SOUTH BEND, IN -- Diamond Miller hit a one-legged jumper as time expired and No. 20 Maryland came away with a dramatic 74-72 win at No. 7 Notre Dame in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge for the program's 26th win over a Top-10 opponent since Brenda Frese took over in 2002-03. It was the Terps' first road win over a top-10 team since Dec. 1, 2016 when they topped No. 7 Louisville.
Miller not only hit the biggest shot of the night, she also did a little bit of everything for the Terps all game, leading them in points (31), rebounds (12) and assists (five) yet again. Miller's double-double was the sixth of her career and the third this season.
Miller became the first Terps with 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game since Alyssa Thomas did it against Wake Forest on March 8, 2013.
Shyanne Sellers was also huge for Maryland, scoring 10 of her season-high 17 points in the first quarter to give the Terps early momentum.
The Fighting Irish held a four-point lead with 5:48 remaining, but a Brinae Alexander corner three followed by a tough Sellers lay-up inside put the Terps on top in a span of 33 seconds. Notre Dame reclaimed the lead briefly, but Alexander hit another triple from the corner and Miller knocked down a pair of free throws to take the lead.
An Olivia Miles three-point play gave Notre Dame a 70-69 lead late. As they did all night, the Terps answered yet again—this time with Miller knocking down a clutch shot in the lane. The Terps defense made a big stand on the other end and Miller knocked down one more free throw, but Notre Dame found a lay-up on the ensuing out of bounds play to tie it at 72 apiece. Maryland held for the last shot and Miller came through with the heroics at the very end.
Maryland was active on the offensive glass all game, scoring 21 second chance points (14 in the first half) to Notre Dame's nine. The Terps were also sound defensively, especially early. Notre Dame coughed up the ball 18 total times, including 11 times in the first half, which Maryland converted into 15 points.
Maryland is now 7-2 for the season while Notre Dame dropped to 6-1 after suffering their first loss of the season.
With the win, Frese is just one win away from reaching 600 career wins. She will have an opportunity to hit that milestone in front of the Maryland faithful on Sunday when the Terps host Nebraska at 1 pm.
Breaking Down The Action
- The Fighting Irish came out of the gates on a 10-0 scoring run, but Maryland scored 16 of the next 19 overall points to claim a 16-13 lead after one. Shyanne Sellers was the difference in the frame, contributing 10 points in eight minutes.
- The Terps opened up the second quarter in a similar fashion to the way they finished the first and pushed their lead to 25-18.
- Notre Dame fought back to take a three-point lead with 2:09 remaining, but Miller made a pair of lay-ups to reclaim the lead heading into halftime, 33-32. Miller led the Terps with 12 points at halftime.
- The third quarter saw seven lead changes as the two teams went blow for blow with Notre Dame holding a slim 55-51 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes of action.
- Alexander was an x-factor in the final stanza, knocking down two corner threes to help the Terps reclaim the lead.
Beating Ranked Teams
- Since Brenda Frese took over in 2002-03, Maryland now has 87 wins over Associated Press top 25 teams, including 11 in the 2014-15 season, which set a new school record. Most recently, No. 19 Maryland beat No. 17 Baylor, 70-66, in Waco, TX on Nov. 20.
- The Terrapins are 87-71 against ranked teams over the last 19 years, all under Frese.
- Under Frese, Maryland has 26 wins over AP Top-10 teams.
- Maryland now has 26 of those Top-25 wins on the road and 21 were at neutral sites.
- With Maryland's win at No. 17 Baylor earlier this year, it marks the sixth time Frese posted multiple wins over ranked teams on the road, with the last coming 2019-20.
ACC/Big Ten Challenge Dominance
- Maryland is now 13-2 all-time in the Challenge, winning six of its last seven games in the event.
1,000 Point Update
- With a three-ball from the top of the key in the second quarter, Lavender Briggs surpassed the 1,000-point mark. She has 1,005 overall after 8 today. She netted 961 at Florida.
- Miller continues to stand 33rd in career scoring at Maryland with 1,182. She passed No. 32 Renneika Razor, who scored 1,163 from 2000-03. Next on the list is Debbie Lytle, who played from 1980-83 and scored 1,189 total points,
- Abby Meyers, now has 1,075 in her career with 947 in her three seasons of action at Princeton before joining the Terps this season.
- Elisa Pinzan is also chasing 1,000 points as she has 956, for her career. She had 916 points at South Florida.
Double-Figure Update
- Miller tallied 31 points and has scored 10-plus points in seven of eight games she has played this season as part of 62 career games in double-digits. It was her second career game with 30 points or more.
- Sellers notched 10 points in the first quarter, marking the seventh time in nine games that she hit double-figure scoring this season. She finished with 17 and now has 19 games with 10-plus in her career as a Terp.
Miller On The 30-Point Chart
- With her 31-point game, Miller scored at least 30 points for the second time this season. She had 32 on Nov. 20 against Baylor, another top-20 win for the Terps.
- Before Miller, the last Terp to score more than 30 points in a game was Ashley Owusu, who had 30 against Stanford on Nov. 27, 2021.
600-Win Watch
- With the victory, Brenda Frese now has a career record of 599-172 (.777) including a mark of 542-142 in 21 years with the Terrapins. She is the winningest coach in Maryland basketball history.
- She is just two wins away from 600 in her career.
Up Next
- The Terps will host Nebraska on Sunday at 1 pm to open Big Ten play. That game will air on B1G+.
