The tenth seed The Maryland women’s basketball team lost 93-86 to No. 7-seeded Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament first round after blowing a 20-point lead.
The second-biggest comeback in NCAA Tournament history was accomplished by the Cyclones. In the second half, the Terps were outscored 57-34.
These are some lessons learned from the loss.
In the third quarter, the Terps crumbled.
This season, Maryland’s difficulties in the third quarter have been a recurring trend. However, those difficulties surfaced at the most inconvenient moment.
With a 16-point lead at the break, Maryland appeared to have neutralized Iowa State’s fervor and intensity.
However, following the first two quarters in which they shot only 20% from 3-point range, the Cyclones erupted after the half.
They opened the game with three early triples to establish the tone, and they went on to score thirty points in the frame while holding Maryland to just fourteen.
The best explanation for the Terps’ inability to score after the break is Iowa State’s switch-on defense. When it switched from a man-coverage to a zone plan, Maryland was really rattled.
Due to a calculated defensive move made by head coach Bill Fennelly, the Audi Crooks were able to control the paint while the guards were free to cover the perimeter. The Terps’ ability to shoot 3-pointers was much diminished, and they found it challenging to drive to the basket as a result.
“Iowa State maintained a significant post-event presence. Thus, it was difficult to obtain simple layups and drives. Allie Kubek stated, “I believe that a lot of the time we weren’t really attacking the offensive boards like we typically do.
Maryland just made one three-pointer and shot 5-for-16 from the field during the quarter. Additionally, it was notably out-rebounded in the frame (10–5).
As Maryland’s MVP, Kubek
For the Terps, it wasn’t Shyanne Sellers who was the main man. Neither was it Bri McDaniel, nor was it Jakia Brown-Turner.
Kubek was the unexpected standout instead.
Out of the two players from Maryland who came off the bench, Kubek made an instant impression. Kubek was allowed to wander around the perimeter by Terps head coach Brenda Frese in reaction to Crooks’ persistent presence in the paint.
The choice proved to be beneficial.
The 6-foot-2 forward had made just 13 three-pointers this year going into the game. Moreover, she failed to try a single shot from beyond the arc in 17 different games.
But on Friday, Kubek was unstoppable, scoring a career-high 29 points on 10-of-12 shooting, including 7 of 8 from beyond the arc. In an NCAA Tournament game, the seven made triples set a program record.
“To be able to provide us that spread, we obviously needed every single one of those [19] points in the first half,” Frese stated.
