COLUMBIA, SC – No. 8 Maryland went toe-to-toe with No. 1 South Carolina but suffered a 66-59 loss to the undefeated Gamecocks (10-0) on Sunday afternoon at Colonial Life Arena. The Terps (9-3) were down 62-59 with under a minute remaining, but a missed layup allowed South Carolina to gain possession and hit free throws, sealing the victory.
Angel Reese led the Terps with 20 points and 10 rebounds, her sixth double-double of the season. Ashley Owusu was the only other Terp in double figures as she finished with 11 points and six rebounds.
Brenda Frese's Take
"A great game between two really, really good teams. Really proud of our team's fight to come into this building and compete the way we did for 40 minutes. This is why I built this schedule, which was to prepare us for March. To be in these battles and this kind of intensity and this kind of energy. Our team has really grown up. A terrific response. You see getting Faith [Masonius] and Katie [Benzan] back since the Bahamas - the evergy for us. Angel [Reese] just showed why she's one of the best big guards in the country. She was a really hard matchup. She really drew a lot of fouls, made a lot of great plays for us. Disappointed to not get the win, but proud of our fight."
Breaking Down The Action
Double Figure Update
Up Next
Angel Reese led the Terps with 20 points and 10 rebounds, her sixth double-double of the season. Ashley Owusu was the only other Terp in double figures as she finished with 11 points and six rebounds.
Brenda Frese's Take
"A great game between two really, really good teams. Really proud of our team's fight to come into this building and compete the way we did for 40 minutes. This is why I built this schedule, which was to prepare us for March. To be in these battles and this kind of intensity and this kind of energy. Our team has really grown up. A terrific response. You see getting Faith [Masonius] and Katie [Benzan] back since the Bahamas - the evergy for us. Angel [Reese] just showed why she's one of the best big guards in the country. She was a really hard matchup. She really drew a lot of fouls, made a lot of great plays for us. Disappointed to not get the win, but proud of our fight."
Breaking Down The Action
- The Terps held an early 5-4 advantage thanks to stingy defense on the inside by Reese and Collins. The two teams would trade baskets and end the first quarter tied at 13 apiece, with Collins leading the team in scoring with six.
- After the Terps held the Gamecocks to zero three-pointers in the first quarter, South Carolina would hit two to open up a 25-19 score with 6:27 remaining in the quarter. Reese kept her team in the ball game, scoring a game-high 12 points in the half as Maryland entered halftime down 34-30.
- Despite South Carolina's heavy advantage on the glass, Collins tied the game at 40 with 6:59 remaining in the half. The Gamecocks would respond with a 7-0 run, forcing Maryland to take a timeout and regroup. The Terps proceeded to hold South Carolina without a field goal for over three minutes, but the Gamecocks still took a 51-47 lead into the final 10 minutes.
- A 8-0 by the Terps punctuated by a Faith Masonius layup gave Maryland the lead with 6:30 left in the game, but South Carolina responded to take a two-point lead with 5:14 remaining. Reese cut the lead to two with just over two minutes left, but that's as close as the team would get as the Gamecocks buckled down on defense and hit its free throws to seal the game.
Double Figure Update
- Reese (20 points) has scored in double-figures in 11 of 12 games this season and now has 19 career games in double-figures.
- Owusu (11 points) scored in double-figures for the 60th time in her career, including all 12 games this season. She has scored in double figures in 45 straight games.
Up Next
- The Terps will take on the Coppin State Eagles on Tuesday, Dec. 21, at 11 a.m in Baltimore.
