Maryland

No. 6-seed Maryland women’s basketball stunned by No. 11-seed Oregon, 73-68, in Big Ten Tournament second round

Published

4 weeks ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

No. 6-seed Maryland women’s basketball stunned by No. 11-seed Oregon, 73-68, in Big Ten Tournament second round

No. 6-seed Maryland women’s basketball had a chance to earn the final shot Thursday night.

Oluchi Okananwa drew an and-one opportunity to potentially cut the deficit to one point. But she missed the free throw.

No. 11-seed Oregon went the other way and head coach Brenda Frese decided not to foul. With 4.4 seconds remaining, guard Avary Cain knocked down a 3-pointer to end Maryland’s run in the Big Ten Tournament after just one game with a 73-68 loss in Indianapolis.

“It felt like deja vu,” Frese said.

Just like the last time it faced Oregon — in College Park in late January — Maryland led by a slim margin heading into the fourth quarter.

That night, the Terps were outscored 24-11 in the fourth. It was 21-11 in favor of Oregon on Thursday.

“They just made a few more plays than we did late game that sent us home,” Frese said.

Maryland’s offense didn’t come through when it needed it most — it made just one 3-pointer on 15 attempts on the night.

The Terps relied on interior scoring in the first half. Of its first 23 points, 22 came from inside the paint — the only other score was a free throw. The game finished with Maryland scoring 48 points in the paint. The other 15 points came from free throws.

But that was too one-dimensional offensively. The Terps attempted 21 layups and seven 3-pointers in the first half. It finished with 33 layups and 16 3-pointers, and made 20 layups compared to one 3-pointer.

As the first half progressed, Oregon adjusted to take away that gameplan. The second quarter started with an 11-2 Ducks run — they simply found more ways to score. Maryland could not find scoring outside of the paint or the charity stripe — its only 3-pointer came with 1:50 remained in the first half.

The Ducks weren’t dominating from deep, either; the game consisted mostly of back-and-forth layups. Still, the lack of success from beyond the arc was relatively uncharted territory for head coach Brenda Frese.

Early on, the Terps were overly cautious in avoiding foul trouble. But it backfired.

Oluchi Okananwa started the game on 3-of-3 shooting and scored six of Maryland’s first eight points. She has dealt with foul trouble in recent games. So Frese opted to have her sit for the remaining six minutes of the first quarter after committing a foul.

But amid the intention to avoid foul trouble, Yarden Garzon committed two quick fouls early in the second quarter.

The referees continued to call a tight game in the third quarter. Okananwa got up to three fouls, and so did Isi Ozzy-Momodu. The Terps were in the exact position they were looking to avoid.

Due to its cautiousness regarding foul trouble, Maryland’s rotations were altered. Breanna Williams had some extended playing time — though it started out well, it turned sour quickly. She made an early layup, but also had some defensive lapses and looked largely out of place.

Maryland relied on its freshmen for 35 collective minutes in the first half. They were impactful, but not as much as its senior leadership, which was hampered by foul trouble.

Okananwa finished with 27 points and was Maryland’s main workhorse. It didn’t end up being enough, but her ability to drive inside gave her team a fighting chance.

“Just be aggressive. Be my normal self. A lot of good things happen for me when I drive,” Okananwa said. “Whether it’s me getting to the line or finishing the bucket. So that was my mentality. Just be aggressive.”

With a loss in the first game of the Big Ten Tournament, what seemed like a sure thing that Maryland would host NCAA Tournament games now looks in jeopardy.

1. A shocking loss. Since joining the Big Ten, this is the first time Maryland failed to reach the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament. Last year, the Terps lost their first game but had a double-bye; this was their worst outing ever in the Big Ten Tournament.

2. What now? With the Terps’ run in Indianapolis now over, they will wait to see if they will host in the NCAA Tournament. Maryland was not the only Big Ten team slated to host that lost on Thursday — Michigan State did too. It remains to be seen what that means for the Terps.

“It shouldn’t be judged off of one game, and I think our conference prepares you night in and night out,” Frese said. “I think you should be rewarded for your body of work.”

3. Garzon’s bad game. Maryland needed more from Garzon on Thursday and simply didn’t get it, as she shot 1-of-11 from the field and 1-of-9 from deep. If she made one or two of those shots, there’s a good chance Maryland would have won.

Source link

Related Topics:Featured Maryland Women's Basketball

Click to comment

Maryland

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

Published

8 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.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

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.

Source link

Maryland

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

Published

20 hours 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.

Source link

Maryland

New charge filed in case of accidental Anne Arundel Co. school shooting – WTOP News

Published

1 day ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

New charge filed in case of accidental Anne Arundel Co. school shooting – WTOP News

A reckless endangerment charged has been added in the case of a man charged after a 7-year-old boy fired a gun inside a Maryland elementary school in early February.

A new charge was added to the accidental gun discharge case from February that’s tied to an Anne Arundel County school.

Court records show that one count of reckless endangerment was filed against Eashan John Stefanski, a 34-year-old Pasadena man, Thursday.

He was initially charged with leaving a loaded firearm accessible to a minor in February, when a 7-year-old boy accidentally discharged a gun at Freetown Elementary School in Glen Burnie, Maryland.

The new charge was added more than a month after the incident, which saw the child suffer an injury to his hand.

Detectives found the gun was obtained from the boy’s home.

Stefanski is the boyfriend of the child’s mother, The Baltimore Banner reported.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

Source link