NCAAW: Oluchi Okananwa dominant at times for struggling Maryland Terps

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — It started with a coast-to-coast Oluchi Okananwa layup that put the No. 16 Maryland Terrapins up 2-0. She ended the first possession of the game with a defensive rebound 22 seconds in, and four seconds later she was at the other end, putting the ball in the basket.

Okananwa, who averages 12.3 field goal attempts per game, was responding to taking nine shots from the floor and scoring just six points in Maryland’s double-overtime Wednesday loss to Washington. She opened Saturday’s game against Oregon with a 7-1 individual run, scored Maryland first nine points in the first 2:11 of the contest and scored nine over the final 2:17 of the first half, part of a 14-0 Terrapin run that gave them a 36-30 lead at the break.

Okananwa has had a lot of highs this season, but perhaps none greater than those two stretches on Saturday. She scored 14 total points in the second frame for 23 in the opening half on 10-for-13 shooting. She demonstrated her ability to completely take over a game, and had XFINITY Center rocking and believing that the Terps were going to snap their three-game skid with a quality win over the No. 23 team in the NET rankings.

I’ve written a lot about Maryland women’s basketball since I first started covering the team in December of 2012, but, shockingly, Saturday was my first time covering one of their games in person since the Round of 32 win over Michigan State that sent the team to the 2013 Sweet 16. I have to say that I shared the fans’ excitement over Okananwa’s dominance, and even started to think about what might be possible for the Terps beyond facing Oregon. It would have been great to turn the six-point halftime lead into a much-needed blowout win that would have allowed the team to look forward to bigger and better things.

But Maryland simply has not been able to put together enough good stretches over their now four-game losing streak, instead alternating hot and cold stretches to their demise against teams they are (mostly) capable of beating. They have been in every game this season except for their 30-point, streak-initiating loss to now-No. 2 UCLA. In their next game, against now-No. 8 Iowa, it was the first six minutes of the fourth that were the worst—Maryland lost them by eight and eventually lost in overtime. Then they lost the third quarter to No. 25 Washington 23-11 before falling in double OT. Their second Pacific Northwest opponent in as many games outscored them 24-11 in the fourth on Saturday, en route to a 68-61 win. The last three results all came in College Park.

“Obviously we’re all disappointed, frustrated to not close out three really close, tough games, especially at home.” said Terp head coach Brenda Frese. “I don’t think that sits well with any of us.”

The Terps can win if they can’t shoot!

Maryland turned the ball over 14 times in each of the last two games, which isn’t too bad; they’re averaging 15.7 on the season.

The real culprit has been under 40 percent shooting from the field five games in a row—the four losses and an ugly win over USC before that. Aside from their win over now-No. 18 Kentucky, those are the only times this season that the Terps (17-6, 5-6 Big Ten) have shot under 40, and they’ve happened consecutively!

Against Kentucky, Maryland had the luxury of playing Kaylene Smikle, who scores a lot of easy points at the free throw line; she was 9-for-11 in that contest, part of the Terps’ 21-for-23 showing overall. Without Smikle, they still have some reliable, low-risk offensive options in the form of Okananwa’s and Addi Mack’s points in the paint.

Thanks in large part to those two guards attacking the basket on Saturday, Maryland won 36-30 in the paint despite Oregon forward Ehis Etute having a phenomenal game on the other end with 26 points, most of which came in the paint. However, the Terps were 2-for-15 from beyond the arc for just their fourth game this season with 15 or fewer attempts and third game with two or fewer makes.

Why Maryland came up short in the second half against Oregon

Maryland failed to significantly build on their lead out of the break, only going up eight before a 10-0 Duck run (including the final 8-0 of that by Etute alone) put them down two. Though they regained a six-point lead entering the fourth, the writing was on the wall that it would be another battle to the finish—the Terps weren’t going to pull away.

In the final frame, Oregon’s Sofia Bell calmly alternated corners, going from right to left to right for three straight 3s that took the score from 54-52 Maryland to 61-54 Ducks with 2:39 remaining. The Terps were able to work some late magic yet again, cutting it to 63-61, but by then the shot clock was off, so they had to foul. Yarden Garzon and Mack missed 3s at 18 and nine seconds remaining, respectively, and that was it.

Okananwa was held to just four points in the second half, finishing with 27 on 11-for-17 shooting. Mack was good for 17 on 5-for-17. No other Terp had more than four points.

Maryland kept Oregon’s best player in Katie Fiso in check. Fiso entered at No. 8 in the nation with 6.9 assists per game; she also averages 15 points. She was held to just eight points and three helpers, also coughing up six turnovers. She did, however, have nine rebounds (well above her average of 3.3), and Etute’s and Bell’s heroics were too much for the Terps to overcome.

Brenda Frese not going to be distracted by tournament talk

Maryland was still a No. 4 seed in Charlie Creme’s Bracketology on Friday, but the loss to unranked Oregon should rob them of their host status for now. Now with a losing conference record, albeit in the second-best conference in the nation, the Terps really need to stop the bleeding.

Maryland has seven remaining regular-season games. They face their easiest opponents at home, hosting Penn State, Purdue and Northwestern. They face three ranked opponents (No. 13 Michigan State, No. 11 Ohio State and No. 9 Michigan), as well as a team that has been in the rankings and is no pushover in Nebraska, all on the road.

Frese was asked if she looks at Bracketology at all during the season. Here’s how she responded:

I don’t look at Bracketology for a reason. I don’t think it is gonna sway anything because none of it lends true until the final buzzer at the end. A lot of basketball left for us to be able to play. You gotta stack wins. But that’s not my concern right now; my concern is how do we get us to play better as a connected unit defensively and rebounding. If we do that, then I think everything else takes care of itself.