In the first four minutes and change of this Big Ten showdown, Shyanne Sellers knocked down three shots from deep, giving No. 11 Maryland an early lead. 

This set the tone for a performance in which Sellers matched her career-high of 21 points, and led the Terps to a 77-64 victory over Wisconsin. 

“Obviously, the hot hand that Shy had was fun to see. They didn’t have an answer for her,” Coach Brenda Frese said. 

“I’m always trying to come out and be aggressive. Obviously, I had some film sessions before this game, so I just took what I saw on film and applied it to the game and let the game come to me honestly. I’m just happy that I was able to come out and help my team get the win,” Sellers said. 

The Terps’ hounding defense again played a major role in their success. They forced 20 turnovers which turned into 19 points on the other end. 

Maryland also had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio, which has been crucial to them finding success this season. The Terps finished with 16 assists and turned the ball over 12 times on the offensive end. Most importantly, those 12 turnovers only resulted in five points off turnovers for the Badgers. 

Maryland continued to shoot the ball well, shooting 48% from the field and posting an 8 of 18 clip from behind the arc.

Sellers led the way in scoring, but Diamond Miller (19 points), Faith Masonius (11 points), and Brinae Alexander (10 points) all scored in double digits showing the wealth of offensive weapons for the Terps.

“It’s definitely nice when you see shots going into the hoop. It definitely gives you that confidence to keep shooting and keep going. If I’m open, I gotta shoot it and knock them down. I’m just staying consistent with that and trying to keep making them,” Masonius said. 

Maryland held a slight 34 to 32 rebounding advantage. They outscored Wisconsin 14-5 in second chance points which was somewhat surprising considering that typically isn’t a strength of the Terps.

Sellers also led the team in rebounds with seven. Abby Meyers, Miller, and Masonius all grabbed six boards each. 

Three-point shooting was key for Wisconsin, keeping the deficit under 20 for much of the game. The Badgers went 10 of 24 from deep and knocked several down at key times when it looked like the Terps would pull away for good. 

Avery LaBarbera led the Badgers in scoring with 16 points, including four three-pointers. 

Brooke Schramek (13 points) and Serah Williams (12 points) also scored double digits. 

Maryland came out with guns blazing, shooting the lights out in the first quarter. Sellers led the way with 13 points and three made three-pointers in the first quarter. 

The Terps jumped out to a comfortable lead by starting the game on a 22-6 run. Maryland led 28-15 after one quarter. 

Some timely baskets from the Badgers in the second quarter kept the lead from getting too out of hand, but Maryland still led 42-27 going into the half. 

One big reason for the Terps’ early success was their pesky defense. They forced 11 Wisconsin turnovers and turned them into 10 points in the first half. 

On the other end, Maryland only turned the ball over four times, leading to 0 Wisconsin points off turnovers in the first half. 

The third quarter was more even, with the teams trading baskets back and forth and both offenses finding success. 

“I thought they settled in. Credit to them, they shot the three well. Obviously, we’re disappointed in our second half. I thought they had a better second half than us, which is an area that we’ve got to continue to improve on, but anytime you can go on the road and get a win in conference play, I”ll take it,” Frese said. 

Wisconsin went on a 7-0 run at one point towards the end of the third but Maryland was able to keep the lead at a comfortable distance. The Terps went into the fourth quarter up 61-46. 

Wisconsin went on a few mini-runs in the fourth to gain some momentum, twice cutting the lead to 13 points. However, Maryland always seemed to respond when the Badgers looked like they might engineer a comeback. 

The Terps closed out the game and claimed a 77-64 victory. 

Maryland faces off next against Nebraska on Sunday, who beat the Terps when they played earlier in the season.