The Terps fought hard, but fell short in the Sweet 16.
No. 4-seed Maryland women’s basketball fought hard against No. 1-seed South Carolina, but fell short Friday.
The Terps lost, 71-67, in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, which put an end to their season.
Here are three takeaways from Maryland’s final contest.
The Terps held their own
In a game against the defending champions, Maryland had a strong performance despite the season-ending loss.
Heading into Friday’s game, Maryland’s chances to keep up with South Carolina were low. The Terps were a huge underdog.
“I thought they came out and they were fearless and unfazed and believed that they could win this game,” Frese said.
Maryland held a lead as big as seven points in the third quarter, and led for a good amount of the fourth quarter.
“We made it a great game. I know people thought we were going to get crushed by 20. I think we set the record straight to stop doubting Maryland again and again,” Shyanne Sellers said.
Maryland’s defense was notably strong, especially in the paint. Coming into Friday, South Carolina was first in the country in points in the paint per game, while Maryland was 287th in points allowed around the rim. But the Terps didn’t get beat too badly down low.
Maryland had a very balanced scoring attack, and against South Carolina, that proved to be beneficial. Bree Hall locked Sarah Te-Biasu down, and the Terps needed to spread the wealth more than they did against Alabama.
“I think we executed a game plan to a tee. Came down to, we missed a few more free throws than we usually do, and then a couple stops at the end,” Sellers said.
The Terps had to play perfect to defeat South Carolina. They were close, but made too many mistakes in the end.
Kubek fouled out
Allie Kubek had been a standout during the NCAA Tournament. She proved that once again Friday.
However, when the Terps needed her most, Kubek committed her fifth foul, and had to be relegated to the bench.
“It’s always tough to not be able to be on the floor and contribute with my team. At that point all you could do is cheer them on and give positive energy off the bench. But they held their own and I think they did a great job,” Kubek said.
The Terps held a one-point lead after Kubek fouled out with over three minutes remaining. The Gamecocks soon seized the lead and never looked back.
“I’m not going to go there. I’ve continued to play South Carolina in the past, but it was a very physical game. We got to the free-throw line quite a bit in the first half and then all of the sudden it changed in the second half,” Frese said. “We got there two times? After getting there in the first half. So something changed.”
Kubek had 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting, to go with five rebounds. Kubek still has another year of eligibility due to COVID and missing an entire year due to injury.
“I think growing up nobody thought I was going to go DI. So it’s special to play here especially under Brenda, honestly. It’s a dream come true,” Kubek said.
Defense on both ends
Maryland’s defense was notably better than it had been recently on Friday, but South Carolina’s defense was arguably better down the stretch.
Maryland went three minutes without scoring late in the game. With Kubek out, Maryland had no answer to South Carolina’s defense.
“That’s our normal defense. If we would have connected those possessions early in the basketball game, we might have found ourselves with a little bit of a bigger lead, but we were down at that point and we had to lock in,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said.
That is what lost Maryland the game — South Carolina went on a 7-0 run and sealed the deal.
Maryland’s defense throughout the night made things tough for the Gamecocks, especially in the first half. That allowed the Terps took take a lead heading into the break.
“We wanted to pack the paint, battle on the glass, and I thought we did that to the very end. Just appreciate this group,” Frese said. “It was such a journey with all of them starting all the way back when we brought ten new players in and every single one of them choosing to buy in and believe in this coaching staff and believe in the system.”
MiLaysia Fulwiley stepped up for South Carolina, with 16 of her 23 points coming in the second half. She propelled the Gamecocks all night, and without her, the Terps may have been set to face Duke on Sunday in the Elite Eight.
“I think today I kind of just was locked in and determined and kind of really scraped forward with what I wanted to do, which was score,” Fulwiley said.
Maryland’s defense was good, but not quite good enough to come away with a season-saving victory.