No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball’s offensive inconsistency Sunday against No. 19 Michigan State allowed the Spartans to stay in the game and provided a nail-biter in College Park.
With just over a minute remaining, Kaylene Smikle drove inside and drew a clutch and-1 to put Maryland up by five points. Jaddan Simmons responded with a 3-pointer, though, making it a two-point game once more.
But a Christina Dalce layup and two missed 3-point attempts for the Spartans finalized the result. In what was Maryland’s toughest test of the season, it escaped with a 72-66 win to improve 12-0.
“We were really resilient when you talk about just staying the course for the 40 minutes,” head coach Brenda Frese said.
The Terps started 0 for 7 from the field before Allie Kubek drilled a shot from deep. A 3-of-3 stretch for Maryland allowed it to take a lead into the first media timeout.
Defense was extremely tight and whistles flied with a high degree of physicality early on, but the Terps created some distance late in the first period, limiting Michigan State to no baskets in the final five minutes of the frame.
It was a poor offensive showing from the Terps early on, but it may have been the best they’ve looked defensively. They contained a strong Michigan State offense, using their momentum to build a first-half lead.
Bri McDaniel had a strong start off the bench, using her toughness to take advantage of opportunities and create momentum. She tallied 10 points, three assists and three rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
Things turned in the Spartans’ favor toward the end of the first half. While the Terps still held the lead, it was evident Michigan State wasn’t going away without a fight.
Julia Ayrault was Michigan State’s strongest performer in the first half with 11 points and five rebounds. She heavily contributed to the effort to cut Maryland’s 17-point lead to 11 at halftime.
The Terps endured a difficult start out of the break. Meanwhile, the Spartans took advantage of errors and the fast pace of play, putting together a 9-2 run to start the half, as Maryland continued to turn the ball over.
“[Michigan State’s] a team that turns you over a lot. They average about 20 steals a game, so we did a really good job handling their press,” Frese said. “The mistakes came on our own versus the press.”
The Terps were called for a plethora of uncharacteristic travels on Sunday.
Michigan State had the momentum and was a bucket away from being within one possession, but Saylor Poffenbarger drained a 3-pointer to start a Maryland 7-0 run and rebuild an 11-point lead in the third quarter.
Like clockwork, the fourth quarter started and the Spartans had the advantage. Maryland kept turning the ball over and Michigan State inched closer.
The Spartans tied the game with a Theryn Hallock 3-pointer, while Maryland’s offense remained inconsistent.
The Terps needed a big shot, and Poffenbarger ultimately came through, burying a 3-pointer to give them a slight lead heading into the final media timeout. That play, followed by a McDaniel triple out of the timeout, put the Terps up by six points.
The Spartans clawed back off turnovers and had multiple chances to take the lead, but the Terps earned the win on Sunday.
“It’s not really about being undefeated. Of course, we love it. I think it shows just the work that they’re putting in,” Frese said. “That’s where you’re seeing the results pay off. … they’ve earned that through their play, they’ve been really competitive and this group hates to lose.”
Three things to know
1. Nail-biter in College Park. Sunday afternoon proved to be a tight battle between Maryland and Michigan State, living up to expectations. Both teams came in as top-20 teams, and it showed. The Terps escaped with their second ranked win of the season.
“I was not worried about us at all. Confidence can’t be shaken when you have so much trust and love for each other. I think we proved that tonight,” Sellers said.
2. Clutch 3-pointers from the forwards. On Sunday, there were some key turning points that allowed Maryland to defeat the visiting Spartans. Early on, Kubek gave Maryland its first lead of the game. Later, Poffenbarger made two important 3-pointers to fight off Michigan State’s attack.
3. Hallock and Ayrault had their way. Michigan State’s two leading scorers got what they wanted Sunday and kept the Spartans in the game down to the wire. Hallock finished with 20 points and Ayrault racked up 17.
