Despite early-season doubts, Maryland women’s basketball is a national contender again

Senior guards Diamond Miller and Abby Meyers checked out one another in settlement when requested once they felt the group hit a brand new gear and the season began to show round.

“The UConn sport, for certain,” they collectively stated.

On Dec. 11, for the primary time in program historical past, Maryland girls’s basketball took down UConn. Regardless of the Huskies being shorthanded, the win signaled a change within the group’s mentality going ahead.

“Was it an ideal sport? No sport is, however we’re positively rising in that course,” Maryland head coach Brenda Frese stated after the 85-78 win.

Frese has admitted that this yr’s offseason was one of the crucial troublesome her and her employees had ever confronted throughout her 21-year tenure with Maryland. Miller was the one returning starter on the group. Key switch departures in Angel Reese, Mimi Collins and Ashley Owusu left one of many winningest applications in school basketball in an extremely powerful spot.

The group was doubted to proceed its success and anticipated to fall. It was picked by the Massive Ten coaches to complete fourth within the convention, and with 9 newcomers on a totally revamped group, that call was greater than cheap.

With Choice Sunday lower than every week away, the Terps (25-6, 15-3 Massive Ten) look destined to be a No. 2 seed within the upcoming NCAA Event.

“I believe all of us knew coming into the season it felt daunting realizing that it was an overhaul of so many faces. A brand new offensive system that we needed to play to our strengths with so many nice perimeter gamers and it was fairly dangerous again within the within the preseason and in these practices,” Frese stated. “So credit score to those gamers for purchasing in, trusting and dealing to place themselves in these place.

It was a frightening activity for the Terps, who with a Thanksgiving week loss to unranked DePaul dropped their report to 4-2.

An exhilarating win in opposition to then-No. 7 Notre Dame on Dec. 1, courtesy of heroics from senior guard Diamond Miller, had Frese’s squad trying extra just like the Maryland that holds the second-longest energetic streak for consecutive weeks ranked within the AP ballot.

Ranked No. 20 after consequentially falling to Nebraska by 23 factors at residence on Dec. 4, the Terps took to the highway to tackle a formidable Purdue group on Dec. 8. With the clock winding down, sophomore guard Shyanne Sellers, whose second-year soar has been a key motive for the Terps’ success, drilled a game-winning three to propel the Terps previous the Boilermakers, 77-74.

With out that make, Maryland had an excellent probability of falling into unchartered, unranked territory. It completed the common season successful 16 of its 18 remaining video games.

A key a part of Maryland’s identification has been its skill to reply; it’s 5-0 after losses this season.

“We’ve all the time had simply terrific responses that that I believe continues to point out you what makes this group fairly elite,” Frese added.

Losses have been one thing that Maryland’s taken to coronary heart, with a notable instance being its 96-82 loss to Iowa on the highway on Feb. 2. Sellers, Meyers and Miller all took the time to say after that sport how the group stayed up till 4 a.m. within the resort watching movie of the sport.

Maryland responded two weeks later with an emphatic 96-68 victory in opposition to the Hawkeyes in School Park.

“I simply love battling with these ladies and that’s one thing that we do on daily basis and it’s one thing we’re gonna get to do within the NCAA Event,” Miller stated.

Despite the fact that the Terps fell simply quick within the Massive Ten Event semifinals, shedding to the Hawkeyes within the their rubber match, they’re stuffed with confidence heading into the NCAA Event. They’ll look to advance previous the Candy 16 for the primary time for the reason that 2014-2015 season.

“We’re gonna get again. We’re gonna get higher and we obtained two weeks now. So we obtained a whole lot of regrouping to do, however we love being in these conditions,” Miller, who was named to the All-Massive Ten Event Staff, stated after the loss.

One of the troublesome offseasons of Frese’s profession has slowly was one in all her extra memorable and spectacular years of teaching.

“A yr in the past we have been teaching effort. This yr, we don’t have to teach effort,” Frese stated.