Maryland women’s basketball team headed to Sweet 16 after 36-point win over Alabama

Ashley Owusu finally let out a yell with about two minutes remaining before halftime. Up until that point, the guard — who leads the Maryland women’s basketball team with 18.4 points per contest — hadn’t scored a basket.

But the Terrapins didn’t need Owusu to be her usual high-scoring self, not when the rest of the team poured on bucket after bucket.

No. 2 seed Maryland steamrolled No. 7 seed Alabama on Wednesday afternoon, 100-64, booking a ticket to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 by doing what the team’s done best all year. With a stifling defense that forced 19 turnovers and a blitzing transition attack to take advantage of those giveaways, Terrapins coach Brenda Frese’s squad extended its winning streak to 15 games.

“We just continue to keep guarding, keep playing for each other,” Frese said, “and make teams have to figure out how to stop us.”

So far, opposing teams haven’t figured out how to stop Maryland.

The Terrapins followed up their dominant first-round win against Mount St. Mary’s with another well-rounded display. They entered the contest with six players averaging in double figures and used 46 bench points Wednesday as a boost.

Owusu still scored 10 points to go along with her eight assists, and Maryland received a team-high 19 points off the bench from forward Angel Reese — who returned in February after breaking her foot in December.

That’s a promising sign for Frese as the tournament rolls on, giving the Terrapins another inside scoring threat. Reese entered as the No. 2 overall recruit in the country, but she’s only played 14 games this season because of her injury.

“In an ironic way, when Angel got hurt, it allowed a lot of players to kind of be able to develop their games,” Frese said. “And then now, the longer we’ve played has allowed Angel to come back into the fold.”

Maryland erupted out of the gates, rendering Alabama’s zone defense ineffective through early three-point shooting. Katie Benzan, who leads the country in three-point percentage, knocked down a pair from distance. Diamond Miller and Mimi Collins also sank early looks.

The Terrapins went on to turn 19 Crimson Tide turnovers into 33 points, with Chloe Bibby leading the way with four steals. Bibby turned that defense into offense, drawing two defenders on one break before slipping a wrap-around pass to Faith Masonius to finish at the rim — part of her career-high 16 points.

“Championship teams play defense,” Masonius said. “They play great defense. And that’s what we’re here to do — we’re here to be a championship team.”

Owusu — so often the top scorer — turned into a facilitator. On a breakaway in the third quarter, she used a shot fake to draw the lone defender, then dropped a bounce-pass assist to the trailing Bibby.

Those types of plays turned the contest into another blowout, reaching 100 or more points for the seventh time this season while securing a place in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017.

“I think every game we come out, we make a statement,” Masonius said. “We’re a great team. And whether other people see that or not, we know that in our hearts.”