Huskers Fall Short Against No. 11 Terps

Lincoln – Nebraska slumped from the start, falling behind 37-14 at the half on its way to a 69-54 women’s basketball loss to No. 11 Maryland at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Sunday.

The Huskers (12-8, 4-5 Big Ten) went just 4-for-24 from the field in first 20 minutes while losing the first-half turnover battle 14-2 against the Terrapins (16-4, 7-2 Big Ten). Maryland used the extra opportunities to outscore Nebraska 17-0 in points off turnovers in the half and never looked back.

Although Nebraska fell behind, the Huskers refused to stop fighting, outscoring the Terps 20-18 in the third quarter and 20-14 in the fourth. In the first meeting this season with the Terrapins, Nebraska outscored Maryland 59-31 in the second half in College Park in a 90-67 Husker victory.

Jaz Shelley led Nebraska with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Sam Haiby and Annika Stewart just missed double-doubles for the Big Red. Haiby finished with nine points and a season-high 12 rebounds, while Stewart pitched in nine points and nine boards off the bench.

Shyanne Sellers led Maryland with a game-high 20 points to go along with 11 rebounds, while Diamond Miller contributed 18 points as the only two Terps in double figures in a choppy game that lacked flow throughout.

By the end of the day, Nebraska hit just 30.8 percent (19-62) of its shots including 5-of-27 three-pointers (.185) to go along with 11-of-20 free throws (.550). But the Huskers out-rebounded Maryland 56-47, including 16 offensive boards.

Maryland hit 20-of-66 shots (.303), including 4-of-18 threes (.222), but connected on 25-of-37 free throws. The Terrapins, who won the turnover battle 22-10, outscored the Huskers by 14 points at the free throw line by forcing 27 fouls on the Big Red. Maryland was whistled for 22 fouls.

Maryland never trailed in the game but held just an 8-6 edge with three minutes left in the first quarter before closing the period on a 10-0 run that included just one field and 8-for-8 free throw shooting by the Terps. Once the lead got to double digits, Maryland never relinquished the double-figure lead. The run grew to 12-0 to start the second quarter before Shelley snapped it with a three-pointer with 8:13 left in the half. 

It was the only field goal for the Huskers in the first eight minutes of the second quarter, as the Terps pushed the lead to 37-14 at the half. The 14 points were the fifth-fewest scored by Nebraska in a first-half in school history.

Nebraska will take the midweek off from competition before returning to Big Ten road action at No. 10 Iowa on Saturday. Tip-off between the Huskers and Hawkeyes is set for Noon (CT) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City with national television coverage on FOX. The game can also be heard across the Huskers Radio Network on Huskers.com and the Huskers App.