No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball outlasts Indiana, 82-67

After suffering its first loss of the season on Thursday, No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball needed someone to take control of Sunday’s game.

Oluchi Okananwa did just that. She has been a strong producer all season, but took things to a new level against Indiana.

Okananwa’s career-high 34 points was enough to lead the Terps past Indiana, 82-67.

Maryland honored the 20th anniversary of its 2006 National Championship team Sunday. Okananwa proved herself on both sides of the ball in front of the program’s legends, and matched the highest scoring mark of the 2006 run. Crystal Langhorne scored 34 points in the Round of 32 against Baylor — they now sit tied for 11th most in a game in program history.

Her offense spoke for itself. She exceeded the highest scoring mark by a Terp this season, and most since Kaylene Smikle’s 36 points against Washington last season. Okananwa shot 12-of-22 from the field, 3-of-7 from deep and 7-of-9 from the free throw line.

That said, her defensive performance may’ve been more impressive. Okananwa guarded Shay Ciezki, who came into Sunday as the Big Ten leading scorer and averaged 26.6 points per game. But the Terps neutralized her effect, as Okananwa clamped her to 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting. 

Okananwa prevented Ciezki from even catching the ball on offense; her defense was at its best all season. 

Besides Okananwa, the rest of Maryland’s core had a difficult night. Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu was the only other Terp in double figures. Ozzy-Momodu also had 15 rebounds, leading all other Terps by 10 on the glass. 

Yarden Garzon faced her former team on Sunday, but didn’t have a great performance. Garzon scored eight points on 3-of-9 shooting, bested by Maryland’s other star transfer.

Maryland led for all but 34 seconds, but struggled to find momentum in the first half. 

The Terps’ early lead wasn’t enough to keep the Hoosiers from staying competitive, as they went without a field goal for a four-minute stretch. 

Despite trailing for most of the first half, Indiana shot 11-of-17 from the field. The Hoosiers didn’t attempt a field goal in the final 3:21 and didn’t make one in the final 6:22. The Hoosiers committed 16 turnovers in the first half, and it was why Indiana attempted such a low volume of shots. 

Maryland drew fouls and forced turnovers — and yet they couldn’t take control of the game. Ultimately, that came down to its domination in every aspect not translating to shooting. It shot 13-of-34, an inefficient display on a high volume of shots.

The Terps failing to take advantage meant that although they forced 16 turnovers and drew 12 fouls, they only led by seven. 

There were 21 total fouls in the first half, and head coach Brenda Frese was more animated towards the referees than usual.

Indiana’s foul trouble gave the Terps an advantage. Zania Socka-Nguemen hadn’t played since Nov. 28 and returned for the Hoosiers on Sunday. Her return was expected to give Indiana an advantage, but she committed four fouls in the first half. 

The Terps found what they needed to start the second half — a 12-0 run. The Terps finally created the separation it needed in the first half. The Hoosiers attempted to battle back, as freshman forward Maya Makalusky caught fire with 20 points, shooting 6-of-13 from deep. 

The Terps needed someone to take charge in order to get back on track. It found that in Okananwa’s efforts, as she led Maryland to its third Big Ten victory.

Three things to know 

1. Ozzy-Momodu was strong down low. Besides Okananwa, Ozzy-Momodu was a strong force in Maryland’s win, posting a double-double. She accumulated a season-high 15 rebounds, bullying the Hoosiers down low. She scored 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting. It was her best shooting night where she had six or more attempts and her second-highest scoring mark of the season.

2. Forcing turnovers. The Terps forced 21 turnovers on Sunday, its second most in Big Ten play behind Monday’s win over Wisconsin. Okananwa had three steals and was very impactful in making the Hoosiers uncomfortable on offense. The Terps attempted 14 more shots, much to do with the amount of turnovers they forced.

3. Honoring 2006. Sunday was filled with ceremonies and celebrations of the 20th anniversary of Maryland’s 2006 National Championship team. With 10 members of that team in attendance at Xfinity Center, the Terps showed out with a 15-point victory.