Maryland

No. 12 Maryland women’s basketball sneaks past USC, 62-55

Published

2 months ago

January 16, 2026

No. 12 Maryland women’s basketball sneaks past USC, 62-55

Throughout all of Thursday’s game, No. 12 Maryland women’s basketball searched for a shot to gain a slight edge over USC.

It was a grind. The Terps played into USC’s gameplan, and the contest was extremely low scoring. Until the final minute, Maryland’s largest lead was five points.

The game was tied at 54 with under three minutes remaining, and Maryland hadn’t made a field goal in the fourth quarter. But Yarden Garzon broke the tie with a deep 3-point heave, which was enough for the Terps to ultimately hold on for the victory, 62-55.

Maryland came in averaging 87 points per game. But Thursday was unlike any other game it had played this season. The Terps had to work for every shot, and free throws got them over the edge.

“I was happy that we could rely on our defense in this game, because this was a game that wasn’t probably the prettiest from an offensive end,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “Defensively, we did some good things to be able to hang in there.”

The Terps shot 20-of-24 from the charity stripe in the second half despite only making seven field goals. But instead of forcing shots, Maryland adjusted. It had two free throw attempts in the first half and played sloppy throughout.

USC’s physicality and defensive prowess was deafening, forcing the Terps to a flat-footed start.

Before Thursday’s matchup, Frese emphasized that USC was physical and defensive-oriented. The Terps didn’t take advantage of that physicality in the first half, but anticipated that its guards would have trouble getting open looks.

In the first half, USC was physical without fouling. That changed in the second half, as Maryland forced its way to the line.

Maryland committed 13 first-half turnovers, emphasizing its difficult start; it was too reckless. But despite these shortcomings, it only trailed by one heading into halftime.

Both teams came into Thursday needing a bounce-back victory. Early on, it appeared as though the Trojans wanted it more. They were more physical, but shot the ball poorly. USC had 15 more shot attempts than Maryland in the first half.

Those Trojan shooting struggles were what ultimately gave Maryland just enough leeway to win the game in the second half.

Both teams tried to find momentum from deep, but shot poorly. USC shot 5-of-32 (15.6%) from deep and Maryland shot 4-of-16 (25%).

The talented freshman Jazzy Davidson took advantage of her matchups early on, but she later tailed off. She notched 12 first-quarter points, then didn’t score for the rest of the game, missing 16 consecutive shots to finish the game.

“Being able to hold Jazzy was really important,” Frese said. “To be able to hold her 0-for-14 out of that first quarter was really impressive from this group.”

Kara Dunn led USC with 21 points. Meanwhile, the Terps’ distribution was more evenly spread. Addi Mack led the Terps with 12 points, and five Terps scored nine or more points. Maryland needed a collective effort to propel its offense after being top-heavy on Sunday.

The Terps have been consistently shorthanded this season, undergoing a plethora of season-ending injuries. But since conference play began, they have been relatively healthy.

That changed in the first half Thursday.

Rainey Welson went down after a collision with Davidson, where she was elbowed and went straight to the locker room. Welson had scored 12 points in back-to-back games, but did not return on Thursday.

Foul trouble also hurt the Terps. Oluchi Okananwa got into foul trouble on Sunday against Ohio State, and her absence fueled the Buckeyes to come back in the first half. It happened again. Okananwa was a non-factor in the first half, only playing eight minutes and scoring two points.

Okananwa finished with seven points, but the Terps didn’t need one of her signature high-scoring performances. Instead, they needed a run to gain a slight advantage.

And after a lull of slow back-and-forth, the Terps embarked on a 6-0 run on back-to-back and-one conversions. Davidson went to the bench late in the third quarter with knee pains and the Terps capitalized from the free throw line. Meanwhile, the Trojans went without a field goal for four minutes.

The Trojans fought back with a 7-0 run in the fourth to take a slight lead, but the Terps never relented for a signature Big Ten road victory.

“I like where we’re trending. I love where our bench is at,” Frese said. “You see, the confidence that they’re playing with.”

1. A game like March. The Terps have won close Big Ten games this season, but hadn’t played in a game like Thursday’s. It was a defensively-focused game — the Terps played into USC’s style and grinded out a back-and-forth win. There were no double-digit leads and no comebacks needed.

“A big thing for us has been stressing the communication piece and staying together,” Mack said. “Throughout the game, we did a really good job of, regardless of what adversity we face, we all came together.”

2. Second half free throw success. The Terps had one trip to the free throw line in the first half, but used their ability to get to the charity stripe to win the game in the second half. The Terps shot 20-of-24 (83.3%) from the free-throw line in the second half, accounting for 57% of their points.

3. Turnovers an issue. Despite grinding out the win, the Terps committed 19 turnovers on Thursday, which allowed the Trojans to take 21 more shots. Maryland’s strong shot contests allowed it to overcome that deficit despite having 10 more turnovers.

“We were all locked in on defense communication, that’s been a big thing in practice,” Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu said. “If I’m not communicating, no one else is going to communicate.”

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Maryland

Truck driver in Maryland fatal crash identified as Waynesboro man

Published

23 minutes ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

Truck driver in Maryland fatal crash identified as Waynesboro man

A Waynesboro man died in a single-vehicle crash in Frederick County, Maryland.
The driver was identified by Maryland State Police as 28-year-old Timothy Rice Jr.
The tractor-trailer he was driving left the road and overturned for unknown reasons.

A Waynesboro man died Sunday, March 29, after the tractor-trailer he was driving in Frederick County, Maryland, crashed, according to Maryland State Police.

The truck driver was identified as Timothy Rice Jr., 28, of Waynesboro.

State police from the Frederick barrack responded shortly before 8:30 a.m. Sunday to the area of southbound U.S. 15 at West 7th Street for a reported overturned tractor-trailer, according to an email from state police spokesperson Ashley Millner.

The preliminary investigation indicates that, for unknown reasons, the tractor-trailer left the road before overturning, according to state police. State police are continuing to investigate.

Rice was pronounced deceased at the scene by emergency medical service personnel.

No other injuries were reported.

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Maryland

Vote: Who is the Maryland Softball Player of the Week – March 30, 2026

Published

12 hours ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

It’s officially spring, and high school softball season has already begun in Maryland. Once again, it’s time to answer the question: Who was the Maryland Softball Player of the Week?

We looked at multiple counties and nominated athletes for games played from March 23-29.

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Congratulations to last week’s winner: Macie Anderson of Kent Island.

We ask you to check out this week’s nominees and cast your vote below.

Voting ends Sunday, April 5, at 11:59 p.m. PT. The winner will be announced next week. Here are the nominees.

Abigail Clemens, Bethesda-Chevy Chase

Clemens, a sophomore, went 4-for-5 at the plate with three RBIs and a double in Bethesda-Chevy Chase’s 19-4 blowout victory over Rockville.

Allie Hage, Bethesda-Chevy Chase

Hage went a perfect 4-for-4 with four RBIs, two doubles, and two runs in the Barons’ 15-1 win over Watkins Mill.

Addie Harling, Quince Orchard

Harling, a freshman, was dominant in the circle with 14 strikeouts through five scoreless innings in Quince Orchard’s 15-0 victory over Watkins Mill.

Paulina Mann, Einstein

Mann went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs, two doubles, a triple, and a run in Einstein’s 19-0 shutout win over Whitman. She also tossed eight strikeouts in the circle.

Ava Libercci, Mount Carmel

Libercci finished with a whopping nine RBIs, three home runs, and three runs on 3-for-3 batting in Mount Carmel’s 22-14 slugfest victory over Chapelgate Christian Academy.

Erin Martin, Mount Carmel

In the same game, Martin put up seven RBIs, a double, a triple, and three runs for the Cougars.

Nala Johnson, Northwest

Johnson was impressive in the circle with 13 strikeouts in five innings to lead Northwest’s 17-1 victory over Wootton. She also went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs and a double.

Ali Porter, Northwest

Porter, another previous nominee, went 4-for-6 with four RBIs, a double, and three runs in the Jaguars’ 25-0 shutout win over Churchill.

Imani Lewis, City College

Lewis, a junior, went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with six RBIs, two home runs, a triple, and four runs in City College’s 22-10 win over Forest Park.

Abby Marmen, Fallston

Marmen, a senior and Drexel commit, finished with six RBIs, a double, a triple, and a home run on 4-for-4 batting in Fallston’s dominant 27-0 shutout victory over Joppatowne.

Sara Frist, Fallston

In the same game, the senior Frist also registered six RBIs, along with two doubles and four runs scored on 3-for-5 batting for the Cougars.

Annie Baker, Mountain Ridge

Baker went 3-for-4 with six RBIs, two doubles, and three runs in Mountain Ridge’s 19-1 blowout victory over Berkeley Springs (WV).

Emerson Koenig, Richard Montgomery

Koenig finished with five RBIs, a double, and a run on 3-for-4 batting in Richard Montgomery’s 20-1 blowout win over Blake.

Rebekah Caballero, McDonough

Caballero had a dominant two-way performance in McDonough’s 17-6 victory over Great Mills. In the circle, she tossed 10 strikeouts through six innings, while at the plate, she went 3-for-5 with seven RBIs, a double, and three runs.

Rylan Crisafulli, Broadneck

Crisafulli, a junior, tossed 12 strikeouts in four innings with no hits allowed in Broadneck’s 8-0 win over Annapolis.

Kimani Dennis, Dulaney

Dennis finished with four RBIs, a home run, a triple, and three RBIs in Dulaney’s 16-0 shutout victory over Lansdowne.

About Our Athlete of the Week Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals.Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports.Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.

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Maryland

USC baseball takes two of three from Maryland to win another series

Published

1 day ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

USC baseball takes two of three from Maryland to win another series

After suffering just their second loss of the season against Oregon State on Tuesday, the USC baseball team looked to get back on track over the weekend when they traveled across the country for a three-game series at Maryland. It was not the prettiest, but the Trojans were able to take the series, winning two of their three games against the Terrapins.

On Friday, USC jumped out to an early lead and survived late. After leading 10-2 through three innings, the Trojans survived a late Maryland rally and emerged with an 11-10 victory.

On Saturday, the team suffered just its third loss of the season, falling 6-4. On Sunday, however, the Trojans came out hungry for payback and delivered just that, winning 14-4 in an eight-inning mercy rule affair.

USC has now won all seven of its series to open the season, including all four in Big Ten play. The Trojans now sit at 26-3 on the year and 10-2 in conference.

USC will now return to the West Coast for a matchup with UC Santa Barbara at Dedeaux Field on Tuesday night. They will then head to Westwood next weekend for a three-game series against rival UCLA. With both teams currently ranked in the top ten, it sets up to be the biggest baseball Crosstown Showdown in many years.

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