COLLEGE PARK, MD – No. 4 seed Maryland women's basketball advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 after defeating No. 5 seed Alabama, 111-108, in double overtime in the second round at XFINITY Center on Monday. The Terps are now 25-7 overall this season and 43-18 in NCAA Tournament games under head coach Brenda Frese. The game is the second-highest scoring game in Women's NCAA Tournament history. Only a 1995 game, a 121-120 four-overtime game in the Round of 32, had more points (241).
No. 18 ranked Maryland will make its 12th Sweet 16 appearance under Frese as it will play No. 1 seed South Carolina on Friday, March 28. It will be Maryland's 17th Sweet 16 appearance in program history overall and its second in the last three years. The game will be played in Birmingham, Alabama, and streamed on ESPN. The game time will be announced shortly.
Sarah Te-Biasu willed the Terps to victory by scoring a season-high 26 points. She scored 10 of her points in the overtime, hitting clutch bucket after clutch bucket. She added six assists and four rebounds to her stat line. Overall, she shot 9-of-17 from the floor, including 5-of-7 from three.
The game featured six lead changes and 12 instances where it was tied, and Maryland trailed by as many as 17 points (62-45) at the 3:28 mark of the third quarter. The win equaled the fourth-largest comeback in the NCAA women's basketball Tournament since 2018 and the largest of this year's tournament. It was the largest comeback for Maryland in any game since 2019 at James Madison, when the Terps trailed by 19 points and won 70-68.
After a 3-pointer by the Crimson Tide (24-9), Te-Biasu drilled a clutch 3-pointer to tie the game at 83 apiece with 12 seconds to play in regulation. The Terps then got a stop on defense to send the game to overtime. The Terps shot 10-of-13 overall in the final frame.
The Terps scored first in the first overtime off a layup by Allie Kubek. They never surrendered their lead, but Alabama's Ashlee Sarah Barker made three free throws as she was fouled on a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds to play. The freebies tied the game at 96-96 and sent it to another overtime.
Shyanne Sellers led the Terps with 28 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter and overtime. The senior shot 8-of-17 from the floor, including 3-of-8 from three. She added a block and a steal.
Kaylene Smikle fouled out in overtime with 23 points. She also added seven rebounds and three steals. Smikle also scored 14 of her points in the second half and overtime as the junior was one of the other major catalysts in Maryalnd's comeback.
Kubek also recorded a strong second half. She scored 19 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out five dimes overall to earn the 12th double-double of her career. Mir McLean added crucial minutes off the bench. She scored eight points and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds.
The win was also Maryland's sixth over a ranked team this season. Frese now has 100 wins over ranked teams as the Terps head coach.
Alabama's Barker scored a career-high and school-record 45 points on 17-of-25 shooting. She added eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
This is the Terrapins' 15th straight NCAA Tournament bid, dating back to 2011. It's their 21st NCAA bid overall under Frese in her 23 seasons in College Park. This is also Maryland's 16th top-four seed under Brenda Frese. Maryland is now 55-30 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
Breaking Down The Action
No. 18 ranked Maryland will make its 12th Sweet 16 appearance under Frese as it will play No. 1 seed South Carolina on Friday, March 28. It will be Maryland's 17th Sweet 16 appearance in program history overall and its second in the last three years. The game will be played in Birmingham, Alabama, and streamed on ESPN. The game time will be announced shortly.
Sarah Te-Biasu willed the Terps to victory by scoring a season-high 26 points. She scored 10 of her points in the overtime, hitting clutch bucket after clutch bucket. She added six assists and four rebounds to her stat line. Overall, she shot 9-of-17 from the floor, including 5-of-7 from three.
The game featured six lead changes and 12 instances where it was tied, and Maryland trailed by as many as 17 points (62-45) at the 3:28 mark of the third quarter. The win equaled the fourth-largest comeback in the NCAA women's basketball Tournament since 2018 and the largest of this year's tournament. It was the largest comeback for Maryland in any game since 2019 at James Madison, when the Terps trailed by 19 points and won 70-68.
After a 3-pointer by the Crimson Tide (24-9), Te-Biasu drilled a clutch 3-pointer to tie the game at 83 apiece with 12 seconds to play in regulation. The Terps then got a stop on defense to send the game to overtime. The Terps shot 10-of-13 overall in the final frame.
The Terps scored first in the first overtime off a layup by Allie Kubek. They never surrendered their lead, but Alabama's Ashlee Sarah Barker made three free throws as she was fouled on a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds to play. The freebies tied the game at 96-96 and sent it to another overtime.
Shyanne Sellers led the Terps with 28 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter and overtime. The senior shot 8-of-17 from the floor, including 3-of-8 from three. She added a block and a steal.
Kaylene Smikle fouled out in overtime with 23 points. She also added seven rebounds and three steals. Smikle also scored 14 of her points in the second half and overtime as the junior was one of the other major catalysts in Maryalnd's comeback.
Kubek also recorded a strong second half. She scored 19 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out five dimes overall to earn the 12th double-double of her career. Mir McLean added crucial minutes off the bench. She scored eight points and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds.
The win was also Maryland's sixth over a ranked team this season. Frese now has 100 wins over ranked teams as the Terps head coach.
Alabama's Barker scored a career-high and school-record 45 points on 17-of-25 shooting. She added eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
This is the Terrapins' 15th straight NCAA Tournament bid, dating back to 2011. It's their 21st NCAA bid overall under Frese in her 23 seasons in College Park. This is also Maryland's 16th top-four seed under Brenda Frese. Maryland is now 55-30 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
Breaking Down The Action
- The Terps led 12-11 at the first media timeout. Shyanne Sellers and Sarah Te-Biasu each drilled a 3-pointer, and the Terps made their last three shots from the floor.
- Maryland led 19-15 at the end of the first. Its defense held Alabama scoreless for the remaining 3:56 in the frame. Sellers and Te-Biasu combined for 12 of Maryland's points.
- The Terps opened the second quarter on a 12-6 run to lead 31-21, making 5-of-6 shots from the floor. Allie Kubek was 2-of-2 with four points.
- The Terrapins burned a timeout as the Crimson Tide chipped away at Maryland's lead to trail 33-27.
- The Crimson Tide tied the game at 33 apiece on a layup by Sarah Ashlee Barker at the 3:57mark.
- Maryland trailed Alabama 41-39 at the break. Despite leading by double-digits early in the second, the Crimson Tide rallied to take the lead. Barker had a game-high 17 points, including 12 in the frame alone. Kaylene Smikle scored seven points in the quarter to lead the Terps. She had nine points in the game overall.
- Smikle scored the first bucket of the second half, but the Crimson Tide sparked a 7-0 run in just over a minute of action. They led 48-41 with 8:19 on the clock.
- The Terps called a timeout as Alabama went on an 11-0 run to lead 59-45 at the 3:59 mark.
- Alabama led by as many as 17 points (62-45) at the 3:28 mark. However, Maryland cut the lead to single digits, trailing 64-55 entering the fourth.
- The Terps shot 10-of-13 from the floor in the third. Te-Biasu tied the game at 83 apiece with a clutch 3-pointer and the Terps got a stop on defense to send the game to overtime.
- The Terps scored first in the first overtime off a layup by Kubek. They never surrendered their lead, but Alabama's Ashlee Sarah Barker made three free throws as she was fouled on a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds to play. The freebies tied the game at 96-96 and sent it to another overtime.
- Te-Biasu began the overtime with a 3-pointer, and the Terps stayed in control the rest of the way. They got a stop on the final possession of the game to close it out.
- Shyanne Sellers scored 28 points, recording her 92nd career game in double figures. She has scored double figures in 25 games this season.
- Sarah Te-Biasu scored 26 points, her 94th double-digit score in a game and 14th in double figures as a Terp. She leads the Terps in career double-digit scoring games.
- Kaylene Smikle scored 24 points, her 67th career double-figure game. This was her 29th game recording double-digit points as a Terp. She leads the Terps this season in double-figure scoring games.
- Allie Kubek scored 19 points and earned her 62nd career game in double figures. She has scored in double figures 14 times this season.
