Sellers grinned whereas operating up court docket as No. 5 Maryland pulled away from the Illini in a 73-58 quarterfinal win within the Huge Ten match at Goal Middle. The third-seeded Terrapins, who improved to 14-0 in opposition to Illinois all-time, will play No. 2 seed Iowa in Saturday’s semifinals.

Maryland (25-5) took management after a good first quarter, selecting up its protection whereas discovering a groove offensively. The Terrapins outscored the Illini (22-9), 21-7, within the second interval and by no means seemed again.

“Our protection held sturdy for many of the 40 minutes,” Maryland senior guard Abby Meyers stated. “However as we play larger groups down the stretch, we’ve acquired to determine methods to get these defensive rebounds and field out and that’s one thing we work on day-after-day in apply. … I believe protection goes to be our precedence in desirous to get higher down the highway.”

The Terps continued to get vital contributions off the bench as Bri McDaniel (9 factors), Lavender Briggs (11) and Brianne Alexander (eight) all hit massive pictures within the first half and had been aggressive on the defensive finish.

“As soon as I got here on the ground, I simply needed to convey a spark on protection,” McDaniel stated. “… As soon as we’re clicking on the bench it’s, like, wonderful.”

The Illini, coming off an 81-55 win over Rutgers on Thursday, discovered issues a lot more durable in opposition to Maryland’s swarming protection. Illinois completed the common season with its second-most made three-pointers at school historical past and made 9 extra in opposition to Rutgers within the second spherical. In opposition to Maryland, they had been simply 5-for-16 from past the arc.

“It was one thing we careworn, clearly, popping out from the tip, not permitting these threes, particularly early,” Terps Coach Brenda Frese stated. “However I assumed we had been locked in. You noticed that on the defensive finish, which allowed us, out of our press we had been sprinting out of that, not giving up as many straightforward threes and simply utilizing our size. I assumed we contested a number of pictures and moved the place we had been capable of get there on the move.”

The bench manufacturing was decisive: Maryland loved a 28-0 edge in factors from reserves.

“I truly deliberately sort of needed to get [the bench] in early simply to get these nerves out of the way in which,” Frese stated, “simply figuring out how aggressive we needed to be. With [Briggs and Alexander’s] expertise. And I assumed Bri was simply fearless tonight. … She’s enjoying with even a larger function.”

Diamond Miller completed with 14 factors, 9 rebounds and 5 assists, and surpassed Tianna Hawkins for No. 14 on this system’s profession scoring record. Abby Meyers added 14 and Sellers had a game-high seven assists. All eight Maryland gamers that performed earlier than Frese started to empty her bench scored not less than 4 factors.

Prepare dinner led Illinois with 19 factors and Genesis Bryant chipped in 17. Adalia McKenzie added 12.

Right here’s what else to find out about Maryland’s win:

The final NCAA High 16 assessment had South Carolina, Indiana, Stanford and Utah receiving No. 1 seeds, however a spot might have opened up Thursday night time. The Utes, the No. 2 seed within the Pac-12 Match, had been upset by No. 7 seed Washington State. If one of many No. 2 seeds within the reveal — Maryland, Virginia Tech, Connecticut, LSU — can advance to their respective convention match championship video games, or win the entire thing, they may bump up right into a No. 1 seed.

The Terps will face No. 2 seed Iowa. The 2 groups break up their common season conferences, with two-time Huge Ten participant of the yr Caitlin Clark pouring in 42 factors in a 96-82 win in Iowa. Maryland adjusted in School Park and held Clark to simply 18 factors in a 96-68 victory.

The night session Friday had an introduced attendance of 8,577, setting a report for the quarterfinal spherical of the Huge Ten match. The earlier report mark 7,681 within the night session of the 2006 match.

The win helped erase Maryland’s reminiscence of final season’s Huge Ten match, which ended with a 62-51 quarterfinal loss to Indiana. The 2021-22 season was the primary time Maryland did not advance to the match championship sport since becoming a member of the Huge Ten in 2014.