Three hours before No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball’s conference opener, coach Brenda Frese’s roster shrank again.

Kaylene Smikle announced before the Terps took on Minnesota that she will undergo season-ending knee surgery. Smikle became the fourth Maryland player out from a knee injury, continuing a ravaging of the team’s guard depth.

Smikle led the Terps in scoring last season and was a key piece of their success to start this year. The senior guard played in seven games, averaging 13.1 points.

Smikle’s absence along with Lea Bartelme, Ava McKennie and Bri McDaniel creates holes in the lineup. With that, Frese was forced to turn to her bench.

Maryland’s 100-99 win over Minnesota on Sunday highlighted the players who will have to step up.

“The injury bug has not been kind to us,” Frese said. “But I will say that the resiliency in this locker room, as you just witnessed, is something I haven’t seen in a really long time.”

Here are four players Frese will likely rely on going forward in the injured players’ absences.

Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu

Ozzy-Momodu has been a staple for Frese this season, either as a starter or an early substitution. The 6-foot-3 forward pairs her height with an attacking mentality.

Ozzy-Momodu found her momentum in the third quarter on Sunday. She had five defensive rebounds, five points, one block and two steals in 10 minutes. She contributed to the sequences that minimized the deficit to just four at the end of the frame.

[Maryland women’s basketball pulls off improbable double-overtime win over Minnesota]

As one of the most animated Terps, Ozzy-Momodu possesses a powerful energy. She never misses a chance to make her teammates laugh or cheer them on.

The redshirt junior is pushing 100 points just 11 games into the season, averaging 8.2 a game.

Ozzy-Momodu posted seven defensive rebounds, two blocks and three steals on Sunday. She leads the team with 16 blocks, providing stellar rim protection for a balanced Terps defense.

Kyndal Walker

Walker played just one minute Sunday, but she changed the course of the game.

“I thought Kyndal had the most impactful minute on the floor,” Frese said.

There were 45 seconds left in double overtime. Maryland was down by seven points. Walker intercepted a pass, moved through the paint for a layup and drew a foul.

She made the free throw, moving the Terps three points closer to a win. Maryland had never won an away game in double overtime, and Walker helped change that.

“Everybody has to stay ready when their number is called. And I think Kyndal was a huge example of that,” guard Saylor Poffenbarger said. “She didn’t play a lot of minutes, but her minutes were the most impactful. She came in, she got a huge steal, a huge momentum shifter.”

Walker temporarily started at point guard when Bartelme went down. She’s since shifted to the bench in favor of Addi Mack, but the redshirt freshman should continue to play a key reserve role.

Mir McLean

McLean made her first Maryland start on Sunday. Smikle left a starter position open, and Frese chose the versatile guard and forward to step up. The graduate student transferred from Virginia after the 2022-23 season and was named to the Katrina McClain Watch List this season.

[Maryland wants to get Pharrel Payne the ball. The problem? Everyone knows it.]

While McLean has played in 10 games this season, she hasn’t provided Maryland much production. She’s tallied 33 points and 12 steals, but also nine turnovers and 12 personal fouls. Her role may have to change with the team’s injuries.

McLean played 14 minutes Sunday, notching two points. She fouled out in overtime, one of two players to foul out in that frame.

Frese complimented McLean’s experience postgame as one of the few remaining healthy veterans.

Rainey Welson

Welson is another true freshman in Frese’s back pocket, one that she would like to see a lot more of.

“She’s an important piece for us. She plays the right way, shoots the ball extremely well, really high IQ, good defense. So, hopefully — who knows as we move forward — we’d love to get her more minutes,” Frese said after Maryland’s win over Mount St. Mary’s last Wednesday.

Welson was ranked No. 34 nationally by ESPN before coming to Maryland. She’s appeared in eight games so far, but has struggled to stay healthy.

Frese said some players are still dealing with nagging injuries — Welson being one of them. She was on a minutes restriction last Wednesday, but still earned a career-high eight points.

Welson played 11 minutes Sunday. Her only stats were three personal fouls, one rebound and one turnover.

Despite the Terps’ shrinking roster, they have managed to keep a perfect 11-0 record. And now, they have a lot of people to play for.

“We do it for Kay, we do it for Lea, we do it for Ava,” Poffenbarger said. “We do it for each of them because we know they want to play, and we know it sucks not to play, so we just go out there and play super hard for them.”