University of Maryland Athletics

Maryland's Bench Celebrates a Basket in the Terps' NCAA Tournament Win Over Murray State
67
Murray St. MUR 31-4,19-1 MVC
99
Winner Maryland MD 24-8,11-7 Big Ten
Murray St. MUR
31-4,19-1 MVC
67
Final
99
Maryland MD
24-8,11-7 Big Ten
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Murray St. MUR 19 16 24 8 67
Maryland MD 28 23 22 26 99

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

MOVING ON: Maryland Advances in NCAA Tournament with 99-67 Win Over Murray State

Maryland’s freshmen combined for 45 points in the Terps’ tournament-opening victory.

CHAPEL HILL, NC -- The No. 5-seeded Terps cruised past No. 12-seeded Murray State with a 99-67 win in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. Maryland (24-8) advances to the second round, and will play either No. 4-seeded North Carolina or No. 13-seeded Western Illinois on Sunday.  Five different Terps scored in double figures on Friday, marking their ninth such game this season. Kyndal Walker and Addi Mack both made massive impacts in their first-career NCAA Tournament games. Walker's career-high 20 points marked the third-most by a Terp freshman in her first-career tournament game since 1982. Mack tallied 18 in her first tournament game. Combined with Rainey Welson's seven points, the three freshmen combined for 45 points to mark the most points by a trio of Terp freshmen in an NCAA Tournament game since at least 1982.

Mir McLean's first double-double of the season couldn't have come at a much better time. The senior tallied a season-high 19 points and grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds to secure her ninth-career double-double. It was a full freshman takeover in the first half in Chapel Hill as Maryland's freshmen combined for 15 points in the Terps' 28-point first quarter that marked their most in an opening frame since Dec. 29. Backed by 14 first-half points from Walker and 12 from Mack, Maryland claimed a 51-35 halftime lead to mark the Terps' sixth game this season with 50+ points at the break. The Terps used a 10-0 run to open the second quarter to ensure they never trailed Murray State as they held a Racers (31-4) team that entered the NCAA Tournament averaging 86.1 points per game to just 67 on Friday.  Yarden Garzon and Saylor Poffenbarger pitched in 12 and 10 respective points in the win. In a full-team effort, eight different Terps scored in their 56th all-time NCAA Tournament win to advance in the Chapel Hill Regional. Maryland dominated Murray State on the glass, outrebounding the Racers 51-21 with five different Terps securing at least four boards.  How it Happened:
1st Quarter:
  • Oluchi Okananwa got the scoring started with a physical layup.
  • Garzon knocked down the Terps' first triple of the afternoon in the opening minutes.
  • A pair of McLean free throws gave the Terps an early 7-2 lead. 
  • A McLean layup from Poffenbarger gave Maryland a 13-7 lead midway through the frame.
  • Walker's second bucket of the quarter gave UMD a 17-9 advantage. 
  • Mack nailed a three-pointer to open a 22-14 lead. 
  • Walker had eight first-quarter points as Maryland led 28-19 after 10 minutes of action.
2nd Quarter:
  • Mack opened the scoring with a three-pointer. 
  • Mack reached double figures with an early layup to force a Murray State timeout.
  • Maryland opened the quarter on a 10-0 run.
  • Walker put the Terps up 40-28 to reach double figures.
  • A three-pointer from Poffenbarger built a 49-30 lead with two minutes to play.
  • Maryland took a 51-35 lead into the break. 
3rd Quarter:
  • Garzon opened Maryland's scoring in the second half with a second-chance layup.
  • McLean reached double figures midway through the frame as Maryland led 65-42 at the media break. 
  • McLean cemented her season high late in the frame. 
  • Garzon became the fourth Terp to reach double figures late in the quarter. 
  • The Terps took a 73-59 lead into the final 10 minutes. 
4th Quarter:
  • Maryland scored the first five points of the final frame. 
  • Poffenbarger drilled a three-pointer to put Maryland ahead 81-61.
  • The Terps went on a 12-0 run midway through the quarter as Poffenbarger reached double figures.
  • Maryland closed out the 99-67 win.
Double-Digit Dominance:
  • Walker (20 points) tallied 10+ points for the seventh time this season.
  • McLean (19 points) scored in double figures for the fifth time this season and the 29th time in her career. 
  • Mack (18 points) scored in double figures for the 20th time in her freshman season.
  • Garzon (12 points) added double-digit scoring for the 23rd time this season and the 87th time in her career.
  • Poffenbarger (10 points) reached double figures for the 14th time this season and the 53rd time in her career. 
Tournament Success:
  • Maryland earned its 56th all-time NCAA Tournament win to move to 56-31 in the dance.
  • The Terps improved to 23-5 in the First Round in program history. 
  • Maryland is now 44-19 in the NCAA Tournament under Frese. 
  • The Terps have won an NCAA Tournament game in 14 of the last 15 seasons, excluding the COVID-shortened 2019-2020 season.
Brenda's Breakdown:
  • "I'm just super proud to be able to get to play and coach another day with this group. They play for each other. They don't care who gets the credit. They just want to win."
  • "I thought Mir set the tone for us early. She was ready to play aggressively all over the glass. That's a senior who doesn't want to be finished."
  • "When you talk about Kyndal and Addi, just how fearless they were in the first half scoring 26 points, and 38 in the game for their first NCAA Tournament game. I thought they met the moment and they played with a ton of confidence."
  • "I'm really happy to get that first game under our belt and to be moving on to Sunday."
  • "I thought our ball movement was key. We were patient and able to see what the defense was going to be able to give to us."
Walker's Wonderful Night:
  • "Addi's had a lot of opportunities to go out and play, and same thing for me. We're kind of just taking it as another basketball game and not making the moment too big, like Coach B emphasized. I think we just came out ready and played hard. Once you play hard, a lot of times you're rewarded."
  • "Honestly, I was super excited. I've been watching March Madness my entire life. It's just nice to finally be out here and be in this moment. I was super excited, and I think it showed today. I loved having the opportunity to go out there and play free and have fun."
Mir Meets the Moment:
  • "The mindset was just to have fun and to not put too much pressure on the game. Knowing I'm a senior and my season and career could end at any night, I was just trying my best to be the best version of myself."
  • "I was trying to be my best and be an example for the freshmen and the people who are playing in their first tournament."
  • "We shoot very well and we also rebound very well, which makes our shooters more confident to shoot, because we can always get the ball back. I think it just takes the breath out of other teams."
  • "It's just about staying ready. My coaches have poured into me from day one. My teammates have poured into me, telling me they believe in me."
  • "It's a testament to our team. We don't care who gets the ball. We don't care who scores, as long as we win. That's the most important part. When you have a team that's unselfish and willing to give up the ball for someone else to make a great play, it's always fun."
Numbers to Know:
  • 1: The Terps won the first-ever meeting between Maryland and Murray State.
  • 13: Maryland is 13-0 against non-conference opponents this season.
  • 15: Maryland moved to 15-0 this season when hitting more three-pointers this season. The Terps hit six to Murray State's five. 
  • 19: Maryland moved to 19-5 this season when leading at halftime. 
  • 22: Maryland moved to 22-4 this season when outrebounding opponents. 
  • 23: Maryland moved to 23-5 all-time in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
  • 28: Maryland's 28 points in the first quarter were the team's most since 12/29 against Wisconsin (29).
  • 44: Maryland earned its 44th NCAA Tournament win under Frese.
  • 45: The Terps' 45 points from freshmen marked the programs most from a trio of freshmen in a tournament game since at least 1982.
  • 50: Friday marked the sixth time this season that Maryland has scored 50+ points in the first half.
  • 56: Maryland grabbed its 56th all-time NCAA Tournament win.
  • 80: Maryland marked its 20th game this season with 80+ points. 
  • 86.1: Maryland held a Murray State team that entered the tournament averaging 86.1 points per game to just 67 on Friday.
  • 88: Garzon's 8 three-pointers this season rank fifth all-time in Maryland single-season history.
  • 565: Okananwa's 565 points this season rank 22nd all-time in Maryland single-season history.
Up Next:
  • Maryland advances to play the winner of Friday night's contest between No. 4 North Carolina and No. 13 Western Illinois. The Second Round game will take place on Sunday with the exact time TBA.
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