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University of Maryland Athletics

Oluchi Okananwa Vs Princeton
68
Princeton PU 2-1,0-0 Ivy League
84
Winner Maryland MD 5-0,0-0 Big Ten
Princeton PU
2-1,0-0 Ivy League
68
Final
84
Maryland MD
5-0,0-0 Big Ten
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Princeton PU 10 20 18 20 68
Maryland MD 26 8 27 23 84

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

No. 9 Maryland Moves To 5-0 With 84-68 Win Over Princeton

Maryland has scored at least 80 points in all five games its played in this season.

COLLEGE PARK, MD — The No. 9 Terps took down Princeton 84-68 at the XFINITY Center on Sunday afternoon. Maryland used a 12-0 run in the first quarter to build an early lead as the Terps moved to 5-0 for the 10th time in the Brenda Frese era. 

Oluchi Okananwa tallied her fifth double-digit performance in as many games in 2025 with a season-high 20 points against the Tigers (2-1). Maryland outrebounded Princeton 39-28 and benefited from nine three-pointers to move its undefeated season along. The Terps have scored 80 or more points in their first five games for the first time since the 2021-2022 season.

Saylor Poffenbarger had a big day for the Terps as she scored a season-high 19 points (tied for her most as a Terp) and shot 4/9 from three-point range. Kaylene Smikle had an impressive day from the charity stripe, shooting at least 10/10 for the third time in her career.  Addi Mack made her first-career start on Sunday after it was announced that Lea Bartelme will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL after suffering the injury in Thursday's win over Towson. Mack picked up her third straight double-digit performance with 15 points and six rebounds against Princeton. 
How it Happened:
1st Quarter:
  • Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu got the Terps on the board with a layup in the opening minute. 
  • Mack put Maryland ahead for the first time with an early three-pointer.
  • Poffenbarger forced a Princeton timeout with her first three-pointer of the day.
  • The Terps used a 12-0 scoring run in the opening minutes to capture a 14-5 lead. 
  • Poffenbarger hit another three late in the quarter. 
  • Maryland led 26-10 after 10 minutes of action. 
2nd Quarter:
  • Poffenbarger scored Maryland's first points of the quarter.
  • Mack added a pair of buckets in her 11-point first half.
  • An Okananwa layup put Maryland ahead 32-18 midway through the quarter. 
  • A late Princeton run saw the Terps take a 34-30 lead into the half.
3rd Quarter:
  • Okananwa floated the first points of the half in to get the scoring started in the third. 
  • Garzon drained a three to put the Terps up 41-33 early in the half. 
  • A second Garzon bucket from deep extended Maryland's lead to 11. 
  • Okananwa reached double figures with a layup midway through the third. 
  • Maryland held Princeton scoreless for a five-minute stretch.
  • Smikle started 10-10 from the free-throw line to reach double figures. 
  • Poffenbarger drained a three late in the quarter. 
  • The Terps took a 61-48 lead into the fourth.
4th Quarter:
  • Okananwa connected from three just seconds into the quarter. 
  • Maryland took a 68-54 lead with another Poffenbarger three.
  • Smikle created a three-point play by drawing a foul on a layup.
  • Mack built a 77-59 lead with a layup.
  • The Terps won their fifth game 84-68.
Double-Digit Dominance:
  • Smikle (13 points) has tallied 10+ points in each of the two games she's played in this season and has 70 such performances in her career. She started 10-10 from the line for the third time in her collegiate career and tied her season high with 13 points. 
  • Mack (15 points) posted her third straight double-digit game on Sunday. 
  • Poffenbarger (19 points) reached double figures for the third time this season and for the 42nd time in her career with a season-high 19 points, which is tied for her most as a Terp.
  • Okananwa (20 points) has scored 10+ points in all five of Maryland's games this season and 41 times in her career. She set a season high with 20 on Sunday in her fifth-career 20+ point game. 
Taming the Tigers:
  • Maryland improved to 4-0 all-time against Princeton on Sunday. 
  • Each win has come under Frese with three of the four taking place at the XFINITY Center. 
  • The Terps' largest win over Princeton was a 76-52 victory in 2007.
  • Sunday's contest was the first between the two squads since 2018.
Home Sweet Home:
  • The Terps are 625-146 (.810) all-time in College Park, dating back to the inaugural 1971-72 season.
  • Maryland is 331-51 (.866) at home under Brenda Frese, whose first season in College Park was the inaugural season of XFINITY Center. That makes the Terps' home among the top 10 toughest places to play in the country.
  • The Terrapins are 185-12 (.939) 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.
Numbers to Know:
  • 1: Mack made her first-career start on Sunday. 
  • 4: The Terps had four different players in double figures.
  • 5: Maryland is 5-0 for a second straight season and the 10th time under Frese.
  • 15: The Terps started 15/15 from the free-throw line and finished 17/18.
  • 80: The Terps have scored at least 80 points in their first five games for the first time since 2021-22.
Brenda's Breakdown:
  • "We're really proud of this team and what it took for us to get a really good win."
  • "That's who we have to be."
  • "Saylor had such a big impact on this game with shooting threes and rebounding."
  • "We're extremely sad for Lea. She knows she has all the support from us and we'll be there every step of the way."
  • "We've got a lot of great experience on this team when you talk about Saylor, Oluchi, Yarden Garzon and Smikle. It doesn't solely have to be on anyone's shoulders."
  • "When we're at our best, we're sharing the basketball, kicking it ahead and playing really free."
  • "Every game is going to call for a different lineup. We're trying to gain as much experience as we can from our bigs, but they're young."
  • "We knew having so many new players and with our blend of young and old that we wanted to be intentional with our schedule. We're getting better every single day we're stepping out on the court. We're getting better in practice and we're getting better in games."
Oluchi's Outstanding Day:
  • "Our philosophy comes down to one's willingness to defend. I think our mindset in wanting to defend shows how seriously we take it."
Addi's Awesome Afternoon:
  • "We're a family. We're all sisters and everyone in this group has my back and a trust for everyone."
  • "We did a good job coming together when things got hard."
Smikle's Spectacular Sunday:
  • "We focused on our depth. I think anybody on our team is able to play. Pushing pace was the main key and continuing to play our game."
Up Next:
  • Maryland hosts Bethune Cookman on Nov. 20. Tipoff is slated for 6 PM and the game will air on B1G+.
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