COLLEGE PARK, MD – No. 4 seed Maryland is headed back to the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row and 10th time under head coach Brenda Frese as the Terps (23-8 overall) beat No. 12 seed Florida Gulf Coast, 89-65, on Sunday afternoon at XFINITY Center.
The Terps will play the winner of regional No. 1 seed Stanford and No. 8 seed Kansas next Friday in Spokane, Washington. The game time and television coverage will be provided when available on umterps.com and @TerpsWBB.
The Terps used a 19-0 run bridging the second and third quarters to take control of a tight game for the first 17 minutes. FGCU led 39-36 with 3:32 left in the first half before Maryland went on its run finished by a pair of Angel Reese free throws 2:37 into the second half to give Maryland a 55-39 lead.
The Terps had three players score 20 points in a game for the second time this season.
Diamond Miller led the Terps with 24 points and nine rebounds. Reese finished with 21 points and nine rebounds.
Ashley Owusu added 20 points.
Maryland shot 51 percent from the floor while holding FGCU (30-3) to just 38 percent. The Terps also controlled the glass, 40-32. Maryland held the three-point proficient Eagles to just 11-of-35 on triples for a 31 percentage.
FGCU, an upset winner of No. 5 seed Virginia Tech on Friday, was led by Kendall Spray, who scored 17 points.
Breaking Down The Action
The Terps and Eagles were tied at 23 a piece after the first 10 minutes of action, with Reese and Miller leading the way with six and five points, respectively. Miller also grabbed five rebounds in the opening frame.
Miller proved to be the catalyst in the second quarter as she scored nine points, including two three-pointers, buoying Maryland to a 47-39 lead heading into halftime as Maryland scored the final 11 points of the quarter.
Reese and Miller continued to terrorize Florida Gulf Coast in the second half as the pair scored 18 of the team's 24 points in the third quarter. This came in the midst of the game-changing 19-0 run between the second and third quarters.
The Terps started the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a three-pointer from Owusu, extending the lead to 78-52. The Terps would empty the bench in the later minutes and advanced to the Sweet 16. Double-Figure Update
Miller (24 points) scored in double-figures for the 16th time this season and 56th time in her career.
Reese (21 points) has scored in double-figures in 27 of 31 games – 10 of the last 11 – this season and now has 25 career games in double-figures.
Owusu (20 points) scored in double-figures for the 21st time this season.
Terp Tidbits
Over the last four seasons, the Terps are 68-3 when they score 80 points or more.
The Terps are 582-137 (.811) all time in College Park, dating back to the inaugural 1971-72 season.
Maryland is 288-42 (.874) at home under Brenda Frese, whose first season in College Park was the inaugural season of XFINITY Center. That is among the top 10 toughest places to play in the country.
Tournament History
The Terps are 50-27 (.649) all-time in the NCAA Tournament. In their 16 appearances under head coach Brenda Frese, the Terrapins are 38-15 (.717). Frese has led the Terrapins to 10 Sweet Sixteens, six Elite Eights, three Final Fours and the 2006 NCAA Championship.
The Terrapins have earned a top-four seed 21 times in their 29 NCAA Tournament appearances and 14 times in head coach Brenda Frese's 20 postseasons.
Maryland is now 26-5 all-time in NCAA Tournament games in College Park and 20-4 in NCAA Tourney games at the XFINITY Center.
Up Next
The Terps will take on the winner of No. 1 seed Stanford/No. 8 seed Kansas on Friday in Spokane, Washington. The game time and television coverage will be provided when available on umterps.com and @TerpsWBB.