The stakes couldn’t be higher for No. 6-seed Maryland women’s basketball in the Big Ten Tournament.
First, the Terps look to bounce back from a loss that capped their regular season. Another loss Thursday would severely hurt their chances to play host in the NCAA Tournament. To advance, Maryland will need to get by No. 11-seed Oregon — a team it lost to at home earlier this year.
The Terps and Ducks will tip off at approximately 9 p.m. from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The contest will be
televised on Big Ten Network.
What happened last time
At the time, on Jan. 31, it seemed like rock bottom. The Terps collapsed.
After leading by six heading into the fourth quarter and seemingly in the driver’s seat, the Ducks outscored Maryland by 13 in the final frame to win, 68-61.
It was the Terps’ fourth consecutive loss, matching the longest losing streak in head coach Brenda Frese’s illustrious tenure.
The loss to Oregon was Maryland’s worst on its resumé this season. The Ducks are the lowest-seeded team in the Big Ten Tournament that beat the Terps.
Ehis Etute took advantage of Maryland all day long. The sophomore exploded for 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting for her first 20-point game in college action. She severely outmatched the Terps’ bigs in the paint.
Oluchi Okananwa paced Maryland with 27 points, while Addi Mack added on 17. But nobody else on the roster scored more than four points.
What’s happened since
Maryland proceeded to go on a six-game winning streak after the loss to Oregon, flipping the script on its season.
After the loss to the Ducks, the Terps had a losing Big Ten record at 5-6 — they finished 11-7 and earned the No. 6-seed in the conference tournament. But that outcome seemed completely unlikely after a four-game losing streak and a disappointing defeat in a game Maryland probably should’ve won.
Oregon didn’t have as strong a finish to its regular season, winning just three of its last seven games.
But the Ducks opened their run in the Big Ten Tournament strong with an 82-64 win over No. 14-seed Purdue on Wednesday.
Sophomore guard Katie Fiso leads the Ducks with 15 points per game this season — she only scored eight points against the Terps earlier this season, and could be a major factor the second time around.
Three things to watch
1. A must-win. If Maryland wants to keep its projection of hosting in the NCAA Tournament, it likely needs to at least win on Thursday. An exit before the quarterfinals to a team that is not poised to host in March Madness would be detrimental to Maryland’s chances.
2. The Terps have to bounce back. The Terps were in a really good place throughout most of February, winning six in a row. Then, they lost to Michigan on Saturday, and didn’t look particularly good. A conference play-high 21 turnovers led to an 18-point loss away from home.
3. Ozzy-Momodu is back — will the starting lineup change now? Isi Ozzy-Momodu returned on Saturday after missing two games with a lower leg injury, but she did not return to the starting lineup — a spot she’s held all season. The Terps kept Mir McLean in the starting lineup on Saturday, but got walloped. With postseason play having arrived, t’s unclear if head coach Brenda Frese will revert back to the lineup she used for most of the season.
