored the first frame.
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Olson and Hobbs teamed up once more for back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the third period. The lead ballooned to 11, putting Maryland away for good.
Michigan drained three 3-pointers in both the third and fourth quarters. Its 12 makes were tied for the most Maryland conceded in a game this season.
“I thought their spacing and their movement was really, really good,” coach Brenda Frese said.
Michigan executed its drive and kick game to perfection.
Junior Wolverines guard Brooke Quarles Daniels dribbled inside the arc midway through the third quarter. Maryland’s Mir McLean slid to help the drive, so Hobbs moved over to the wing and nailed another uncontested deep shot.
Minutes later, Olson took the ball to the free throw line before firing a pass to the corner for Swords to make a 3-pointer.
“We would get a paint touch and kick it back out and skip it,” Hobbs said. “We got a lot of wide-open threes, and we were able to really convert on those today.”
Maryland also struggled in transition when Frese employed a full-court press as its deficit grew. The Wolverines beat the press with ease and found open looks as the Terps scrambled back.
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Maryland’s offense couldn’t match Michigan’s. Leading scorers Kaylene Smikle and Shyanne Sellers combined for just 12 points. The Terps made four 3-pointers, none of which were in the second half.
Smikle played through foul trouble while putting up 10 field goal tries, making just three. Sellers played 19 minutes and made one shot, showing frustration with an intentional foul called against her in the third quarter.
Maryland hoped to jump up to the No. 4 seed line ahead of Selection Sunday next weekend. But a one-and-done performance and a blowout loss at the conference tournament damaged its chances.
The Terps have shown they can win big games this season. They’ll have to wait a week to see if they missed out on the one they had to have the most.
“I feel like the mentality today was that we still have one more,” senior forward Christina Dalce said. “Every team moving forward that we play in March Madness is going to think they can compete with us. We have to have the mentality that nobody can compete with us.”
