Returning home from the West Coast with two wins, the 17th-ranked Terps failed to keep their win streak rolling after a frustrating 91-71 loss against the Nebraska Cornhuskers Thursday evening.
“I thought the better, tougher team won tonight for the last 40 minutes. And you know, disappointed not to build upon our two great games on the West Coast,” said Maryland head coach Brenda Frese.
“I thought they were the more aggressive team. They took us off balance. They exposed us,” Frese said they were embarrassed.
The first quarter belonged to the Terps. Starting strong, guard Kaylene Smikle put up the game’s first points with a beautiful 3-pointer. Maryland guard Shyanne Sellers also put up 12 points to help push the lead for the Terps to 29-18.
But after an impressive first quarter, it all seemed to fall apart quickly for the Terps from there on out. It didn’t take long for Nebraska to make some adjustments on both sides of the ball before finding its rhythm.
Steadily, Nebraska began creeping up on Maryland late into the second quarter before getting its first lead with under four minutes left. With the Huskers about to enter halftime with a slight advantage over the Terps, Emily Fisher drills a 3-pointer with seven seconds left to push Maryland to a 45-45 tie.
However, Terps fans remained optimistic, hoping Frese could pull her Terps together to finish the game strong and come out on top. Unfortunately, the Terps couldn’t seem to regain their first-quarter momentum. Instead, Nebraska became a dominant force for the remainder of the game.
With the main focus on becoming more aggressive coming out of the half, Sellers said the team did not do that.
In the last two quarters alone, Maryland only made one 3-pointer, which came in the third quarter from guard Saylor Poffenbarger. Overall, Maryland shot 46.7% from the three, while Nebraska shot 57.1%.
As time dwindled, the Nebraska lead only grew more prominent. The Huskers’ biggest lead came from their dominant fourth-quarter performance with 28 points, whereas the Terps’ biggest lead of 14 points came from their strongest quarter, the first.
It was a tough night defensively, said Frese, emphasizing how difficult it is to execute a game plan and turn to plans B and C, and none of them work. For the team to become more consistent, they’ll need to tighten up, said Frese.
Even after suffering a loss, Maryland still played with a purpose. The Terps showed off their bright pink uniforms, contrasted by white lettering and numbers, in the annual Play 4 Kay game to raise awareness and support all cancers affecting women.
This is Maryland and Nebraska’s 20th meeting. With a win tonight, Nebraska is on a three-game winning streak against Maryland. However, the Terps still lead the series 16-4.
“Time is winding down. We gotta make a choice. I think the locker rooms full of competitors who I know will respond, but we gotta make a choice,” Sellers said. That's the message she’s trying to convey to her teammates regarding the rest of the season.
Frese said every night from here on out will be a battle, especially with four of the next five games being against top-40 teams. Frese said that “regrouping quickly and finding leadership in our locker room” will be essential in securing wins in the next few weeks.
The Terps (19-6) will remain home and host the Michigan Wolverines(18-7) on Monday, Feb. 17, at 6 p.m. in the Xfinity Center. The game will be streamed on the Big Ten Network.
By: Brinkley Smith
Photo: Maryland Athletics
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