This Time, Terps Avoid Upset

U-Md. Fends Off Cornhuskers and Specter of Consecutive Early Exits From NCAAs : Maryland 76, Nebraska 64

It was the round that doomed the Maryland women's basketball team last year, and that realization was never far from the Terrapins' minds. Entering the second round of the NCAA tournament, Terrapins Coach Brenda Frese knew last night's contest wouldn't be so much about beating No. 8 seed Nebraska as getting her players to overcome their anxieties about losing in this round a year ago.

"Mentally I thought from our end, it was going to be a big hurdle for us," Frese said.

One year after Maryland matched the quickest tournament exit by a defending NCAA champion, the top-seeded Terrapins overcame some tense moments and a late start to prevail over the Cornhuskers, 76-64, and advance to the regional semifinals in Spokane, Wash. The Terrapins (32-3) will play fourth-seeded Vanderbilt on Saturday.

"I don't think you're going to find a happier team than us to be in the Sweet 16 right now," Marissa Coleman said. "Mainly because we got knocked out last year [in the second round], this was kind of a hump we all wanted to get over."

In the final home game for Maryland's four seniors, a pair of juniors carried the Terrapins. Coleman scored 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Kristi Toliver also had 19 points. Crystal Langhorne, playing in her final home game, added 18 points and 12 rebounds to cap the Terrapins' undefeated season at Comcast Center.

Clinging to a one-point halftime lead and the specter of its second-round collapse to Mississippi lingering hauntingly, Maryland came out in the second half with greater purpose. The Terrapins quickly built a six-point lead before Nebraska (21-12) tied the score at 45 on Dominique Kelley's three-pointer.

Coleman answered Kelley's three-pointer with one of her own and a jump shot from near the three-point arc, part of nine consecutive points she scored in that stretch. Then Toliver, who had missed eight of her first 10 shots and had picked up her third foul just 2 1/2 minutes into the second half, sank a three-point basket just moments after re-entering the game to put Maryland ahead, 53-45.

Behind Coleman and Toliver, the Terrapins built their lead to 65-53 with just more than 6 1/2 minutes left, but Nebraska wouldn't go away. The Cornhuskers scored eight points in less than a minute to pull to 65-61. Yvonne Turner, who finished with a career-high 23 points, began the run with a four-point play after getting fouled by freshman Marah Strickland.

Back-to-back baskets by Toliver ended Nebraska's spurt, and Maryland held on.

"We're just excited to be out of College Park," Langhorne said. "That was one of our main goals."

Tipping off at 9:53 p.m., the game was played at Maryland's favored pace early. The Terrapins scored quickly and easily, racing up and down the court. Yet, the Cornhuskers, who average 12 fewer points per game than Maryland, seemed comfortable playing up-tempo.

With the Cornhuskers' defense collapsing on her, Langhorne wasn't given much room to operate underneath the basket. Two and sometimes three defenders thwarted her every move. Twice, she was called for offensive fouls.

Maryland assistant coach Daron Park, upset that Nikki Bober appeared to shuffle her feet yet wasn't called for traveling on Nebraska's previous possession, apparently protested too vehemently to referee Susan Blauch. The Maryland bench received a technical foul, which led to free throws for Kaitlyn Burke. Burke made one of two to pull the Cornhuskers within 19-15.

Maryland responded with a 13-2 run, capped by Ashleigh Newman's three-point basket. But with Langhorne and Toliver on the bench in foul trouble, Maryland made only one field goal in the final five minutes as Nebraska closed the half on a 16-2 run to cut its deficit entering halftime to 34-33.

"I'm glad you all stayed up so late to be able to watch this tremendous win," Frese joked afterward. "I tell you, just a very special win for our team our program and really what it meant to our seniors. . . . I'm just very proud of how we were able to keep our poise and our composure throughout that stretch in the second half. We're excited to be leaving College Park and going out to Spokane."