No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball struggled in its first Big Ten matchup and needed a statement in its Big Ten home opener.
The Terps couldn’t have asked for a better start on Monday. Maryland scored the game’s first 14 points and ended the opening quarter with a 13-0 run.
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Maryland’s 21-point lead after the first quarter was its most against a Big Ten opponent in program history and enough to cruise to a 97-59 victory over Wisconsin.
“We punched first. I loved the effort and intensity in that first quarter,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “We set the tone with our defense and our rebounding.”
The Terps’ defense was the main factor behind the early run. Wisconsin was called for two half-court violations in the first quarter, asMaryland implemented its full-court press and terrorized the Badgers on every possession.
Maryland’s rotation Monday likely mirrors what will be deployed for the remainder of Big Ten play — barring any more injuries.
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With Bri McDaniel, Kaylene Smikle, Ava McKennie and Lea Bartelme out for the season, the Terps have 11 available players
Head coach Brenda Frese relied on seven contributors to build its big first-half lead: Oluchi Okananwa, Saylor Poffenbarger, Addi Mack, Yarden Garzon, Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu, Kyndal Walker and Mir McLean. For the rest of the season, that group is Maryland’s core.
Okananwa was all over the floor in the first half and turned defense into offense. She finished with 28 points, six steals and five rebounds and was Maryland’s best player on Monday.
“I’m a pretty intense player, if you guys didn’t know,” Okananwa said. “It was easy to lead with that and just feeding off my teammates.”
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The Terps headed to halftime with a 25-point lead — Maryland’s largest in a Big Ten game since 2022. That core provided all of Maryland’s scoring in the first half. Frese shuffled Marya Boiko, Rainey Welson and Breanna Williams on the court, but their minutes weren’t sustained.
Monday was a stark contrast to Maryland’s first Big Ten matchup, a one-point double overtime victory over Minnesota. Despite Wisconsin and Minnesota having the same record heading into Monday, the two games weren’t similar.
In Minnesota, the Terps had to overcome injuries en route to victory. Since then, the game plan changed — this is the roster that Maryland has left, and nobody is coming back.
Poffenbarger returned to the court after missing the last two games with an ankle injury. Maryland dominated back-to-back noncompetitive games, but wasn’t at full strength.
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Although the Terps controlled the contest throughout, lingering issues were present. Maryland forced 23 turnovers — and parlayed them to 20 points — but were also plagued by the turnover bug, committing 20 of its own.
“Our aggressiveness … the intensity that we play at, makes a difference. It allows you to have extra possessions,” Frese said.
But the Terps dominated in every other area. Maryland prioritized transition and dominance in the paint, leaving the Badgers in the dust.
Maryland capitalized on the fast break where Wisconsin couldn’t. The Terps were quick to bring the ball up the court and find offense — they had 24 fast break points and Wisconsin had none. Mack was the engine in transition, easily driving inside and making layups.
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That domination continued down low. The Terps had 14 more points in the paint and built transition through defensive rebounding. Garzon, McLean and Ozzy-Momodu each had six defensive rebounds. Maryland had 21 more defensive boards than Wisconsin.
Monday was the Terps’ largest Big Ten win since 2021. They improved to 14-0 for the second consecutive season and will once again enter the new year undefeated.
Three things to know
1. Starters in double figures. Four of Maryland’s five starters scored more than 14 points on Monday en route to a dominant victory. The Terps’ starting lineup combined for 78 points. They will likely rely on the five of Mack, Okananwa, Garzon, Poffenbarger and Ozzy-Momodu for the foreseeable future.
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2. Rebounding. Maryland was dominant on the glass, finishing with 13 more rebounds than the Badgers. Ozzy-Momodu, Garzon and McLean combined for 24 of Maryland’s 51 rebounds, which resulted in 20 second-chance points and 28 points in the paint.
3. Good start to this Big Ten slate. Earlier in the month, Maryland played a standalone Big Ten game. Now, the Terps’ conference slate will extend to the end of the regular season. The Terps enter the home stretch as the third-highest ranked team in the conference, but every matchup will be competitive moving forward. Wisconsin came in with a rookie coach and a new program — the Terps won’t have a similar matchup for the rest of the season.
“Everybody’s doing their part when you look at it collectively on the glass,” Frese said. “It’s intentional that they’re really focused on both the offensive gclass as well as defensively.”
