The Terps handled business at the Xfinity Center on Wednesday night like most would have expected them to, taking down Northwestern, 79-57.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Maryland’s perfect February rolls on
The Terps entered February with a losing record in conference play, but since then, they have rattled off six straight victories. Maryland has essentially vaulted itself back into the conversation to being among the conference’s elite teams.
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The Terps are one win away from ending the season with a perfect month. However, they do have a tall task in No. 8 Michigan standing in their way on Saturday afternoon.
“Both teams like to push, it’s going to be a battle of wills, a battle of toughness,” head coach Brenda Frese said of the impending matchup. “I’m excited about the opportunity.”
Frese has consistently stated her belief that elite teams separate themselves in the month of February. For all of the strong teams she has put together, she has only finished the month undefeated five times in 23 seasons at the helm.
This team has dubbed the month “February Fresh.”
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“A big emphasis has been our defense and our rebounding,” Saylor Poffenbarger said. “All February, we’ve been emphasizing it.”
The Terps outrebounded Northwestern, 43-35, and held it under 60 points.
While they’ve have benefited from playing a couple of the weakest teams in the conference this month, the Terps also picked up arguably their best two wins of the season.
To start the month and end its losing streak, Maryland took down then-No. 12 Michigan State in East Lansing — a game where its bench stepped up to give it a second-half lift. Shortly after, the Terps pulled out another road thriller over then-No. 9 Ohio State, coming back from down as many as 17 points.
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The Terps’ success in the year’s second month has meant that no matter what happens against Michigan, they are set up for at least one bye in the Big Ten Tournament. They’re also in good position to host the NCAA Tournament’s first two rounds.
“You want to be in your last 10 games playing your best basketball,” Frese said. “We’re playing our best basketball.”
Breanna Williams made meaningful contributions off the bench
Without Isi Ozzy-Momodu, redshirt freshman post player Breanna Williams has had an opportunity to take on a larger role than she has since early in the nonconference slate.
Williams impressed during many of Maryland’s nonconference matchups but has largely taken a backseat as Frese cited concerns about her fitness and turnovers. Williams excelled against the Wildcats, putting many of those concerns to rest. She notched nine points, four rebounds and two blocks off the bench.
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“She’s continued to be in the weight room and continuing to spend time on her cardio,” Frese said. “That one rebound she got just shows the amount of work that she’s been putting in.”
It’s not clear which of Williams’ boards Frese is referencing, but she did showcase her ability to get up and down the floor, running fast breaks alongside Oluchi Okananwa.
At one point, Williams quickly rotated off of her mark to help a mismatched Addi Mack in the post. She rose up and rejected what would have been an easy layup so emphatically that it almost ended up in Maryland’s pep band section.
Williams also uses her height and big frame to her advantage better than any Maryland big. She made a point of being physical with Northwestern’s bigs down low and establishing herself around the rim, which got her a few easy buckets.
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“Just this whole season I’ve been waiting, everybody’s been telling me, ‘stay ready’,” Williams said. “I tried to get downhill, get to the free throw line … just make the most of my opportunity.”
Her best play came halfway through the second quarter. She caught the ball on the low block, spun past the defender to her right hand and finished through a hard foul.
McKeown and Frese’s last battle
With Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown officially announcing his retirement midway through the season, this will be the last time he plays against Maryland. This was solidified by the fact that the Wildcats lost Wednesday, guaranteeing they won’t be playing in the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.
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McKeown spent 19 seasons in Washington D.C. at George Washington, where he built the Colonials into a mid-major powerhouse. He led them to 15 NCAA Tournaments and won A-10 Coach of the Year five times.
“I was very fortunate to be mentored by the great Red Auerbach and the great Morgan Wootten,” McKeown said. “I spent a lot of time with Gary Williams and Johnny Holliday, and then Brenda came in and I said, ‘she’s going to make a big difference’.”
Frese said he joked to her before the game that when she showed up, he started losing recruiting battles in the D.C.-metro area for recruits that would have heading his way.
“He’s meant a lot to our game,” Frese said. “He’s always done it with great dignity, high character. He’s a coach that everyone can rely on.”
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Maryland was dominant in its matchups against Northwestern, going 16-1 against McKeown since joining the Big Ten. The one win for the Wildcats came in the 2019-20 season, when both teams were strong and McKeown was in line for one of his best years in charge. But the NCAA Tournament was ultimately cancelled due to the outbreak of Covid-19.
After more than 40 years of Division I head coaching, Frese said she’s excited for McKeown to get to spend more time with his grandchildren.
