First, Maryland women’s basketball trailed by five in overtime. Then they were down nine with 45 seconds left. Not exactly promising odds.

But twice, the Terps found a way — and pulled off an improbable road win over Minnesota to remain undefeated on Sunday.

The sequence of plays was nearly as chaotic as the game’s final score.

In double overtime, with Maryland down seven and 40 seconds remaining, Kyndal Walker — who had played just two minutes before the final moments — jumped a passing lane for a steal and drove in for a layup. The redshirt freshman guard drew a foul on the play and buried the free throw.

Two seconds later, the same thing happened. Oluchi Okananwa collected another steal, scoring an and-one layup to cut the deficit to one. The Gophers (6-3, 0-1 Big Ten) turned it over again on the ensuing possession, giving the Terps (11-0, 1-0 Big Ten) a chance to grab a victory from what once felt like an imminent defeat.

Fitting enough, the Terps’ most consistent scorer finished the comeback. Saylor Poffenbarger’s 30th point sealed a 100-99 win over Minnesota that seemed to stun both schools’ fanbases.

[Maryland women’s basketball star Kaylene Smikle to undergo season-ending knee surgery]

The numbers show how even Sunday’s contest was: the two teams posted nearly identical assists, rebounds, steals and turnovers. It was each overtime’s final minutes that were the difference. In those critical moments, Maryland made plays while Minnesota crumbled.

“It felt like March. That’s what you’re going to see in the best conference in the country. You’re going to have those battles every night,” coach Brenda Frese said.

For as crazy as the second overtime finish was, the opening extra period was just as dramatic. Yarden Garzon had shot 1-for-5 in the first half and was relatively quiet across the game.

The Terps turned to their captain anyway with 13 seconds left in regulation and down five. Garzon hit a 24-foot three-pointer to cut the deficit to two, then after a Gophers turnover, scored a layup on the next play to force double overtime. Within seven seconds, Maryland had cut a five-point deficit to zero and Minnesota had coughed away a chance at a signature win.

The two overtime comebacks were made possible by a second-half surge from the Terps. Maryland trailed 38-24 at halftime, caused by an abysmal second quarter in which the Terps went over five minutes without a point and turned the ball over three times.

[Addi Mack is building a legacy at Maryland. Her childhood coaches expected it.]

Frese has emphasized limiting turnovers all season, but her team showed little improvement in that department Sunday. Maryland turned over the ball 10 times before the end of the first half.

The Terps finished the game with 18 total giveaways, cleaning up the issue from the first half. But Maryland is averaging 16.9 turnovers per game — second most in the Big Ten behind Penn State.

Despite the turnovers, Maryland was less sloppy than Minnesota down the stretch – which made the difference. Minnesota committed 19 turnovers of its own, and its two best scorers of the afternoon, Grace Grocholski and Tori McKinney, fouled out.

Poffenbarger, Maryland’s leading scorer, scored her 1000th career point in the first quarter on a triple. The guard posted a career-high 30 points and never left the court during the second-half comeback. Freshman guard Addi Mack also played 48 minutes in her return to her home state.

Two Terps, Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu and Mir McLean, both fouled out late in the game, but Frese’s substitutions – pivoting to Walker and keeping Oluchi Okananwa in the game despite playing with four fouls – paid off.

That was all without Kaylene Smikle, who announced before the game that she’ll be having season-ending knee surgery. Despite a limited bench, and a new starting lineup, Maryland delivered an improbable road win.

“The resiliency in this locker room is something I haven’t seen in a really long time,” Frese said.