With only six seconds left on the clock and the game tied, Maryland inbounded the ball looking for a hero. Everyone in the arena thought they would go to star Diamond Miller, but the Terps instead inbounded the ball to Abby Meyers, who had been the hot hand all night. 

Meyers was quickly double-teamed by the Boilermakers and time started to run out. In the dire moments, she found a trailing Shyanne Sellers, who knocked down a clutch three for the win. 

“It was drawn up for her (Meyers) but she took the double team and was able to kick it. Shy was fearless. That’s why you put the hours in the gym to be able to knock down a shot,” Coach Brenda Frese said. 

Maryland defeated Purdue, 77-74, in Frese’s 600th career win. 

“This will be a win I’ll remember for a really long time,” Frese said. 

“Every day, she’s pushing us to be better, so there’s no wonder why she has 600 wins,” Sellers said. 

Purdue led this game for 31 minutes, with Maryland only holding the lead for four minutes. 

Meyers, who has struggled in recent games, came off the bench this game. She bounced back in a big way though, and led both teams in scoring with 19 points, including 3 three-point baskets. 

Sellers once again stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, three rebounds, five assists, and two steals. 

Miller was also strong on both ends, recording 18 points, six rebounds and five assists. 

Brinae Alexander has been a vital player offensively recently for the Terrapins and she scored 11 points including splashing in three buckets from long range. 

On the other end, Abbey Ellis led Purdue in scoring with 18 points on a very efficient 7 of 12 shooting. 

Purdue shot the ball much better on the night at 55% compared to 42% for Maryland. However, the Terps attempted 25 more shots than the Boilermakers because they forced turnovers and controled the glass on the offensive end. 

Both teams struggled with turnovers. Purdue turned the ball over 22 times, and Maryland lost it 15 times. The Terps were able to score 25 points off the turnovers they forced. 

The overall rebounds were close with Maryland having a slight advantage of 31 to 28. However, the Terps grabbed 15 offensive rebounds compared to only five for Purdue. 

UMD turned those offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points. 

Faith Masonius was a big part of the success on the glass, grabbing 10 rebounds for the Terps with some scrappy play. 

Both teams struggled to take the lid off the basket at the beginning. The first 2:36 of the game was scoreless until Purdue finally made a layup to break the drought. 

That layup set the tone for a first half where the Terps struggled to defend the paint. Purdue caught fire quickly and ended up shooting an astonishing 71% from the field in the first quarter. 

Nowhere was this better represented than Abbey Ellis’s bucket to finish the first quarter. She drove the ball into the paint untouched for an uncontested layup. 

Purdue cooled down in the second quarter but still shot 52% in the first half and scored 26 points in the paint. The Terps on the other hand, shot 38%.

Despite the difference in shooting percentage, Maryland kept the score close by getting turnovers. The Terps forced 13 turnovers in the first half, which led to them taking 11 more shots than the Boilermakers. 

“For us to be able to have that defensive intensity against a really great team was something I’m really encouraged about,” Frese said. 

Maryland also turned the ball over eight times themselves in a fairly sloppy half for both teams. 

Purdue took a slight 38-35 lead with them into halftime. 

Both teams came out on fire from long range to start the third and continued to stay hot throughout the rest of the game. They combined for 14 made threes in the second half.

Neither team could create much separation in the third quarter and the game stayed close heading into the fourth. 

In the middle of the quarter, Ellis went on an 8-0 run by herself to put Purdue in the lead. 

However, Maryland fought back to tie the game up. 

Late in the fourth, the Boilermakers had the ball with a chance to take the lead. The Terps’ defense showed up in a big way stifling Purdue and causing a crucial turnover as the shot clock was about to expire. 

Sellers then hit the dagger with zeros on the clock to give Maryland the win. 

Next up for the Terps is a showdown with No.6 UConn in College Park on Sunday.