No. 5-seed Maryland women’s basketball played from behind for most of its second round game against No. 4-seed North Carolina. While they overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to tie heading into the fourth quarter, the Terps’ offensive struggles hindered it in the final period.
Maryland shot an abysmal 13% from the three-point line, and the Tar Heels continued to force the Terps to shoot from beyond the arc — a strategy that proved effective. Maryland nailed just three of its 23 attempts.
Saylor Poffenbarger and Yarden Garzon, two of Maryland’s best shooters, combined to go 0-for-16 from deep. Those three-point woes resulted in the Terps’ 74-66 season-ending loss in the NCAA Tournament second round at the Carmichael Arena.
After shooting 40 triples in its last game, North Carolina controlled the paint instead on Sunday. They only shot one three in the first quarter and six total in the first half.
The Tarheels’ starting backcourt torched the Terps inside. Lanie Grant contributed 20 points and Elina Aarnisalo posted a team-high 21 points and six rebounds. Both performances produced just one three-point make apiece.
This strategy caught Maryland off guard early on, and they were able to capitalize by holding a comfortable lead for most of the first half.
Three-point shooting was not Maryland’s only struggle, though, as they also struggled from the charity stripe. Oluchi Okananwa, a typical 77.6% shooter from the free-throw line, nailed just 27.3% of her attempts from the stripe. The Terps shot a season-low 54.8%.
“That was uncharacteristic of me,” Okananwa said. “I know for myself, continuing to work on the mental game within that and knowing that even though I want to be better, don’t let it affect the next shot.”
Addi Mack singlehandedly kept Maryland in the game. She was the only Terp who found success from deep and posted a team-high 10 points in the first half.
However, after halftime, Mack disappeared. Instead, the usual presence of Okananwa returned. But more importantly, she got North Carolina’s Indya Nivar into foul trouble early on.
Her absence propelled Maryland’s huge third-quarter effort to erase a nine-point deficit. The run was mostly fueled by Okananwa. She drove hard to the basket and found success drawing contact at the rim.
“She’s just too gifted so I wanted to implore how much belief I have in her and challenge her,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “Just challenge her, do you want the moment?”
As the fourth quarter began, chants of “Let’s go Tar Heels” echoed throughout the arena. It propelled North Carolina forward, allowing them to pull ahead.
With the game nearing its conclusion, Okananwa retook over the game as she hoped to will Maryland back. She scored the last six points for Maryland, but it proved to be too late. Her team-high 21 points weren’t enough in the loss.
Grant got past Kyndal Walker with ease late in the fourth quarter and nailed a layup to push the lead up to eight with only 50 seconds left.
This ultimately proved to be the dagger, as the Terps tried to keep the game alive. But their shots were not falling, and the Tarheels were. Maryland’s season came to an end in the second round for the first time since 2019
“The last thing I’ll say is when I look back on this team this season, just how they played for each other, the unselfishness, the resiliency,” Frese said. “This group never quit.”
