WEST LAFAYETTE, IN — Maryland women’s basketball’s seven transfers have played integral offensive roles this season — a large reason why the Terps sat undefeated entering their conference opener against Purdue. But on Saturday afternoon, a returner provided Maryland’s most critical contribution.
Junior Bri Mcdaniel pulled the Terps ahead with a clutch bucket late in the third quarter. She grabbed a pass beyond the three-point line, dribbled to the top of the key, and knocked down a mid-range jumper, giving Maryland a 48-46 lead — its first of the afternoon.
McDaniel later finished with a season-high 16 points and an additional five assists, providing the second-half spark that No. 7 Maryland desperately needed. Despite a couple of close calls throughout, the Terps never trailed again in a gritty 78-69 win over Purdue at Mackey Arena.
“You’re not gonna get two, three quarters out of us, you’re gonna feel us throughout the whole game,” McDaniel said. “That’s where I try to set everyone up, … just telling everybody, ‘Let’s keep going.’”
Saturday’s victory was Maryland’s second straight victory in a conference opener, though it wasn’t always pretty. In fact, both teams had ugly starts to the contest.
In the opening period, Maryland (9-0, 1-0 Big Ten) shot 2-for-17 from the field — a tally that included several shanked layups and eight missed triples. An airballed three-point attempt by Terps leading scorer Kaylene Smikle encapsulated the poor first-quarter shooting.
These offensive woes occurred away from the basket as well. Turnovers cost Maryland five possessions during the opening quarter, though Purdue (5-4, 0-1 Big Ten) initially failed to take advantage.
With the score stuck at 4-2 in favor of the home side, fifth-year guard Destini Lombard nabbed a steal from Saylor Poffenbarger near the logo. Lombard coasted to the other end, where she calmly finger-rolled a wide-open layup, but Purdue’s leading scorer couldn’t convert.
Lombard’s attempt clanked off the underside of the rim. The ball fell back to the hardwood, as a trailing Poffenbarger collected the rebound.
In addition to its own lackluster shooting, Pudue also struggled to capitalize from the line. Amiyah Reynolds missed all four Boilermaker attempts in the first quarter.
The brutal opening stretch resulted in a 4-2 lead in favor of Purdue as the game hit its first media timeout. But the Boilermakers caught fire immediately after.
Purdue closed out the opening frame on a 14-4 run, fueled by a trio of Rashunda Jones layups and an additional five points from Regan Bass. An 18-6 Maryland deficit marked just the second time this season that the Terps trailed at the end of a first quarter.
“I don’t think you could’ve had a worse start for us,” coach Brenda Frese said.
Jones grabbed more quick points for the Boilermakers with a steal-and-score early in the second period. Her bucket pushed Purdue’s lead to 15, forcing Frese to call a timeout. The Terps slowly began crawling back after the stoppage.
Maryland shaved the deficit to just six after outsourcing Purdue 17-8 over the next six-plus minutes.
The Boilermakers answered with an efficient stretch to end the half. They led 38-29 at the break — a sizable lead, but one that also left the Terps within striking distance.
McDaniel completely took over following the break.
The junior shot 5-for-6 from the field and was perfect from the charity stripe. She scored 13 third-quarter points during the efficient spell, just one less than Purdue notched as a team during that same time.
McDaniel also grabbed the all-important basket that gave Maryland its first lead of the game as time wound down on the quarter.
“That’s Bri for us every day,” Poffenbarger said. “Being able to count on her, and her coming in with that energy — we needed it. It’s a huge reason why we were able to come out with a win.”
Maryland continued stacking its lead into the fourth. The Terps eventually pushed their advantage to 10.
With just over six minutes remaining, McDaniel rifled a right-handed pass through a host of bodies in the paint. She found a cutting Smikle, who finished under the basket to put Maryland up, 69-59. But Purdue remained on the offensive.
The Boilermakers brought their fans back into the game after a swift 6-0 run, which ended with three and a half minutes remaining in the game.
Just as she’d done in the second quarter though, Frese noticed momentum swaying away from her side and promptly called a timeout. The decision once again paid off.
Poffenbarger nullified the optimistic Purdue crowd with a deep three from the wing. The basket was Poffenbarger’s final make in a 17-point, 13-rebound performance. She held the team lead in both of the categories on Saturday.
Christina Dalce, who posted a double-double of her own, then tossed in a layup before Smikle nailed a corner three to ice Maryland’s 78-69 victory.
After trailing by 16 points midway through the second quarter, Saturday’s result ended up being Maryland’s largest come-from-behind victory since 2019.
“I don’t know if [we’ll] continue to have this kind of luck, but we made some of that … [in] the second half, just with our intensity and our effort on the defensive end.”
The Terps now enjoy an extended break. Their next game isn’t until Dec. 19, a home matchup against William & Mary for their annual Field Trip Day; Nathan Schwartz and James Consoli will have the 11 a.m. tipoff call for WMUC Sports.
