COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The third-seeded Maryland women's basketball team (29-5) dropped a back-and-forth match with UCLA, 85-80, Monday night at the XFINITY Center in the NCAA Tournament Second Round.
The Terrapins led by a bucket with 6:45 to play, cut it to a one-point game with 3:15 to go, but late plays by the Bruins (22-12) proved to be difference as UCLA advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.
Junior
Kaila Charles led Maryland's second half charge with 23 points, 19 in the second half, with eight boards. Junior
Stephanie Jones added 15 points, including the Terps' first seven of the game, and freshman
Shakira Austin notched 15 points with 10 boards and six blocks. Freshman
Taylor Mikesell added 14 points.
"First of all, I can't say enough about the game, the amazing crowd, the environment that we had," head coach
Brenda Frese said. "You know, you talk about an entertaining game for our sport and you just witnessed two really good deserving Sweet 16 teams.
"I thought UCLA was tremendous in the first half. I thought it took us a while, especially on the glass and to be able to get kind of settled in. Obviously, Steph [Jones] was key for us to be able to kind of hold it together there in the first half. But loved our response coming out of the locker room in the second half. I thought that it was sensational. Kaila [Charles] did everything she could possibly do for us. You know, scratch, claw, and made play after play for us. Again, I can't say enough of how proud I am of this group; to be able to 29 wins, a Big Ten regular season title, and everything they have accomplished this season."
The Bruins pulled down 17 offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes and scored 17 points off of them to take a 44-40 lead into the break.
Coming out of halftime, Maryland went on a 7-0 run to take the lead at 49-46. The teams tied five times in the third period. Sophomore
Channise Lewis notched a steal and a fastbreak layup at the buzzer to end the third period to put the Terrapins up five at 71-66.
The Bruins scored two quick buckets to start the fourth quarter and an 8-1 run. A three-point play by Lindsay Corsaro put UCLA up three at 79-76 with 3:35 to go. Maryland senior
Brianna Fraser responded with a bucket to cut it to a one-point game, but UCLA's Kennedy Burke sunk a jumper to put the Bruins back up three at 81-78 with 1:03 to go.
Michaela Onyenwere led UCLA with 30 points, Japreece Dean added 22 and Burke scored 19. UCLA went 20-for-21 from the free throw line.
This marked Maryland's 27th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, ninth straight and 15th overall bid in
Brenda Frese's 17 years at Maryland. The Terrapins are 46-26 (.639) all-time in the NCAA Tournament and 34-14 (.708) under Frese. She's led the Terps to eight Sweet Sixteens, six Elite Eights, three Final Fours and the 2006 NCAA title.
The Terps won the Big Ten regular season title and advanced to their fifth straight Big Ten championship game earlier this month. Charles was named to the All-Big Ten Tournament Team after averaging 26.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals in the Terps' three-game run to the Big Ten Tournament final. She notched a career-high 36 points, off 15-for-30 shooting from the field, with 9 boards in the championship game.
Charles is one of five of the nation's top small forwards as a finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award. She is also one of 15 of the top players in the country named to the Wooden Award National Ballot.
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