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University of Maryland Athletics

Addi Mack Pink Game
62
Penn St. PSU 8-17,1-13 Big Ten
81
Winner Maryland MD 20-6,8-6 Big Ten
Penn St. PSU
8-17,1-13 Big Ten
62
Final
81
Maryland MD
20-6,8-6 Big Ten
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Penn St. PSU 17 17 16 12 62
Maryland MD 16 22 20 23 81

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Big Third Quarter Lifts No. 20 Terps Past Penn State, 81-62

Maryland grabbed its third straight win on a night where the Terps honored cancer warriors at XFINITY Center.

COLLEGE PARK, MD — No. 20 Maryland used a timely 16-2 run in the third quarter to pull away from and beat the Nittany Lions 81-62 at XFINITY Center on Thursday night. Double-figure nights from five different players helped the Terps (20-6, 8-6 Big Ten) secure their third straight win and their 21st 20-win season in the Brenda Frese era.  Yarden Garzon drained five three-pointers — extending her Big Ten-leading season total to 74 — during her team-high 19-point night as Maryland honored cancer warriors with tributes, a light show, and an honorary starting lineup. Oluchi Okananwa dazzled again in her 15-point, six-assist, five-rebound night. She was one of five Terps to score in double figures — marking Maryland's seventh game this season with five 10+ point scorers — in their 24th all-time win over Penn State. The Terps scored 80+ points for the 18th time this season while holding an opponent under 70 for a 20th game in 2025-26. Saylor Poffenbarger led the team on the glass with 11 rebounds during her 21st-career double-double. She drained a pair of deep threes in her 10-point night. Mir McLean played a big role for the Terps on Thursday night, netting 10 points and grabbing six rebounds in the win while Addi Mack added 13 points to her impressive freshman season.  How It Happened:
1st Quarter:
  • Garzon got the scoring started with a three-pointer from the top of the arc.
  • Maryland jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead. 
  • McLean snapped a 7-0 PSU run with her first points of the night. 
  • Rainey Welson's first points extended the lead to 14-9 with 3:30 to play.
  • Penn State took its first lead with a free throw in the final minute.
  • The Nittany Lions led 17-16 after 10 minutes of action. 
2nd Quarter:
  • Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu put the Terps back in front as she opened the second-quarter scoring. 
  • Mack grabbed a steal and took it back for a layup as Maryland reached 20 points.
  • Okananwa netted a pair of physical layups as Maryland took a 24-22 lead.
  • Another pair of Okananwa buckets put Maryland up 30-26.
  • Penn State used an 8-0 run to claim a 34-30 lead. 
  • Poffenbarger drained a three to put Maryland up 37-34 in the final minute. 
  • Okananwa hit a free throw as the Terps finished the quarter on an 8-0 run. 
  • Maryland led 38-34 at halftime. 
3rd Quarter:
  • Garzon nailed a three for the Terps' first points of the half. 
  • Poffenbarger hit another three during an 11-0 run.
  • Okananwa reached double figures as Maryland took a 46-39 lead. 
  • A Mack jumper put Maryland ahead by 10, 51-41, midway through the quarter.
  • Garzon drilled a three, forcing a PSU timeout. 
  • Garzon reached double figures late in the quarter as Maryland extended its lead to 56-45.
  • McLean reached double figures with her fifth field goal of the night. 
  • Maryland took a 58-50 lead into the fourth quarter. 
4th Quarter:
  • Ozzy-Momodu pushed the lead to 62-50 early in the frame. 
  • Poffenbarger sealed her double-double with a nifty layup. 
  • Garzon's fourth three-pointer put the Terps ahead 69-53 with six minutes to play. 
  • Mack reached double figures midway through the quarter.
  • The Terps snagged their 20th win of the season, 81-62.
Brenda's Building Legacy:
  • Coach Frese earned her 21st 20-win season in 24 seasons coaching Maryland.
  • She's the all-time winningest coach in Maryland's rich history.
  • "For me, it's not about a milestone and reaching 20 wins, it's for them. This is a really talented roster, even in spite of everything that we've lost. What I'm probably most proud of is their resiliency to be able to get to 20 wins and have a lot of games remaining and just continuing to trust us and trust the process."
Double-Digit Days:
  • Garzon (19 points) scored in double figures for the 19th time this season and the 83rd time in her career. She's logged 12 games with 15+ points this season.
  • Okananwa (15 points) scored in double figures for the 22nd time this season and the 58th time in her career.
  • Mack (13 points) has scored 10+ points 15 times in her freshman season.
  • Poffenbarger's (10 points) double-double marked her 11th double-digit performance of the season and the 50th of her career.
  • McLean (10 points) recorded her third double-figure game of the season and the 27th of her career.
Outstanding Oluchi:
  • Okananwa added another 15-point, six-assist, five-rebound night to her incredible Big Ten season.
  • In 14 Big Ten games this season, she's averaging 19.1 points per game.
  • Okananwa ranks in the top 10 in the conference in points, free throws, offensive rebounds, and steals. 
Taming the Nittany Lions:
  • Thursday marked the 39th all-time meeting between Maryland and Penn State, with the Terps winning 23 of the previous games.
  • Maryland moved to 8-1 against PSU inside XFINITY Center.
  • The Terps have won three straight against the Nittany Lions.
  • Maryland's largest victory in series history was a 106-69 win in 2020.
Home Cooking:
  • The Terps are 633-150 (.808) all-time in College Park, dating back to the inaugural 1971-72 season.
  • Maryland is 339-55 (.860) at home under Brenda Frese, whose first season in College Park was the inaugural season of XFINITY Center. 
  • The Terrapins are 190-12 (.941) all-time in non-conference games in XFINITY Center.
  • Maryland has won 27 straight non-conference games at home, dating back to Nov. 11, 2022.
Brenda's Breakdown:
  • "This is a hard working group here. Everyone in this conference is really good, and every team can play. Our conference is absolutely the toughest, from top to bottom."
  • "I thought the first half, we didn't have quite the intensity that we've had when we came out on the road. But I thought it was a terrific response at halftime when we stopped turning the basketball over and really defensively locked in."
  • "I thought our captains really settled us down, and I just loved the third quarter. I thought that 16-2 run was huge and was really the standard that we want to play at."
  • "I loved how we got on the glass, especially offensively."
  • "Oluchi's just a winner. When she gets those assists, she's one of the happiest players in the locker room."
Garzon's Greatness:
  • "Everybody can score. We just trust each other. We love each other so much and we have so much fun together. We want each other to be successful and you can see that on the floor."
  • "Oluchi plays with so much energy. She's been doing a great job leading all of us, and she deserves her flowers for that."
  • "Fighting no matter what is part of Maryland's identity. It's part of our DNA."
Mir's Dominant Thursday:
  • "We're very proud of the hard work we put in and how we've been able to stay ready."
  • "Saylor is a great person, even off the court. She's a great player, too. I think what a lot of people don't see is how genuine she is and how giving she is, and it shows a lot throughout the game. She's always willing to give, and has always been a great person to lean on. Just having her in our corner is always great for us."
  • "We all have a way to communicate with each other. We all are very close with each other, so we all can talk to each other in different ways."
Mack Attack:
  • "I think we really came together as a team, especially in the second half. The captains did a really good job of keeping us together and keeping us focused. We can't be complacent, and I think that showed on that run that we had."
Numbers To Know:
  • 3: The Terps won their third straight game. 
  • 7: The Terps recorded their seventh game this season with five players scoring in double figures.
  • 13: Maryland grabbed its 13th home win of the season, matching last season's total. 
  • 20: Maryland secured its 21st 20-win season under Frese.
  • 24: The Terps grabbed their 24th-ever win over Penn State.
  • 46: Maryland outgained PSU 46-33 on the glass.
  • 70: Maryland has held 20 opponents to 70 or fewer points this season.
  • 74: Garzon's 74 three-pointers this season are the most in the Big Ten.
  • 80: The Terps have scored 80+ points 18 times this season.
  • 417: Maryland's 417 free throws on the season are the most by any team in the Big Ten.
  • 1,106: Maryland leads the Big Ten with 1,106 rebounds this season.
Up Next:
  • Maryland heads on the road for a rematch with No. 8 Ohio State on Feb. 15. Tipoff is set for 2 PM and the game will air on FS1.
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