Maryland’s season ends in the Sweet 16 with a stunning loss to Texas
An offense that had been consistent all year long missed out on three opportunities with the game on the line and turned in its lowest point total of the season.
Lauren Ebo had a steal and got the ball ahead to Kyra Lambert for a layup to give Texas a 61-59 lead with 44.5 seconds remaining. That proved to be the difference in a game in which neither team led by more than four points in the final quarter.
Maryland’s Diamond Miller missed a three-pointer and a layup, and Lambert split a pair of free throws. The Terps’ Katie Benzan, the top three-point shooter in the nation, missed a three-pointer that would have tied the score with less than 20 seconds remaining.
Texas closed the game on a 7-2 run to advance to the Elite Eight in the Hemisfair Region. The Longhorns will face No. 1 seed South Carolina on Tuesday.
“Obviously we’re disappointed, sad. … This one hurts even more,” Maryland Coach Brenda Frese said. “I think you saw some inexperience today with our team. Credit goes to Texas. They were physical; they were aggressive. They turned it into a game of defense and rebounding. Ultimately they made one or two more plays in the fourth quarter that were the difference.”
Miller led Maryland with 21 points and eight rebounds, and Ashley Owusu finished with 10 points, five assists and four rebounds. Chloe Bibby added 14 points and five rebounds. Benzan was 2 for 7 from behind the arc for six points. Maryland shot just 40 percent on the night.
Charli Collier, a candidate to be the top pick in the WNBA draft, had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Celeste Taylor scored 15 and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Joanne Allen-Taylor chipped in 14 points. Texas shot 41.4 percent.
“We made some uncharacteristic plays. … This is the experience you’re trying to gain,” Frese said. “For a lot of our players, this was the first time on this kind of stage, not having the NCAA tournament last year.”
The Terps went into halftime with a 32-25 lead after opening the game with a 9-0 run and never trailing in the opening 20 minutes. Maryland showed early why it has the top-ranked offense in the nation as the defensive-mined Longhorns struggled to contain the combination of Miller, Owusu and Benzan.
A 12-3 run that spanned the first and second quarters pushed the lead to 25-15, and Texas seemed on the verge of becoming another victim of a Maryland blowout. Six straight points from Allen-Taylor helped send Texas into halftime trailing by seven.
The Longhorns looked like a different team in the second half as they came out with more energy and picked up their defense as they put up 24 points to take a 49-47 lead into the fourth quarter.
“We knew they were going to come out and play some tough, hard defense, and we didn’t have a good shooting night,” Bibby said. “We need to find other ways to score. That happens some nights, and we have to find a way to win. We didn’t do that by turning the ball over and not getting those rebounds. . . . Kudos to them; they played a great defensive game. It happens, but every day I take my team and the offensive game over anyone else.”
The teams went back and forth in the fourth, but a four-point trip midway through the quarter looked to be a huge difference. Bibby got a steal and led the fast break, giving it up to Owusu and getting it back for a layup to take a 54-52 lead. Texas was called for a block on the Owusu pass, and Maryland got the ball back. Collins then got an offensive rebound and put it back for a 56-52 lead that was much needed; Maryland hadn’t played a close game into the fourth quarter since January.
Every point and possession mattered down the stretch, and Texas responded with a 9-3 run, capped by Ebo’s steal and Lambert’s layup. Maryland managed just one more basket the rest of the way.
“We know we’re better than that,” Bibby said. “We’re just going to use this to fuel us. We weren’t happy with how we played tonight; I think everyone can agree with that. These things happen, and we just have to move forward with it. This is great momentum that we can use because it’s such a young team and we still have a lot to learn. Just use that for fuel.”
