Box Score COLUMBUS, OH – Maryland women's basketball chipped away at its halftime deficit to trail by only five heading into the fourth quarter against No. 2 Ohio State. However, the Buckeyes continued their efficient scoring throughout, and defeated the red-hot Terps, 79-66, on Sunday at The Schottenstein Center. Maryland had won four straight games entering the contest.
Five of Maryland's losses this season are to top seven teams (NET rankings) and eight are to top 25 teams. The Terrapins nearly completed a comeback win over the Buckeyes despite trailing by as many as 15 points.
Maryland (16-11, 8-8) weathered foul trouble throughout the first half, with leading scorer
Shyanne Sellers picking up two in the first quarter. She played just eight minutes through the first two quarters.
Bri McDaniel took over as the primary option and scored a game-high 21 points.
Alexander added 16 points and shot 5-for-8 from three.
Jakia Brown-Turner tallied her 12th straight game scoring double-figures. She scored all 10 of her points in the second half. Brown-Turner also grabbed six rebounds and facilitated four assists.
Ohio State (24-3, 15-1) got hot early, starting the game 5-of-6 and going 7-for-14 from outside the arc in the first half alone. Celeste Taylor and Jacy Sheldon led the Buckeyes with 20 and 17 points respectively.
Breaking Down The Action
- Maryland trailed 21-13 at the end of the first quarter. Bri McDaniel led the charge for Maryland with six points, but Celeste Taylor led all scorers with eight in the quarter. The Buckeyes went 4-for-8 from outside the arc in the first 10:00.
- The Terps trailed 44-31 at the half. Jacy Sheldon and Taylor tallied double-figures and Brinae Alexander and McDaniel also reached double-digits. Alexander knocked down three first-half three-pointers.
- The Terrapins ignited a 9-0 run in the third quarter and later cut the lead to single digits after Shyanne Sellers knocked down three free throws after an Ohio State foul and ensuing technical. Back-to-back buckets by Sellers and Brown-Turner in the final 35 seconds of the quarter put the Terps within 5 at 60-55.
- Alexander knocked down her fifth three-pointer to cut the lead to 66-60. Maryland wouldn't go away after falling down by as many as 15 points. Taylor Thierry's layup at 6:13 re-established a 10-point advantage for Ohio State.
- The Buckeyes closed out the game despite not scoring in the final two minutes.
Frese's Take
"I loved how we competed. I thought for 40 minutes we were resilient. We're already at a seven-player rotation so when you take Shy out, our leader, it was a tough way to start," head coach Brenda Frese said. "We wanted to make Ohio State shoot the three and it's an area where they only average seven threes a game. They had that in the first half so kudos to them."
From The Girls
"We always put emphasis on our third quarters. I feel like at the beginning of conference play that was where we struggled," said Brinae Alexander. "We really wanted to put emphasis on turning that around. It was the same mentality coming out of halftime and knowing we had to have a strong start."
Double-Figure Factors
- Brinae Alexander netted 16 points for her 11th game this season in double-digits. She scored in double-figures for the 65th time in her career.
- Bri McDaniel tallied 21 points for her 16th game this season and 17th of her career in double-figures.
- Jakia Brown-Turner hit the double-figures mark for the 19th time this season, her first with the Terps, scoring 10 points. Overall, she has 85 double-figure scoring games in her career with 67 coming at NC State. Brown-Turner has scored in double-figures in each of her last 12 games.
Records & Milestones
- With five three-pointers in the game, Brinae Alexander has made 134 in her two years as a Terrapin which is No. 12 in program history. Next on the list is Laurin Mincy (2011-15) who made 143 in her career.
- Maryland has four 1,000-point scorers on its roster. (Brown-Turner - 1,626; Briggs - 1,396, Alexander - 1,388; Sellers - 1,134).
Numbers To Know
- 5: Of Maryland's 10 losses, five are to top seven teams (NET rankings) and eight are to top-25 teams.
- 7: Maryland has a strength of schedule of No. 7 in the country according to WarrenNolan.com and Massey Ratings.
- 10: Entering the matchup, the Terps were No. 10 in the country and led the Big Ten in free throws made per game.
- 12: Jakia Brown-Turner scored in double figures for the 12th straight game.
- 32: Maryland is currently ranked No. 32 in the latest NCAA NET rankings.
Up Next
- Maryland returns to XFINITY Center for a game against Wisconsin on Feb. 29. The game will tip-off at 6 pm and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
