Box Score EAST LANSING, MI – A second half surge by Michigan State was too much for Maryland to overcome, as the Spartans defeated the Terps, 74-69, on Tuesday at the Breslin Center.
Bri McDaniel tallied a career-high 20 points in the loss.
Maryland (10-5, 2-2 B1G) held the No. 3 scoring offense among all NCAA Division I schools to 74 points in the contest. Entering the matchup, the Spartans were averaging 91.1 points per game but were held to their second third point total of the season. The Terps forced seven steals and three blocks during the contest.
Bri McDaniel promptly seized three steals of her own in the opening quarter to kickstart the Terps' defensive effort. McDaniel later left the game midway through the second quarter before returning in the second half. Shyanne Sellers added two steals and one block in the contest.
McDaniel's and Sellers' excellence translated to the offensive side of the ball as well. McDaniel remained aggressive throughout to one-up her previous career-high of 19 points against Towson on Dec. 12. She grabbed eight rebounds as well, falling one short of her career-high. Sellers also recorded 23 points and nine rebounds on the night.
However, the defensive prowess and big games from McDaniel and Sellers were not enough to carry the Terps to a statement road win. The Spartans knocked down four 3-pointers in the final quarter to put away the Terps.
Michigan State (12-3, 2-2 B1G) bounced back after suffering a 76-73 loss on the road against No. 4 Iowa. Four players led the Spartans with 12 or more points against the Terps, but Julia Ayrault and Moira Joiner led all Spartans with 20 points each.
Breaking Down The Action
- Maryland led 10-8 at the first media timeout. Both teams traded buckets early, but it was the Terps that forced three turnovers with two steals and held the potent Spartans offense to 0-3 shooting from the three-point line.
- The Spartans briefly ignited a 13-2 run late in the first quarter as the Terps turned the ball over four times in roughly five minutes. However, Bri McDaniel knocked down four straight free-throws and Brinae Alexander hit a 3-pointer to conclude the first quarter with a 17-15 lead.
- Michigan State was in the middle of a 7-0 run at the second media timeout. Maryland continued its defensive effort but hit a dry spell on offense. It went without a made field goal for over 10 minutes. The Spartans tied the game up at 22-22 at the 3:42 mark.
- The Terps entered halftime with a 29-22 advantage made possible by a 7-0 run. Riley Nelson entered the game and knocked down a timely three, yet it was McDaniel who led all scorers with eight points despite leaving the game due to injury midway through the second quarter.
- Michigan State took the lead at the 4:24 mark of the third quarter. It was its first lead since the first quarter. The Terps allowed more than half of the Spartans' points to come in the paint.
- A 10-2 run and two free-throws by Sellers briefly gave the Terps the lead in the fourth quarter. However, the Spartans hit back-to-back threes to create the sixth lead change of the night.
Frese's Take
"Proud of our first half, I thought we executed the game plan really really well. I mean, we held them to 22 points, obviously, our third quarter really impacted us,"
Brenda Frese said of her team's performance. "The foul trouble, a ton of missed layup that you got to be able to finish on the road. I thought they were the more aggressive team and they scored 52 points in the second half. For us, we're excited to finally get back at home. We had three straight road games, now we will be playing at home for the next three. A lot of opportunities for us to learn from this game."
From the Girls
"It was a conscious decision to get going early. We put an emphasis on driving hard off two and that was really my main focus and just trying to get everybody else involved," McDaniel said regarding her career night.
Double-Figure Factors
- McDaniel tallied 20 points for her seventh game this season and ninth in her career in double-figures.
- Sellers (23 points) has scored in double-figures in 11 of 15 games this season and 52 games in her career. It was also the sixth time this season and the tenth time in her career that she tallied 20 or more points.
Records & Milestones
- Alexander has made 106 three-pointers in her two years as a Terrapin, which ranks No. 17 in Maryland's program history. She's tied with Diamond Miller (2019-23) and Chloe Bibby (2020-22).
- Alexander is approaching 1,300 points in her career. She scored nine points and now has 1298 in her career.
- Shyanne Sellers is approaching her 300th career assist. She notched three assists to bring her total to 298.
- Sellers is also closing in on 1,000 career points. She recorded 23 points to increase her total to 988.
- Entering the game, Alexander's Maryland career three-point percentage was 43.1%, which is third in Maryland history, behind just Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (45.9% from 2014-17) and Katie Benzan (47.4% from 2021-22). Lavender Briggs trailed at No. 11 all-time, with a 3-point percentage of 38.3%, behind Marissa Coleman (38.8% from 2006-09).
- Entering the matchup, Sellers was connecting on 80.5% of her career free-throws. That ranks No. 4 all-time in program history behind Marissa Coleman (81% from 2006-09)
Numbers To Know
- 4: Maryland has a strength of schedule of No. 4 in the nation, per (RealTimeRPI, Massey Ratings).
- 10: Entering the matchup, The Terrapins were No. 10 in the country and led the Big Ten in free-throws made per game (16.86).
- 20: McDaniel scored a career-high 20 points in the game.
- 96: The Terps shot 96% from the free-throw line during the game. They missed just one going 22-23.
Up Next
- Maryland returns to College Park for its make-up game against Purdue on Sunday, Jan. 14. The conference matchup will tip-off at noon from XFINITY Center. The game is part of Maryland's annual blackout theme and will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
