The Terps hit the road riding a four-game win streak.
Eying a fifth consecutive victory, Maryland women’s basketball is on the road this weekend to take on the current Big Ten leader, No. 2 Ohio State.
With just three games left in the regular season and them projected as one of the last four teams in the NCAA Tournament by ESPN’s latest bracketology, a positive result for the Terps against the Buckeyes would prove crucial. However, they’ll be shorthanded, as it was announced Friday that graduate guard Lavender Briggs will miss the rest of the season.
Sunday’s game is set for 2 p.m. and will air on Big Ten Network.
What happened last time
The Buckeyes came to College Park on Jan. 17 as the No. 18 team in the country, presenting Maryland’s first ranked home matchup. The Terps had their way in the first half, shooting over 50% from the field while holding Ohio State’s top scorer, Jay Sheldon, to zero made field goals.
Maryland only took a two-point lead into halftime, though, a cushion which proved too small against the tenacious Buckeyes.
As the game went on, foul trouble became a major factor for the Terps, and fatigue finally set in. Ohio State shot a comfortable 10-of-19 from the field in the fourth quarter to take down Maryland, 84-76.
Ohio State’s Rebeka Mikulasikova and Taylor Thierry finished the game with 37 combined points.
A positive trend did emerge for Maryland in the game, though, with Bri McDaniel and Jakia Brown-Turner each putting up 16 points.
What’s happened since
Maryland has gone through two completely different stretches since falling to the Buckeyes. After beating Illinois in the following game, 90-82, the Terps lost four straight games; they have won four straight since.
After the initial stretch, which began with two disheartening defeats and ended with a pair of top-15 losses, Maryland’s NCAA Tournament hopes looked dwindled, but the recent win streak has them back on the right side of the bubble.
Ohio State, meanwhile, hasn’t lost since taking down the Terps — sending down nine consecutive conference opponents.
Included in that stretch were wins over top-10 opponents in Iowa and Indiana. The Buckeyes most recently took down Penn State on the road, 82-69.
Three things to watch
1. Briggs’ injury. Head coach Brenda Frese will be once again forced to squeeze her bench with the news of Briggs’ season-ending injury. Frese noted that freshman Emily Fisher may see an extended role with the Terps’ having just nine scholarship players still active. Fellow first-year guard Summer Bostock could also provide a depth option.
2. Maryland’s defense. Maryland has ridden its defense during this winning streak, holding its opponents to under 63 points in each game. Ohio State has scored at least 80 points in each of its last three games.
3. NCAA Tournament implications. While a loss on the road to a national championship contender likely wouldn’t put Maryland back on the outside of the NCAA Tournament looking in, a positive result Sunday could push them off the line of a first-four matchup.