By Zach Sturgill
The University of Maryland’s women’s basketball team lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 22, ending a season defined by resilience.
Despite the result, the Terps held their heads high following the loss.
Throughout the season, the team faced several obstacles on the path to even qualifying for the tournament. Injuries to key players and a four-game losing streak in January threatened to derail their hopes to make the tournament.
“Obviously, we’re really disappointed to not be moving on,” said Head Coach Brenda Frese in the postgame press conference. “A lot of teams wouldn’t have made the tournament, the beauty of this team. They continue to fight, fight for one another, fight for this program, and you saw it unfold.”
Following their losing streak in January, Maryland won its next six games to solidify a tournament appearance. It used that late-season momentum to earn the No. 5 seed and a dominant 99-67 victory over No. 12 Murray State in the first round. However, the Terps came up short in a 74-66 loss to No. 4 North Carolina.
“I felt like it was there for the taking for us,” Frese said. “We didn’t manage enough plays to be able to go take it.”
The Terps battled from behind for most of the game, while managing to keep it close throughout. They even took a one-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Tar Heels pulled away. A 3-pointer from freshman guard Nyla Brooks put North Carolina up six late, which proved to be the dagger.
For senior guard-forward Mir McLean, this loss marked the end of her collegiate career. She scored 12 points and brought down 14 rebounds in her final game.
“I’m really proud of our team, and if that’s the way my season is going to end, I’m OK with that because we fought to the very end,” McLean said.
Junior guard Oluchi Okananwa, who scored 21 points in the loss, echoed that sentiment.
“There’s really no words to describe how happy I am to be a Terp and how happy I am to be coached by Brenda Frese,” Okananwa said. “I think this team was so incredibly special, and I’m honored to have said that I was a part of it.”
Maryland’s second-round loss did not define its season as much as the path it took to get there. The Terps remained proud even in defeat, understanding how much they had to go through to make it to that stage.
“That’s the beauty of this season, is being able to see how resilient they were through all the adversity,” Frese said.
Featured Image: A national championship banner on the steps outside the Xfinity Center on the evening of April 6. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.