Terrapins Honor 2006 Championship Squad With 82-67 Win Over Indiana
Sunday night in College Park, Maryland (15-1, 3-1 Big Ten) bested the Indiana Hoosiers (11-5, 0-4 Big Ten) 82-67 on a night the Terps honored their NCAA championship-winning team from 2006.
Quick Recap
In a game that was a wire-to-wire victory for the Terps as they rebounded from a shocking upset against Illinois last week, they displayed their suffocating defense against an Indiana team that boasts the conference’s leading scorer, Shay Ciezki (23.2 ppg).
Early on, Oluchi Okananwa made it clear that the Terrapins were out to avenge their last loss. Okananwa had 16 points on 50% shooting from the field in the first half, en route to a career-high performance of 34 points in 32 minutes of action, while also serving as the “head of the snake” of Maryland’s defense that forced 16 turnovers in the first half.
Okananwa capitalized on every Hoosier mistake and displayed her speed in transition. Indiana head coach Teri Moren called Okananwa the “fastest kid we’ve ever played against,” and the mountain to climb from Maryland’s fast start ended up being too much for Indiana, despite Shay Ciezki and Maya Makalusky turning up the offense in the second half.
Important Stats
Oluchi Okananwa led the headlines for Maryland with 34 points, two rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu had a 12-point, 15-rebound double-double, and Yarden Garzon, an IU transfer who holds the Hoosier program record for 3-pointers, finished with eight points.
For Indiana, Maya Makalusky led the way with 20 points. Shay Ciezki added 17 points and three assists, while Lenee Beaumont and Nevaeh Caffey had 11 points apiece.
From a team perspective, the turnover difference was key. Indiana committed 21 turnovers to Maryland’s 11, though the Hoosiers did a much better job limiting mistakes in the second half.
“We’re going to have to continue to grow,” Beaumont said postgame in regards to how the team can weather early conference losses.
Key Takeaways
First, Oluchi Okananwa has a very serious case to be the best player in the Big Ten. She impacts both ends of the floor and has a naturally flowing game that doesn’t require her to be force-fed the basketball.
In the postgame presser, Okananwa stated she’s been “given a lot more freedom” offensively than she’s had in her college career. The confidence built from her ability and freedom elicits success.
For Indiana, we learned that their pace and shooting can keep them in games, if they can limit mistakes.
Despite the runs allowed at the beginning of the game and in the third quarter, Indiana showed that if you take your foot off the gas or let them get comfortable from deep, they can burn you, something to monitor for future matchups.
Overall, another powerful display from the Terrapins, while Indiana is still searching for its first conference win.
To stay in tune with the gauntlet that is Big Ten women’s basketball, stay locked in to my local coverage of Maryland women’s hoops.
