Takeaways from No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball’s 73-70 loss to Illinois

Down by three points with seconds left in regulation, No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball had one last chance to avoid an upset loss. 

Saylor Poffenbarger took a last- gasp shot for overtime, a long 3-pointer. She missed, and the Terps suffered their first loss of the season on Thursday, 73-70, to Illinois. 

Here are three takeaways from the New Year’s Day thriller. 

Foul trouble

The Terps were in foul trouble early on, and it became a much bigger issue later. 

“We were in uncharacteristic foul trouble that really led to some different lineups in that first half,” head coach Brenda Frese said. 

Addi Mack was called for two fouls in the first three minutes, and committed another in the second quarter. Mack, who averages 26.2 minutes per game, tied her season low with just 14 minutes on the court Thursday. 

“Addi hasn’t been in foul trouble all year. Really impactful not to be able to have her,” Frese said. “She was hesitant to take a really strong, aggressive shot.”

Kyndal Walker — Maryland’s only true backup point guard due to injuries — was also called for two fouls in the first quarter. 

Saylor Poffenbarger, Oluchi Okananwa and Yarden Garzon were the only members of Maryland’s core with fewer than two fouls in the first half. 

Thus, Marya Boiko got more playing time, and the Terps used lineups they hadn’t used before. It wasn’t as big an issue in the first half, but they couldn’t build a large lead and were left scrabbling in the second half. 

Boiko played 25 minutes after notching just 14 across Maryland’s first two Big Ten games. She recorded seven points, three assists and four rebounds. 

“We’ve got to be better when things don’t go our way with the foul trouble that we had, and the different rotations that were on the floor,” Frese said. 

Mir McLean committed two fouls in the first half and didn’t play in the second half. Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu was similar — she committed two first-half fouls and played 10 minutes overall. 

Okananwa, Poffebarger and Garzon played 117 minutes combined. Nobody else played more than 25 minutes. Maryland relied on those three to a fault, causing a close loss. 

Too many miscues

The Terps didn’t score in the final 2:22 Thursday. In that stretch, miscues were prevalent. 

Garzon made multiple mistakes. First, she tried a behind-the-back pass down one point with 22 seconds remaining — it didn’t work. Seconds later, she was called for an illegal screen.

These mistakes left Maryland to rely on Poffenbarger’s deep heave. 

Needing a 3-pointer to win was a losing situation, given the Terps made just one triple all night on 12 attempts. Maryland’s poor shooting was a theme, going 25-of-59 (42.4%) from the field and 19-of-25 (76%) from the charity stripe. 

Those splits proved pivotal, as the Terps’ poor 3-point and free-throw shooting helped the Illini pull off the upset. 

“It’s been a blended ball,” Frese said. “We’re a team that likes to get up and down the floor.”

If Maryland had cleaned up its plethora of mistakes even just slightly, it would have likely come away with a win. 

But the Terps didn’t. They had 18 turnovers, were blocked five times and were discombobulated with their lineups throughout. 

“We had a lot of turnovers, even in the first half, that were just a lack of focus and understanding,” Frese said. “Then some lineups that were different, just given the foul trouble that we had.”

Road struggles

Thursday was Maryland’s second road game of the season. The first was the thrilling double-overtime win over Minnesota. The second was Thursday’s defeat. 

Playing on the road in the Big Ten is difficult. Last season, the Terps were 8-1 on the road, but they were 3-6 the year before. Illinois is 10-0 at home this season and 13-1 overall — despite not being ranked, it was a tough task nonetheless.

“We were ready today. We had a great shoot around, great film session leading into this game,” Frese said. “This is why it’s so hard to go on the road. Great environment, great crowd.”

Injuries won’t be an apt excuse for the remainder of the season. But given the foul trouble Maryland got itself in early, options were limited. Being shorthanded hasn’t been a factor at home, but it was again on the road. 

The Terps needed to go to someone else to find a spark but had no one to turn to. Foul trouble was a deterrent to put the team’s premier players back in the game. 

“This is what it’s going to look like every time we step out on the floor in Big Ten play,” Frese said. “I’m hopeful that this is an early game in January that we’ll be able to learn from and get a lot better.”