Maryland closes in on first place in Big Ten with fourth straight win
“It was definitely important to get this one back, especially because we all know what happened last year,” said Miller, referring to a 69-49 loss to the Wolverines in College Park last season. “We got embarrassed on our home court. We just felt like we needed this one back for Coach [Brenda Frese] and her family.”
This time, the senior Miller led the way with game highs of 23 points and five steals, matching a career high. the guard shot 8 for 14 and made all seven of her free throw attempts before fouling out with 2:19 to play in the fourth quarter and Maryland leading, 65-55.
With Miller in foul trouble and sitting out the first three and a half minutes of the fourth quarter, the Terrapins weathered a series of sloppy possessions, maintaining their lead thanks in large part to making 9 of 10 at the foul line over the final five minutes.
Four Maryland players scored in double figures, including 14 from reserve Lavender Briggs and 13 from Shyanne Sellers. The Terrapins shot 43.6 percent, highlighted by a blistering first quarter in which they made 9 of 17 (52.9 percent) from the field.
Active hands defensively allowed Maryland to force 24 turnovers, 14 of which came in the first half. It capitalized by finishing with a 25-5 margin in points off turnovers and managed to remain close in rebounding (34-31 deficit) despite a smaller lineup, one that sometimes included five guards.
“I thought the thing that’s really separating us is defensively,” Frese said. “We set the tone, being able to impact them in the first quarter, but when you look at forcing them into 24 turnovers. They have so many great players on that team. I thought our defense was what won this game tonight.”
Leigha Brown paced three Michigan players in double-digit scoring with a team-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting with five assists but committed a game-high six turnovers, and Laila Phelia added 15 points and four assists. The Wolverines lost a second straight game, both to ranked opponents. The victory marked Maryland’s fourth over ranked teams.
The Terrapins threatened to pull away for good midway through the third quarter when Briggs sank a jumper and Abby Myers followed with a layup, cutting sharply toward the basket and collecting a one-touch bounce pass from Faith Misonius, for a 50-34 lead.
But Michigan chipped away to draw within 56-49 behind a 5-0 run to open the fourth quarter, taking advantage of Miller having been assessed a fourth personal foul with 17 seconds to go in the third quarter that sent the third-leading scorer in the Big Ten to the bench.
A 13-3 burst in the second quarter featuring consecutive three-pointers from Masonius and Sellers, the reigning Big Ten player of the week, sparked Maryland to its largest lead in the first half, 39-25. Brinae Alexander also drew a charge on Michigan’s Maddie Nolan, forcing the Wolverines’ top three-point shooter to the bench with three fouls.
The lead shrunk to 39-29 by halftime when the Terrapins missed seven consecutive field goals while Michigan’s Emily Kiser and Brown each navigated congestion in the painted area and made jumpers to close the first-half scoring.
Maryland had gained initial separation with a 13-2 run in the final minutes of the first quarter after the Wolverines scored on three straight possessions. Miller’s three-point play triggered the surge, and Briggs followed with a three-pointer, just her seventh this season.
The final 4:34 of the first quarter included the Terrapins forcing six turnovers.
What else to know about Maryland’s win:
Maryland forced an opponent into at least 20 turnovers for the 10th time this season and for the fourth game in a row. The Terrapins’ 24 turnovers forced were the most for the Terrapins in a conference game and the second most overall. They forced a season-high 30 turnovers against Davidson Nov. 16 in a 70-52 victory.
“It’s big for us because we are underized, and obviously rebounding has been taking a hit,” Frese said. “So we’ve got to be able to do it in other ways this year. Just the buy-in, when you look at who we were are, the length, the athleticism that we have obviously has made a big difference.”
The senior guard scored in double figures for the first time in five games. Her output was the most for the transfer from Florida since she had 15 points Jan. 7 in a 94-85 win against Michigan State. Briggs made 5 of 7 shots, including a pair of three-pointers, and had three assists in 31 minutes.
“I was open, and my teammates were getting me the ball tonight,” Briggs said. “I just felt good, so I let it go. I felt real comfortable.”
