To honor Saylor Poffenbarger, Yarden Garzon and Mir McLean’s final season with No. 14 Maryland women’s basketball, the program held its annual Senior Night. 

“We wish we had more years with them,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “Just really grateful that they chose to come back and their careers here at Maryland.”

The game was tight in the first quarter, but Maryland dominated from then on. Six Terps finished in double figures as the balanced attack helped them cruise to a 99-66 win.  

Garzon transferred to Maryland from Indiana this offseason. Poffenbarger and McLean are both from Maryland and are finishing out their collegiate career in their home state.

“There’s no place like home,” Poffenbarger said. “When you can come here and have the family culture that you know Coach B’s like, created here, and then also have your family, like, 45 minutes away, it’s been really special.”

Poffenbarger did whatever the team needed, totaling 11 points as well as nine rebounds. McLean had one of her best games of the season, playing strong defense and contributing 11 points. Despite shooting just 2-for-8 and scoring only six points, Garzon was the offensive facilitator with seven assists. 

But the Terps who shone brightest were not seniors. Oluchi Okananwa posted a team-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting and added five boards. Kyndal Walker finished with a new career-high of 18 points on 7-of-12 from the field and was one of the best defenders.  

“There’s so many lessons to count all of them,” Okananwa said. “Honestly, because each one of our captains, they just lead in such a unique way that we put this one together.”

Walker and Okananwa’s success can be attributed to a perfect start to the game. They each produced nine points without missing a shot from the field in the opening frame. The duo also got multiple stops, with Walker forcing all three of her steals in the first quarter.

“Me and Oluchi try to be the energizers of this team,” Walker said. “We have a great team defensively. It hasn’t been perfect always, but something we’ve been building on.”

While Walker and Okananwa controlled the first quarter, Poffenbarger was the Terps’ offense in the second. She scored all 11 of her points on 3-of-3 shooting and added four rebounds. Behind Poffenbarger’s strong second quarter, Maryland built a commanding 19-point lead entering halftime. 

The Terps only further this lead in the second half. Despite the game being out of hand, Maryland never let up. A 33-point victory extended its win streak to five games and marked the most points they’ve scored in regulation all season. 

“You just talk about the response and in this locker room and the win streak that they’ve created,” Frese said. “That’s been created just by who they are, by putting their head down and going to work and staying true to the process and staying really, really confident

In the final quarter, the seniors headed to the bench and the fans gave them a monstrous ovation. 

In return, the fans got a look at the future of the team, as they saw some of the team’s younger stars thrive to wrap up the win.

Freshman Marya Boiko recorded five blocks in her 15 minutes and Rainey Wilson scored 11 points on 3-of-4 from 3-point range. 

Maryland will play its final home game of the regular season on Wednesday, when they tip off against Northwestern.