Terrapins to Host Illini in Paint It Gold Game

Maryland (11-6, 3-3) vs. Illinois (8-8, 2-4)

January 20, 2024

XFINITY Center (College Park, MD)

1 p.m. ET

B1G+

COLLEGE PARK, MD -- The Maryland women's basketball team (11-6, 3-3 B1G) will host Illinois (8-8, 2-4) Saturday at the XFINITY Center at 1 p.m. For tickets, click here. The Terps-Illini game will be streamed on B1G+.

Parking will be open in lots 9B, 4B, 11B and the Terrapin Trail Garage Saturday. Metered spaces and lots (the XFINITY Visitors Lot) are still metered and are not free. Click here for a campus parking map.

Saturday's game is the Terrapins annual Alumni Day game with Maryland women's basketball alumni in attendance. The Terrapins will be remembering the legacy of Maryland legend Tara Heiss at Saturday's game. For more on Heiss, click here. The Terrapins will also be honoring the 2014 Final Four team.

The Terrapins are encouraging fans to support former manager Kim (Lynch) McFarland and her battle with multiple myeloma. For more on McFarland, click here.

What's UP

Maryland has a strength of schedule of No. 2 in the country according to the Massey Ratings, No. 5 according to WarrenNolan.com and No. 8 according to RealTimeRPI.
Bri McDaniel was named to the Big Ten Player of the Week Honor Roll Monday for her first career weekly honor. She averaged 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals in two games last week and set career highs in scoring in back to back games.
The Terrapins are No. 7 in the country and lead the Big Ten in free throws made per game (17.06).
Sellers is No. 5 in the country and No. 2 in the Big Ten in free throws made (93). Sellers' career free throw percentage of 81.9% is No. 2 in Maryland history behind just Kristi Toliver (.866).
Brinae Alexander has made 110 three-pointers in her two years as a Terrapin, which is No. 17 in the Terps' career record book. She recently passed Chloe Bibby and Diamond Miller. She needs to make two to pass Marah Strickland at No. 16.
Alexander's Maryland career three-point percentage is 43.0%, which is third in Maryland history, behind just Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (45.9%) and Katie Benzan (47.4%). Lavender Briggs' three-point percentage in her Maryland career is 38.2%, which is No. 11.
Sellers was also named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List in November.
Maryland was picked to finish fourth in the Big Ten by both the league's head coaches and media panel. Both groups picked Iowa to win the conference. The coaches selected Ohio State to finish second and Indiana to finish third with Illinois rounding out the top five. The media panel selected Indiana to finish second, Ohio State third and Michigan fifth.
Maryland women's basketball is entering its 53rd season and owns a record of 1,117-455 (.711). The Terrapins are No. 11 all-time in NCAA Division I history in winning percentage and No. 9 in all-time victories.
Two-time National Coach of the Year Brenda Frese brings in seven new players this season, including AP All-American honoree Jakia Brown-Turner (NC State).
Last fall, Frese also signed four top recruits in Summer Bostock, Hawa Doumbouya, Emily Fisher and Riley Nelson. This fall, Frese welcomed to walk-ons in Mary Sareen and Zen Nuako.
The Terrapins return four of their top six scorers from last season's Elite Eight squad.
Junior Shyanne Sellers was named to the 10-player Preseason All-Big Ten Team to start the year. She was named to the All-Big Ten First Team by the league's media panel last year and to the Second Team by the head coaches.
Sellers is one of 20 top players in the country on the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List, an honor by the Basketball Hall of Fame recognizing the top point guard in women's NCAA Division I basketball.
Graduate Jakia Brown-Turner was named to the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List for the nation's top small forward.
Maryland has four 1,000 point scorers (Brown-Turner - 1,442; Briggs - 1,321; Alexander - 1,314; Sellers - 1,012).

2023-24 Maryland Women's Basketball Team

Scouting Report

Saturday's matchup is the 15th all-time between Maryland and Illinois. Maryland owns the series, 14-0.
The Terrapins won both matchups last year - 82-71 in College Park on Feb. 12, 2023 and 73-58 in the Big Ten Quarterfinals on March 3, 2023.
Brenda Frese is 14-0 vs. the Illini in her career.

Brinae Alexander vs. Illinois (Feb. 12, 2023)

Frese File

Head coach Brenda Frese is in her 22nd season in College Park. She's led the Terrapins to a record of 574-153 (.790), 14 conference titles, 19 NCAA Tournament bids in 21 postseasons, three Final Fours, seven Elite Eights, 11 Sweet Sixteens and the 2006 NCAA Championship.
Frese owns a career record of 631-183 (.775) over her 25 years as a head coach.
Frese was named National Coach of the Year by the AP, The Athletic and ESPN at the end of the 2020-21 season. In October 2021, Frese was the first woman inducted into the Washington DC Metro Basketball Hall of Fame.
With the Terrapins' win at Nebraska on Feb. 14, 2021, Frese picked up win No. 500 at Maryland, which makes her the winningest coach in Maryland basketball history. Hall of Fame women's basketball head coach Chris Weller won 499 games in her 27 seasons (1975-02).

Brenda Frese

Maryland in the B1G

The Terps are 202-56 (.783) all-time against their Big Ten opponents.
Since joining the Big Ten in 2014-15, the Terrapins are 160-26 (.860) vs. their conference opponents, including their 20-4 record in the Big Ten Tournament.
In the 22 years under Frese, the Terps are 171-30 (.851) against their Big Ten opponents.
Frese is 185-35 (.841) all-time vs. Big Ten opponents, which includes her time at Minnesota and at Ball State.
Since joining the league in 2014, Maryland is 74-6 (.925) against Big Ten teams at home.

Guard Jakia Brown-Turner (11)Maryland Women's Basketball vs. Northwestern at the Xfinity Center Arena on Sunday, December 10, 2023Dylan Davies/Maryland Athletics

home sweet home

The Terps are 603-140 (.812) all time in College Park, dating back to the inaugural 1971-72 season.
Maryland is 309-45 (.873) 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.
The Terrapins are 172-12 (.935) all-time in non-conference games in XFINITY Center.
The Terps won 48 straight home games starting Nov. 9, 2007 with a 76-52 season-opening win over Princeton. The streak ended on Jan. 21, 2010 with an 80-77 loss to Miami.