Over No. 16 Maryland women’s basketball’s last two games, it has played a combined three overtime periods and 95 minutes of basketball. The Terps don’t have a win to show for it.
Despite having multiple chances to ice the game at the free throw line, Maryland fell in double overtime to No. 25 Washington, 83-80. Sayvia Sellers led the way for Washington, lighting up the Terps to the tune of 38 points. Yarden Garzon led Maryland with 24 points.
In recent losses, the Terps have struggled to do what it
does best: impose themselves on opponents by speeding up pace and attacking in transition.
There was no struggle early against the Huskies, though. Maryland came out aggressive and fast Wednesday night, getting after its opponent in transition. All of its starters got on the scoresheet in a hurry as Maryland built a rapid lead.
The first real separation came in a span of two minutes, when Addi Mack knocked down three straight 3-pointers. It was an encouraging sign for the freshman guard, who has seen a dip in her production since a hot start to nonconference play.
Mack helped the Terps take a double-digit lead after one quarter, the exact early bounce-back the team sought.
But the Huskies are ranked for a reason, and they had a counterpunch ready in the form of their leading scorer, Sellers. She became comfortable with Maryland’s quick pace and attacked the Terps in transition, getting herself going with a few easy layups.
Still, Maryland had an answer: more 3-pointers. Yarden Garzon knocked down three in the first half, as well as a long 2-pointer, to help Maryland hold onto a double digit advantage.
Washington’s offensive spurts were few and far between as Maryland settled into its halfcourt defense. It held the Huskies to just 23 first-half points and took a 12-point lead into the break
Unfortunately, the lead Maryland worked so hard to build in the game’s first 20 minutes evaporated in a span of less than five in the second half. Sellers drilled two early 3-pointers and got to the rim to help Washington go on a 10-0 run to tie the game, then grab the lead soon after.
The Huskies’ largest lead was four points. They held that late in the fourth quarter before Garzon and Saylor Poffenbarger fought back with tough buckets.
After a clutch pair of Kyndal Walker free throws and a massive stop from Mir McLean, Maryland was in position to ice the game. Poffenbarger was at the line to extend the lead to four, but went 1-of-2 from the line, keeping Washington’s hopes alive.
On the ensuing possession, Maryland gave Washington four opportunities to score through its failure to rebound. Elle Ladine eventually made them pay, splashing a 3-pointer from the top of the key. The Terps were poised for more overtime action.
The Huskies went straight back to their leader in Sellers once overtime started, and she continued to go right after whoever Maryland tried to assign to guard her. With four seconds left and Washington down by a point, the ball came to her off a well-crafted inbounds play and she got to the rim for a layup.
On the other end, Addi Mack tried to answer but failed. Somehow, Saylor Poffenbarger managed to snag the offensive rebound and draw a foul with 0.3 seconds left. The opportunity to end the game at the free throw line was once again in her hands: the same result – one free throw made, one free throw missed — extended the game yet another period.
In the last five minutes, the combination of Sellers and Avery Howell at the free throw line was too much for Maryland to handle. The Terps made more questionable late-game decisions — with 23 seconds on the clock and the team down two points, Garzon airballed a one-legged fadeaway instead of waiting for a better shot — and couldn’t dig out of a hole.
Sellers iced the game at the free throw line, handing Maryland a gut punch of a loss — its third in a row.
Three things to know
1. Missing Terp. Oluchi Okananwa, Maryland’s leading scorer on the year, struggled majorly against the Huskies, and Sellers got the better of her on both ends of the floor. Okananwa had just six points to Sellers’ 36 and got benched for Walker during a few key late stretches.
2. Frese-Langley reunion. For the first time as Washington’s head coach, former longtime Maryland assistant Tina Langley returned to College Park. Langley was on Frese’s staff for seven seasons, including multiple as the associate head coach. She left her old home with a victory.
3. Offensive rebounds. Frese’s teams always hang their hat on the ability to keep opponents off the glass — but Maryland has struggled to do so in its recent stretch of losses. Washington nabbed 20 offensive rebounds and 24 second-chance points, many of which came at the worst possible times for the Terps.
