Notre Dame vs. Maryland – Women’s College Basketball Game Recap – March 25, 2023 | ESPN

GREENVILLE, S.C. — — Amid Maryland’s on-court celebration of reaching the Elite Eight for the primary time in eight years, Terrapins coach Brenda Frese took a couple of moments to smile and mirror on how far her crew has come previously yr.

The perfect half for Frese is the journey’s not executed but.

Diamond Miller and Shyanne Sellers had 18 factors apiece because the Terps (28-6) took management within the third quarter to beat depleted No. 3 seed Notre Dame 76-59 on Saturday and transfer inside a victory of the Closing 4 of the ladies’s NCAA Match.

The Terps will play defending champion South Carolina, the undefeated, high general seed, on Monday evening for a visit to Dallas. The Gamecocks gained their forty first straight sport, 59-43 over fourth-seeded UCLA, in Saturday’s second sport on the Greenville 1 Regional.

Chasing a championship did not seem possible for Maryland on the finish of final season. Frese had misplaced 85% of her offense a yr in the past as Maryland went via a roster transition with 9 new faces. The group jelled rapidly and is among the many final groups nonetheless standing in March Insanity.

“What I felt like a yr in the past and to the place we’re at present,” recalled Frese, who gained a nationwide title 2006 and final reached the Elite Eight in 2015. “Yeah, this one goes to be one I will keep in mind for a really very long time.”

Miller, the transcendent 6-foot-3 All-American, was requested why she did not be a part of the exodus from Maryland after her junior season a yr in the past.

She reasoned that, keep or go, she’d play with new, unfamiliar gamers. “Whenever you have a look at it like that, I used to be like, ‘I’m simply going to remain and belief the method.’ And I am so pleased I did,” Miller mentioned.

Miller and Sellers mixed for 30 of their 36 factors within the last two quarters.

The third-seeded Combating Irish (27-6) performed as soon as once more with out injured main scorer Olivia Miles after her knee damage on the Atlantic Coast Convention Match earlier this month.

Miles and guard Dara Mabrey, each starters, have been injured spectators for Notre Dame, which hung tight with Maryland for 25 minutes earlier than Miller and Sellers took over.

Miller, the first-team All-American, shook off a poor first half as Maryland gained management. Tied at 44-all, Lavender Briggs had a 3-pointer and Miller adopted with a three-point play because the Terps closed the third quarter on a 13-1 run.

Notre Dame, which fought off Mississippi State on its residence flooring to advance final week, couldn’t reply.

Maryland used its defensive strain to interrupt out early, forcing eight turnovers by the Combating Irish to construct a 19-14 lead. However Notre Dame confirmed its resiliency as soon as extra with a 13-0 burst to maneuver in entrance 27-19.

Miller and Brinae Alexander every hit 3-pointers within the last 80 seconds of the half to chop the result in 32-31.

Issues modified within the second half because the Terps and their main scorers turned up the fireplace.

“I simply felt like they have been assured and aggressive they usually obtained actually attractiveness, they usually nailed each shot that they took,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey mentioned.

A part of Notre Dame’s success was holding Miller in test the primary 20 minutes. She was simply 1-of-4 capturing with two rebounds and three of her crew’s eight turnovers. When Miller obtained going, Maryland was transferring on to the place it hadn’t been since 2015.

Sonia Citron led the Combating Irish with 14 factors, their solely double-figure scorer.

BIG PICTURE

Notre Dame: The Combating Irish weren’t anticipated to get this far after Miles’ knee damage on the ACC Match. Ivey thought her crew’s run to the Candy 16 will give it confidence to get again to work and put up one other stellar season.

Maryland: Frese has been enthralled by this crew after integrating so many new faces. Maryland will search for maybe its most sudden Closing 4 go to when it meets South Carolina on Monday evening.

STAT WATCH

Maryland was simply the third crew within the ladies’s NCAA Match this century to permit two 3-pointers or fewer, report 15 or extra steals and win by 15 or extra factors, according to OptaSTATS. Duke achieved the opposite two, first in 2002 in opposition to Texas, then in 2012 in opposition to St. John’s. Notre Dame made two 3s and completed with a season-high 25 turnovers.

MILES WATCH

Ivey mentioned Miles can have surgical procedure subsequent week, and the coach is hopeful she will participate when the Combating Irish return for exercises this summer season.

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AP March Insanity protection: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP–Top25