A struggling No. 16 Maryland women’s basketball team came into Saturday’s matchup in need of a win.
The Terps had their last three games, with two of the losses coming in overtime.
The first half was dominated by Oluchi Okananwa who finished the half with 23 points and Maryland kept a lead until the fourth quarter.
But Oregon outscored the Terps by 13 in the fourth quarter, handing Maryland its fourth consecutive loss — tied for the most consecutive losses under head coach Brenda Frese — 68-61 at Xfinity Center.
“Nobody is going to feel sorry for us and we don’t want to feel sorry for ourselves,” Okananwa said. “There’s a lot left of the season to play and it would be counterproductive.”
Okananwa was the Terps’ driving force in the first half, but was held to only four second-half points on as many attempts. Oregon made sure she had fewer opportunities and made every chance she had a tough shot.
In Okananwa’s place, Addi Mack took the scoring load. She scored 13 in the second half with the team’s next most points being four. As the Terps attempted to make the comeback, the ball kept finding its way into her hands but the shots were not falling.
“I love the fact that Oluchi wanted the moment in the first half and I think Addi continues to show us that she wants that moment,” Frese said. “You got to continue in these games where everybody wants that moment.”
Being the engine for Maryland (17-6, 5-6 Big Ten), Okananwa finished with 27 points and five rebounds, and was the main reason the Terps were in it for so long. She played a fast-paced offense, capitalizing on her great defense.
She started out dominant. She played fast and scored the team’s first nine points. Oregon (17-7, 5-6 Big Ten) kept it close, holding the rest of the team quiet, causing Maryland to finish the quarter only up one.
Oregon held a lead for most of the second quarter, but Maryland fed off a raucous Xfinity Center to have a dominant end to the quarter. Okananwa had nine points in the final three minutes of the quarter to head into the locker room up six.
The third quarter was almost an exact copy of the second. Oregon began to pull ahead but Maryland fought back and a last-second Okananwa bucket meant the Terps would enter the final quarter up six.
Ehis Etute had an outright dominant performance for Oregon. Eight of her 26-points came in the final period, and she recorded a game high 11-rebounds against the smaller Terps.
The final quarter proved to be all Oregon. The Ducks outscored the Terps 24-11, as Maryland can’t seem to get anything to go its way.
“My concern is how do we get us to play better as a connected unit, defensively and rebounding,” Frese said. “And if we do that, I think everything else takes care of itself.”
Maryland’s losing streak extends to four games, all in conference play, but Oregon marks the first unranked loss of those games. It looks to turn the tide on Wednesday as they head to East Lansing to face off with No. 13 Michigan State.
