Indiana Women's Basketball Can't Top Terps, Fall to Maryland 84-80
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Teri Moren needed to call a timeout less than two minutes into Indiana's game against Maryland Monday night. The Terrapins scored a 10 quick points while the Hoosiers had zero, and the timeout was used to cool Maryland off more than anything.
It became the first of many holes Indiana would have to crawl itself out of in the Hoosiers' 84-80 loss to No. 12 Maryland in College Park.
"First off, you cannot spot a team like Maryland ten points right out of the shoot like we did tonight, you are then playing catch up," Moren said. "We gave them a ton of confidence and energy."
Indiana's offense could not get going in the first quarter either, so Maryland took a 23-9 advantage after the first 10 minutes.
The second quarter is where the Hoosiers started to find some rhythm. Grace Berger began to get into the paint and create easy baskets for herself.
Indiana won the second quarter by two points but still trailed by double digits at halftime, 41-29. Berger had 10 points at the half.
To start the second half, it was the Hoosiers that had the big run. Indiana cut the lead down to six, forcing Maryland to call a timeout to try to cool the Hoosiers down.
"I think we just started doing what we do," Berger said. "We know we're a great team capable of beating anyone, but it's kind of hard when you get yourself down 10-0 in the beginning. We can't do that. When we just play our game, we'll be perfectly fine."
The Terrapins extended their lead to double-digits again in the fourth quarter, and it looked to be too much to handle for the Hoosiers.
Jaelynn Penn rolled her ankle trying to go over a pick in the fourth quarter, and she was helped off the floor. Penn has dealt with ankle injuries in the past, and she was just getting healthy after having surgery on her plantar fasciitis over the summer. Moren said it was tough to see her go down and not be able to walk.
Then Nicole Cardano-Hillary caught an elbow to the face in the fourth quarter, and she was forced to exit the game with a swollen eye.
Two of Indiana's most productive guards were out of the game, and the Hoosiers trailed by 16, but once again, Indiana fought back.
Behind a career-high 26 points from Berger, Indiana stormed back to cut it within three. But it was too little too late for the cream and crimson, and Maryland's Ashley Owusu made one of two free throws with four seconds left to secure the four-point victory.
"I thought we battled back but you cannot dig the hole we did in the first quarter," Moren said. "You are playing up hill all night at that point and I thought that is what it looked like."
Indiana is now 0-11 all-time against Maryland. Indiana was picked to win the Big Ten in the preseason, but the defending champ Terrapins showed the Hoosiers Monday night that the Big Ten title still runs through College Park.
Despite the loss, this is the closest Indiana has battled Maryland over the past couple of years. This will be the only meeting between these two teams in the regular season.
If they meet again, it will either come in the Big Ten Tournament or the NCAA Tournament. As much as Indiana (5-3 overall, 3-0 conference) is focused on its next game against Penn State Thursday, the Hoosiers would love to have another shot at Maryland.
"If we do have the opportunity to play them in the tournament, I think it's one that our players will look forward to," Moren said. "I think we have the horses, maybe in the past we haven't, but I think we have the horses to beat a really good Maryland team at some point."