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Maryland stands up to U-Conn. but still falls to three-time defending champs Maryland stands up to U-Conn. but still falls to three-time defending champs
(34 minutes later)
NEW YORK — The University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball program is the standard every program in the nation is trying to match. That includes the University of Maryland, which came into Monday night’s undefeated showdown between the top-ranked Huskies and the sixth-ranked Terrapins hoping to show they had managed to close the gap between themselves and women’s college basketball’s lone superpower.NEW YORK — The University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball program is the standard every program in the nation is trying to match. That includes the University of Maryland, which came into Monday night’s undefeated showdown between the top-ranked Huskies and the sixth-ranked Terrapins hoping to show they had managed to close the gap between themselves and women’s college basketball’s lone superpower.
Mission accomplished.Mission accomplished.
No, Maryland didn’t beat Connecticut on Monday night. They lost, 83-73, in the Maggie Dixon Classic in front of an announced 6,575 at Madison Square Garden. But after the Terrapins lost by 23 points to the Huskies in last season’s national semifinal, they hung with Connecticut through nearly the entire 40 minutes in this one — even while finishing with 22 turnovers after throwing the ball around like a hot potato from start to finish. No, Maryland didn’t beat Connecticut on Monday night. They lost, 83-73, in the Maggie Dixon Classic in front of an announced 6,575 at Madison Square Garden.
“Obviously nobody wants to lose,” Maryland Coach Brenda Frese said. “We’re one of the most competitive teams out there. But I’m really proud of the fact that I felt like we responded punch for punch. When you look at U-Conn., in the games they’ve played in, usually that knockout punch comes and you don’t recover. I love the confidence and the swagger that we played with. There was no fear, and I thought we competed really, really hard for 40 minutes. But after the Terrapins lost by 23 points to the Huskies in last season’s national semifinal, they hung with Connecticut through nearly the entire 40 minutes in this one — even while finishing with 22 turnovers after throwing the ball around like a hot potato from start to finish.
“Obviously nobody wants to lose,” Maryland Coach Brenda Frese said. “We’re one of the most competitive teams out there. But I’m really proud of the fact that I felt like we responded punch for punch. When you look at U-Conn., in the games they’ve played in, usually that knockout punch comes and you don’t recover.
“I love the confidence and the swagger that we played with. There was no fear, and I thought we competed really, really hard for 40 minutes.
“Like I told the team in the locker room, if we continue to work this hard and compete, big things are in store for this team come March. Big picture, that’s where we want to be, but I’m just really, really proud of how hard we competed in this game.”“Like I told the team in the locker room, if we continue to work this hard and compete, big things are in store for this team come March. Big picture, that’s where we want to be, but I’m just really, really proud of how hard we competed in this game.”
It had looked like Connecticut had delivered that knockout punch Frese referenced late in the third quarter. After Maryland forward Brianna Fraser converted a three-point play inside to give the Terrapins a 43-41 lead with 4 minutes 35 seconds remaining in the third quarter, the Huskies (10-0) responded with a 15-4 run to end the third with a 56-47 lead. It looked like Connecticut had delivered that knockout punch Frese referenced late in the third quarter. After Maryland forward Brianna Fraser converted a three-point play inside to give the Terrapins a 43-41 lead with 4 minutes 35 seconds remaining in the quarter, the Huskies (10-0) responded with a 15-4 run to end the third with a 56-47 lead.
But even after Connecticut had managed to push its lead to as many as 12 early in the fourth on a layup from superstar forward Breanna Stewart — who returned from a sprained ankle to put up her usual brilliant stat line of 23 points, six rebounds, seven assists and two blocked shots — Maryland (11-1) kept coming. But even after Connecticut had managed to push its lead to 12 early in the fourth on a layup from superstar forward Breanna Stewart — who returned from a sprained ankle to put up her usual brilliant stat line of 23 points, six rebounds, seven assists and two blocked shots — Maryland (11-1) kept coming.
The Terrapins responded with a 13-6 run to cut the deficit to five with 5:09 to go when a Kristen Confroy three-pointer made it 67-62, and after getting back to within five twice in the latter stages of the fourth quarter, even managed to cut their deficit to four when Tierney Pfirman’s three-pointer with 1:08 left made it 75-71 Connecticut. But the Huskies immediately responded with a three-pointer from Saniya Chong on the next possession that gave them a 78-71 lead with 40 seconds left and ensured Connecticut would emerge with a win.The Terrapins responded with a 13-6 run to cut the deficit to five with 5:09 to go when a Kristen Confroy three-pointer made it 67-62, and after getting back to within five twice in the latter stages of the fourth quarter, even managed to cut their deficit to four when Tierney Pfirman’s three-pointer with 1:08 left made it 75-71 Connecticut. But the Huskies immediately responded with a three-pointer from Saniya Chong on the next possession that gave them a 78-71 lead with 40 seconds left and ensured Connecticut would emerge with a win.
“Sometimes we make it look real easy, and we try to explain to our players that it’s not easy and it’s not going to be easy,” Connecticut Coach Geno Auriemma said. “A game like today reminds all of us that this is not supposed to be easy. It’s supposed to be really hard when you play really good teams.“Sometimes we make it look real easy, and we try to explain to our players that it’s not easy and it’s not going to be easy,” Connecticut Coach Geno Auriemma said. “A game like today reminds all of us that this is not supposed to be easy. It’s supposed to be really hard when you play really good teams.
“Maryland is a really tough matchup for us because they’re really big inside, and we can’t handle that unless we get some help, and then the minute we help then they’ve got guys that can make you pay for it knocking in threes. I think they’re much more balanced than they were last year and I think they’re a lot harder to match up with.”“Maryland is a really tough matchup for us because they’re really big inside, and we can’t handle that unless we get some help, and then the minute we help then they’ve got guys that can make you pay for it knocking in threes. I think they’re much more balanced than they were last year and I think they’re a lot harder to match up with.”
The amount of success Connecticut has had under Auriemma is staggering: 10 national championships, 16 Final Four appearances and an unthinkable record of 924 wins to just 134 losses over his 30-plus seasons at the helm.The amount of success Connecticut has had under Auriemma is staggering: 10 national championships, 16 Final Four appearances and an unthinkable record of 924 wins to just 134 losses over his 30-plus seasons at the helm.
That’s the level Frese is trying to lift Maryland to — and, to her credit, the program has made tremendous strides since she took over in 2002, claiming its first national championship in 2006 before making it to the Final Four each of the last two seasons.That’s the level Frese is trying to lift Maryland to — and, to her credit, the program has made tremendous strides since she took over in 2002, claiming its first national championship in 2006 before making it to the Final Four each of the last two seasons.
But Connecticut has won three straight national titles, and beat Maryland in that national semifinal last season, showing there was still plenty of daylight between the two programs.But Connecticut has won three straight national titles, and beat Maryland in that national semifinal last season, showing there was still plenty of daylight between the two programs.
Maryland may no longer be undefeated, and the Terrapins may not have finally found a way to beat Connecticut, but Monday night’s performance was still a success. They gave the Huskies everything they could handle for 40 minutes.Maryland may no longer be undefeated, and the Terrapins may not have finally found a way to beat Connecticut, but Monday night’s performance was still a success. They gave the Huskies everything they could handle for 40 minutes.
It was progress.It was progress.
“You want to play the best to be the best,” Frese said. “For us, it’s closing the gap. Every time we’ve played them, it’s just trying to learn and get better from it. For us to go into conference play now with our team, it should give us a lot of confidence. “You want to play the best to be the best,” Frese said. “For us, it’s closing the gap. Every time we’ve played them, it’s just trying to learn and get better from it.
“For us to go into conference play now with our team, it should give us a lot of confidence.
“This is one game of many, but we’ve had great practices leading up to this game. With our mentality, if we work like this, like we did in this game for 40 minutes, you’re going to have good things happen.”“This is one game of many, but we’ve had great practices leading up to this game. With our mentality, if we work like this, like we did in this game for 40 minutes, you’re going to have good things happen.”