No. 12 Maryland women’s basketball looks to extend winning streak against Purdue

Photo Courtesy of Maryland Athletics

Maryland women’s basketball (8-1,4-0 B1G) returns to College Park to take on the Purdue Boilermakers (5-3, 2-2 B1G) on Sunday at noon. 

The Terps are coming off back-to-back wins over ranked opponents and look to extend their winning streak to eight games on the season and 22 consecutive games against Big Ten opponents. 

The last time Maryland took the floor, they edged out a victory over No. 23 Michigan State. The Terps led by 15 at half, but poor second half shooting allowed the Spartans to mount a second half comeback. 

Despite not being able to convert from the field, excellent free throw shooting allowed Maryland to escape in East Lansing. Head Coach Brenda Frese’s squad netted 33 of 38 free throw attempts. Sophomore guard Ashley Owusu led the squad with 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. 

Against the Spartans, Channise Lewis, the junior guard from Miami, tweaked her knee in the first half and did not return to the game. Frese said after the game Lewis should be fine moving forward and was only not put in the rest of the game out of an abundance of caution. 

Frese added much needed depth to her roster mid-season. Prior to Monday against Michigan State, graduate transfer Alaysia Styles joined the team. Styles comes from Cal where she started in 30 games for the Golden Bears. The grad transfer took the floor for the first time for the Terps against Michigan State, albeit for a brief shift. Frese expects her to have a larger role going forward. 

“She’s in great shape, she’s long, she’s athletic, she can rebound and defend for us,” Frese said about her newest addition. “We’re definitely excited about trying to get her in this rotation and getting her comfortable.”

Maryland has won 10 of the last 11 matchups against Purdue. The last time these teams faced off was on March 6 in the Big Ten Tournament, where Maryland came away with a 74-62 victory. The Boilermakers will be well rested, with their last game coming seven days ago in a loss to Michigan State.