No. 9 Maryland women’s basketball trailed Minnesota by nine points with under a minute to play in double overtime. But with time on the clock, a Brenda Frese-led team can’t be counted out.

The Terps forced three turnovers and used a 10-0 run capped off by a Saylor Poffenbarger layup with 11 seconds to play to earn a wild 100-99 comeback win at Williams Arena.

“It felt like March,” Frese said. “That’s what you’re going to see in the best conference in the country.” 

Minnesota (6-3, 0-1 Big Ten) struck early and following a dominant second quarter, they held a double-digit lead as they entered halftime. Maryland (11-0, 1-0 Big Ten) fought back in the second half and forced overtime. 

In overtime, Minnesota looked like they had the game locked away. But with less than 20 seconds on the clock, Yarden Garzon drained a deep three-pointer. Garzon came up huge again with a steal and score to tie the game and force double overtime. 

From the very start, Poffenbarger led the way for Maryland. She scored a season high 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Oluchi Okananwa had 25 points of her own with eight rebounds. 

Garzon played a well-rounded game for Maryland as she had 15 points, seven rebounds and nine assists — and kept the Terps alive in the first overtime with her three-pointer and steal. 

Minnesota revealed early on that they could match Maryland on both sides of the ball, replicating their pace and their defensive pressure. 

In the second quarter, Minnesota took over. It scored, rebounded, assisted and got to the line more than the Terps to stretch its lead to 14 points entering halftime. 

Coming out of the half, the Terps slowly chipped away at their deficit. In the fourth quarter, it became anybody’s game. Neither team converted on last-second attempts and the game headed to overtime. 

The Gophers built a five-point lead with 19 seconds to go, and looked like it would close it out.  That is when Garzon nailed a three-pointer from deep to cut the deficit to two. 

Minnesota inbounded it and Addi Mack and Garzon’s defensive pressure forced Minnesota to step out of bounds, giving Maryland a chance. Off the inbound Garzon drove to the basket and scored, tying it back up and sending the game to its second overtime.

Just like the previous overtime period, it was close early on but Minnesota pulled ahead late in it. With 44 seconds left, Maryland was down seven points and needed a miracle.

That is when Frese subbed Kyndal Walker in, who had only played a minute the whole game, and Walker stole the ball and got the and one to fall. The next possession, Okananwa did the same as the Terps trailed by only one.

“I thought our pressure, our aggressiveness really mattered,” Frese said. “Being able to turn them over into 19 turnovers which is pretty uncharacteristic for them.”

There was enough time on the clock that Minnesota had to get a shot off, but the Maryland defense forced a bad pass that went out of bounds and called their final timeout.

Off the inbounds, Poffenbarger got to the paint and nailed the layup, taking the lead. With only ten seconds left, Minnesota’s last-second shot attempt missed and Maryland completed the comeback.

“Games like this, these are the games, you know, you come to Maryland to play in,” Poffenbarger said. “My teammates and coaches just give me so much confidence to make big shots and do big things.” 

The Terps return back to the Xfinity Center on Wednesday to face Delaware State.