8. Maryland women’s basketball wins over 24. Minnesota, 99-92

No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball welcomed the No. 24 Minnesota women’s basketball to College Park on Tuesday to test the legitimacy of the Golden Gophers’ 16-1 record.

They failed as Maryland won, 99-92, on one of the best shooting nights of the season. The Terps shot over 53% from the field and knocked down nine 3-pointers en route to their fourth-ranked win of the season. Shyanne Sellers led the way with 27 points.

“Great win for us to get at home as we open this stretch of games against four ranked teams,” Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said.

However, the positive feelings were dampened by an injury. In his second start of the season, Bri McDaniel left the game with a right knee injury and did not return. She was carried off the floor by Maryland trainers.

The game ticked off at a lightning pace, especially for Maryland, who rarely let the shot clock reach 20 seconds. However, the Golden Gophers had no trouble keeping up as they built a small lead before the game’s first timeout.

McDaniel paced Maryland before his injury, leading the Terps with six first-quarter points.

Minnesota responded with a strong offense of its own as Amaya Battle – sister of Minnesota basketball star Jamison – gave Maryland early fits, starting the game 4-of-5 from the field. Her effort gave Minnesota a 19-17 lead after the first quarter, but the biggest concern was McDaniel’s injury, which had seemingly drained the life out of the Xfinity Center.

Maryland uncharacteristically struggled to keep Minnesota off the glass — especially 6-foot-5 Sophie Hart, who helped Minnesota generate 14 second-chance points in the first half.

The Terps needed a boost and Sellers stepped up to provide it. She scored eight points in the second quarter, including two triples, as the Terps finally extended their lead in the back half of the second quarter.

Mir McLean also saw a bigger role with head coach Brenda Frese’s rotation down to just seven players. McLean stepped up with his best offensive performance of the season, cutting the ball off for easy looks at the rim.

Leading by five points at halftime, Maryland looked strong but still vulnerable to a Minnesota run. But once the second half started, Maryland’s offense improved from good to great.

“I thought they started to better understand how Minnesota defended them and (were) able to make one-and-mores,” Frese said.

The Terps shot 10-of-15 from the field and 3-of-3 from deep in the third quarter to push their lead to double digits. Kaylene Smikle, who had a quiet first half, finally got going in the frame and posted five points.

Allie Kubek, who battled Hart down low, also looked more aggressive, making more 3-pointers than she had in a game all season. She finished the game 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

“The coaches told me shoot the ball, let it fly,” Kubek said. “I feel like I’m in a little bit of a slump, so I’m just trying to get my confidence back, but my teammates and coaches know I can shoot the three, so they just let me be able to feel fired up , helped a lot. I think today I finally got it back.”

Sellers continued to look like himself, putting dice on Minnesota’s defense and either pulling up for jumpers or setting up his teammates for easy buckets. She finished the night with seven assists.

“She plays the game with so much composure,” Frese said. “The game has really slowed down for her.”

The combination of Kubek and Sellers helped Maryland build a double-digit lead, which reached 20 points in the fourth quarter.

But just when it looked like Maryland had won the game, it sparked a 16-0 Minnesota run. The Golden Gophers got within three points with 30 seconds left, but the Terps ultimately put the finishing touches on their victory from the free throw line.

“We still have to work through the fourth quarter, I think that’s probably the most disappointing part of the game, but I’d rather learn from a win versus a loss,” Frese said.

Three things to know

1. Maryland improved the glass. After coming back in the first half and giving up a ton of offensive rebounds, Maryland tightened up and outscored Minnesota 17-9 in the second half.

“They were challenged at halftime,” Frese said. “I was really disappointed. I felt like Minnesota was the tougher team and just our energy and our effort was uncharacteristic of us.”

2. Physical combat. Minnesota gave Maryland one of its most physical games of the season so far, outscoring the Terps 25 times. Kubek and Sellers both appeared to suffer blows to the face at different times in the game. Five Golden Gophers fouled out.

3. The Terps checked one off the list. Tuesday’s game was Maryland’s first in a string of four against ranked opponents. The win provided positive momentum heading into nearly a week of rest before playing No. 7 in Texas, which will be followed by no. 9 Ohio State and no. 1 UCLA.