MADISON, WI — Through the first three quarters of play on Saturday, No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball outscored Wisconsin by 24 points in the paint. Yet, the underdog Badgers trailed by just two at the close of the penultimate period.  

Wisconsin had nine three-point makes after three quarters, while Maryland tallied just two. But Wisconsin’s well ran dry in the final frame. The Badgers failed to connect on all five of their three-point attempts, a stretch of futility that was encompassed with just under five minutes left to play. 

Graduate guard Tess Myers hoisted a straight-on triple that only connected with the backboard, before rebounding to Bri McDaniel. The junior kicked it to Shyanne Sellers, who raced to the other end of the floor, where she drew a foul at the rim.

Sellers connected on both of her attempts near the tail end of an emphatic 14-0 run that put the game beyond reach. The Terps outscored Wisconsin by 13 points in the final, ultimately prevailing 83-68 at the Kohl Center. 

“Just that resilience, I thought, was massive,” Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said. “To hold them to eight points in that fourth quarter — I think that speaks volumes to the level of defensive intensity that they knew they needed to be able to have.”  

The Terps (15-1, 5-1 Big Ten) entered Saturday afternoon’s matchup without two members of its typical starting five. Graduate student Sarah Te-Biasu and fellow guard Saylor Poffenbarger were absent with ankle soreness and an illness, respectively. 

McDaniel started in place of Te-Biasu, while Allie Kubek filled in for Poffenbarger. The Terps kept their same up-tempo offensive approach but relied more on individual contributions in light of the personnel changes.

Kubek, who profiles as a traditional forward, provided the Terps with a greater interior presence, thus creating more isolation and mismatch opportunities for fellow forward Christina Dalce. The Villanova transfer scored seven first-quarter points as a result. 

Dalce also neutralized the impact of Serah Williams, Wisconsin’s (10-7, 1-5 Big Ten) primary scorer and the Big Ten’s leading rebounder. 

The Badger forward scored just a pair of first-quarter points and didn’t grab her first rebound until midway through the second period.  

“Shy[anne] always gives me a good pregame talk, saying how much she … needs me, especially being without Saylor,” Dalce said. “I just think that overall I had to do what I had to do.”   

Maryland’s leading scorer, Kaylene Smikle, quickly put an inefficient scoring performance in Wednesday’s loss to USC behind her. The junior guard had nine points through the opening quarter on 50 percent shooting from the field.     

Yet, in spite of Maryland’s early positives, the Badgers steadily kept pace throughout Saturday’s first half.  

While Maryland dominated inside the paint, the Badgers connected on a trio of triples — two of which came from junior Lily Krahn — to eclipse Maryland’s lone three-point make in the first quarter. 

Krahn later finished with a career-high five three-pointers. She had just 15 makes from deep entering Saturday’s contest.   

Williams then found her scoring touch in the following frame. She grabbed 10 points to lead Wisconsin to a 25-point second quarter, its second-highest scoring frame against a Big Ten opponent this season. 

An 11-point showing from McDaniel in the second quarter helped the Terps keep pace with the Badgers. 

Maryland led 45-38 at the break, but that advantage quickly evaporated. 

The Badgers started Saturday’s second half on a blistering 11-2 run. Wisconsin scored the first three points of that stretch before McDaniel answered with a pair of free throws. Then, Wisconsin brought its home crowd to life.

Natalie Leuzinger connected from behind the arc, before Krahn continued her automatic afternoon by drilling a corner three. The junior then started the play that capped off Wisconsin’s run. 

Krahn fumbled the ball near mid-court, as she tried to dribble past Sellers. Appearing somewhat flustered, Krahn evaded disaster by passing off to a trailing Ronnie Porter. 

The junior guard grabbed Krahn’s handoff and darted toward the basket. Porter drew two Maryland defenders as she drove along the left side of the paint, leaving Williams free on the opposite flank. Porter cleverly dished to Williams who finished at the rim to give the Badgers a two-point lead.    

Wisconsin sustained its lead for a couple of minutes before Maryland regained its advantage. The Badgers wouldn’t take another lead.

Sellers and Dalce led the Terps on an 11-2 run near the end of the third quarter to set Maryland up with its slim advantage ahead of the final frame. 

After a quiet opening half, Sellers added eight points in the fourth quarter to finish with 21 total. 

“You could see the fatigue from the other night for her, but she’s a competitor. She’s a winner,” Frese said of Sellers. “I thought she put the team on her back like you’re supposed to do, especially in that second half. … That’s what your All-Americans got to do.”

McDaniel matched Sellers’ point tally as the two led Maryland’s scoring charge. Their contributions were specifically significant, as the Terps recorded just two bench points on the afternoon. 

Maryland returns home from Saturday’s victory, to face Minnesota (16-1, 4-1 Big Ten) on Tuesday at 7 pm. Alexa Wooten and Dash Tischler will have the call of that midweek matchup for WMUC Sports.