Mack was more than prepared, scoring 15 points in No. 9 Maryland’s 84-68 win against Princeton on Sunday afternoon at Xfinity Center.

Coach Brenda Frese brought the freshman in for her scoring talent, which has been on full display in the Terps’ non-conference slate. Mack led Maryland in scoring in its previous two matchups with 23 and 15 points, respectively.

But Frese clearly trusted Bartelme to run the offense. She took on a heavy load as a starter, averaging 23 minutes in her first three games. Mack, a more traditional scorer, will have to adjust to playing in a more facilitating role.

“I know that everyone here has my back and they trust me to, you know, step into that role as well,” Mack said. “I’m just really excited to just keep building off of it with the team.”

Mack finished with three assists and just one turnover in her first start as point guard — a positive sign after Maryland turned it over 22 times against Towson on Thursday.

[Kaylene Smikle returns in Maryland women’s basketball’s 88-70 win over Towson]

The Terps had just 19 assists to 22 turnovers on Thursday against Towson. Frese said her team would have to take “much better care of the basketball” to match up with Princeton’s upperclassmen-heavy roster.

Instead, Maryland still turned it over 16 times against the Tigers. After turning it over just once in the first quarter, it committed eight turnovers in the second frame. The Terps’ offense stalled out in the second period, getting outscored 20-8 and not scoring in the final 3:43 of the half. The Terps shot just 36 percent from the field in the first half.

“I thought fatigue definitely played a part,” Frese said about the second quarter. “We looked like we had never broken a press.”

It was the third consecutive game it finished with a non-positive assist-to-turnover ratio. Turnovers remain a concern, but some of that can be attributed to starting shuffling lineups.

The Terps just can’t seem to avoid injury trouble, though. Just eight minutes after last season’s leading scorer Kaylene Smikle returned to the court for the first time Thursday, Bartelme was helped off the court after landing on her knee.

[Maryland women’s basketball mailbag: What can we expect from the Terps this season?]

Then Sunday, Terps fans went silent when Mack took a scary fall under the basket. The freshman quickly returned to finish the game.

She helped engineer a strong third quarter, as Maryland took control of the game in the frame. Smikle scored eight points off free throws, the offense shot 80 percent from the field and made all three of its triples. Oluchi Okananwa scored a team-high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting.

While not ranked, Princeton is Maryland’s first opponent of the season that received votes for the AP Top 25 poll. And despite the injury scares, the Terps are likely to emerge from the non-conference slate with two quality wins over Georgetown and the Tigers.

“This is going to be impactful for us when you talk about the future and why we play games like this within our scheduling,” Frese said. “Princeton is a really really good team.”

Throughout the preseason, Frese knew Mack would play a key role in shaping the team’s identity. With the Terps down as much as 10 points on Sunday, she stepped up.

Mack scored a game-high 23 points, 17 of which came in a pivotal fourth quarter. She provided Maryland its third and final lead of the game and cemented the Terps’ 85-66 win over Georgetown at the Xfinity Center on Sunday.

“That’s why she came [to Maryland],” Frese said. “She’s going to have a lot more moments like this. She’s never afraid.”

[Maryland women’s basketball’s energetic youth could provide extra depth this season]

Prior to her late offensive blitz, Mack hadn’t scored since the first quarter. The Terps shot under 50 percent from the field in each of the first three quarters — part of a disastrous start.

For the majority of Sunday, Maryland’s offense production faltered across its 11-player rotation. The Terps struggled to generate high-quality offensive looks and no Terps’ player reached double-digit points until the fourth quarter.

Frese said that understanding the depth of her roster comes with the challenge of finding the right blend of players and lineups against certain opponents.

On Sunday, Mack, Oluchi Okananwa, Lea Bartelme, Saylor Poffenbarger and Yarden Garzon filled the void. The group shot 14-for-19 from the field and added six assists.

The five-player pairing responded just as strongly on defense down the stretch. Maryland was effective in generating stops and turning defense to offense — 14 defensive rebounds from the Terps held the Hoyas to just nine points in the final quarter.

“This was obviously our first take of adversity,” Okananwa said. “The way we handled, the way we responded, I’m just so happy to be a part of it.”

[Maryland women’s basketball’s explosive third quarter sparks 87-54 win over UMBC]

Maryland’s starters headed its early turnover crisis, an area of focus Frese stressed entering Sunday. Redshirt junior Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu committed two turnovers in the first minute of play alone — a number that ballooned to 13 for the Terps by halftime.

Foul issues were also a constant for Maryland. Frese’s strategy of immediately subbing out players after fouls hurt the Terps. Maryland’s starting unit combined for nine fouls and forced their inexperienced bench to face Georgetown’s staunch full-court press.

Georgetown capitalized off early Maryland mistakes. The Hoyas shot 16-for-18 on first-half free throws in the first half — six of which came from junior guard Khia Miller. Dominant road offense, mixed with a myriad of 3-point struggles by the Terps, allowed Georgetown to control a defensive-heavy pace.

The Hoyas limited Maryland to just 1-for-12 shooting from beyond the arc in the first half Sunday, forcing the Terps to make adjustments.

Frese looked to Marya Boiko off the bench amid stagnant Maryland possessions.

Boiko’s 6-foot-4 frame added a commanding interior presence to a struggling Terps’ frontcourt. The freshman forward logged nine points and two steals in 24 minutes — part of Maryland’s eventual 46 paint points, which nearly doubled Georgetown’s 18.

“I think we just had to settle in, seeing a different style of play,” Frese said. “I thought for … our third game of the season, just a lot of great things, lessons to be able to learn from a win.”

The Maryland women’s basketball guard has tied styling into every aspect of her life, even down to her nickname “GucciLuchi”.

Dedicating time to fashion and styling helps Okananwa represent herself outside of basketball. While playing at Duke, the now-junior combined her childhood love of styling with her basketball platform, turning it into a brand she carries into College Park after her offseason transfer.

“When people think of me, they should think of fashion,” Okananwa said.

Okananwa is now eight episodes into her series “Styling w/ Luchi” that began at Duke. Blue Devils teammate Jadyn Donovan suggested Okananwa should style her teammates, kickstarting the series.

In most episodes, Okananwa uses clothing from her teammates’ closets and incorporates her own pieces to style outfits she feels suit their personalities. She rated teammates Addi Mack and Kyndal Walker’s first day of class outfits in her first episode with Maryland.

Okananwa’s goal is to find herself in the fashion space, with her current brand giving her a foot in the industry — especially in the Name, Image and Likeness era of college athletics.

Dominique Stapleton, a certified NBA/NCAA agent and NIL strategist for My NIL Worth A Mil, said Okananwa’s brand makes her more convincing for companies to invest in than a typical college athlete.

[Brenda Frese highlights health, newcomers at Maryland women’s basketball media day]

“If you’ve built your brand, then they’re paying for your brand, your audience,” Stapleton said. “Not just the fact that you’re an athlete.”

The beginning of revenue sharing in 2025-26 ensures athletes in Power Five conferences will receive direct compensation. Still, Stapleton said building a personal brand is crucial.

Developing a brand gives an athlete longevity to generate revenue beyond college, she said. Social media has made it easier by giving everyone the ability to produce content. While some may negotiate for brand-building support when signing with teams, Stapleton said simply engaging their natural audience through their sport can be just as effective.

She added Okananwa’s confidence and personality “shine through” in her videos, and with improved production quality, she could carve out an even stronger niche for herself.

“I like the direction that she’s going,” Stapleton said. “The concept can be great if it’s done the right way.”

Okananwa has featured one partnership in her series: a Duke merchandise collaboration with Playa Society. She has a list of brands she hopes to collaborate with, from fast fashion shops such as H&M and Zara to luxury brands like Gucci.

Okananwa’s style started at home. Growing up in Nigerian culture, fashion and dressing well were core components, she said. Families hosted events dressed in the same fabrics, and Okananwa matched with her older sister, Chinma, at gatherings despite being four years apart.

[How Brenda Frese, Maryland women’s basketball plan to replace lost production this season]

Chinma also wanted to be a designer growing up and bonded with her sister over shows such as Project Runway and America’s Next Top Model

“Seeing her vision be brought to life, and how she goes into styling an outfit and things like that, I think is just so beautiful,” Chinma said.

Okananwa’s series now mimics the days she’d dress up with her sister and walk down their hall imagining it was a runway. The bedroom setup helps the videos feel more relaxed.

“I really just wanted [the setup] to be like you’re getting a look into your older sister’s closet, and she’s playing dress up with her friends,” Okananwa said.

Okananwa has already planned her tunnel fits for this season but will keep it simple on the court. She’ll instead use the platform to style coach Brenda Frese for a matchup — a deal she said Frese agreed to.

The guard will savor her final two years of college but is excited for the next steps of her career, which fashion is guaranteed to be a part of.

“I see myself in the fashion space, no doubt,” Okananwa said. “Not just because I’m drawn to it, but because I am confident in my abilities within that space and think that I could have a future within it.”

Maryland women’s basketball hosted an open practice on Saturday to debut its 2025-26 roster. The Terps scrimmaged their scout team, falling 70-67 to the group in overtime.

Coach Brenda Frese called them “the best scout team” Maryland’s had during her tenure after the matchup.

The final score was irrelevant, though. The scrimmage was intended to show fans what Maryland’s new roster looked like in the early stages of the season.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s showing.

Oluchi Okananwa shined as point guard

At Duke, Oluchi Okananwa played primarily on the wing and came off the bench. Her first game in a Maryland uniform was a much different sight.

Okananwa started for the Terps as a point guard during the scrimmage and dominated. The junior led the team in scoring, posting 21 points and eight rebounds.

[How Maryland women’s basketball bonded over ‘Love Island’]

The guard came off the bench for Duke, averaging 10.1 points and 22.4 minutes per game in 2024-25 and earning the ACC Sixth Player of the Year award in 2024.

After two years on the bench, Okananwa looks poised to take over the role as Maryland’s starting point guard.

Despite the scoring outburst, her freshness at the position showed. She recorded five of Maryland’s 19 turnovers.

Frese, who emphasizes not turning the ball over, was vocal during timeouts about fixing the Terps’ struggles to keep possession.

Don’t expect Maryland to start the season fully healthy

The Terps were hindered by injuries during the 2024-25 season. It looks like they’ll start this year’s campaign in a similar spot. 

Three of Maryland’s expected contributors didn’t suit up Saturday.

Then-junior Bri McDaniel suffered an ACL tear in January against Minnesota — an injury that can take up to a year to recover from. McDaniel underwent surgery and remains unlikely to start the season in the rotation.

Returners Kaylene Smikle and Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu also notably didn’t play Saturday. Ozzy-Momodu redshirted her junior campaign to recover after tearing her ACL in February 2024 while still with Gulf Coast State.

But it’s unclear why Smikle was sidelined for the scrimmage. The senior guard was named to the preseason All-Big Ten team on Oct. 2 and led the Terps in points last season.

Four-star freshman Rainey Welson didn’t appear either. The No. 34 recruit in the 2025 class’ senior year ended early after she suffered a knee injury. It’s unclear if that injury is still lingering.

Frese is likely giving her players time to nurse any of their injuries before Maryland faces Loyola in their first game on Nov. 3. It will be interesting to see if any of the absent Terps make an appearance in their exhibition matchup on Oct. 26 against No. 9 NC State.

The freshman talent is strong

247Sports ranked Maryland’s 2025 class No. 22 overall and didn’t even make ESPN’s Top 25 rankings. But the incoming class looked much stronger than that ranking in the scrimmage.

Marya Boiko was hard to ignore inside the paint. The 6’4 forward finished with 14 points and four rebounds, all on defense. Boiko’s aid under the rim will be a huge gain for Maryland if she can pick up time in rotation.

[Maryland basketball moves into long-awaited ‘first-class’ practice facility]

The Belarus native was a late pickup for Frese’s class. Boiko and fellow freshman Nicole Fritea joined the roster in late July after Frese’s team scouted the two internationally. Fritea, a 6’2 forward from Romania, only played three minutes of the scrimmage.

Lea Bartelme and Addi Mack also delivered strong performances, putting up seven points each. Bartelme’s ball handling and ability to take up space stood out, while Mack showed off her speed and ball movement, dishing out four assists.

Bartelme’s professional playing experience with the Slovenian national team gives the 5’8 guard more of a veteran edge than a typical freshman. It seems Bartelme could be a good candidate to fill McDaniel’s spot until she’s ready to return.

Frese doesn’t usually lean on freshmen, but given the combination of injuries and talent, this season could be different.

Maryland will end a relatively light non-conference schedule and visit Minnesota on Dec. 7 to begin Big Ten play. For the second consecutive season, the Terps will start their conference slate on the road.

Wisconsin will take a trip to College Park on Dec. 29 to close out 2025. Maryland begins the new year traveling to Illinois on Jan. 1.

Transfer Yarden Garzon will face her former squad on Jan. 4 in an anticipated matchup when Indiana comes to College Park. The 6-foot-3 guard started every game and led the Hoosiers with 14.4 points per game her junior season — a key cog whose absence leaves a huge gap in the Indiana lineup.

[How Maryland women’s basketball bonded over ‘Love Island’]

The Terps will play USC and UCLA on the West Coast for the first time since the programs joined the conference in 2024. Three days separate the matchups against the California powerhouses, with Maryland facing the Trojans on Jan. 15 and the Bruins on Jan. 18.

USC, led by Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year Juju Watkins, narrowly handed the Terps their first loss of the season last year, 79-74. Despite playing on the road, Maryland has its best chance to upset the Trojans with Watkins likely to remain sidelined from an ACL tear she suffered in March.

A three-game homestand, the longest of the conference slate, closes out January for Maryland, starting with a key game against Iowa on Jan. 22 before facing Washington and Oregon on Jan. 28 and Jan. 31, respectively.

Maryland will hit the road again in February to visit Michigan State and Nebraska. The Cornhuskers handed the Terps their biggest loss of the conference season last year, a 91-71 thrashing at Xfinity Center.

[The Diamondback Sports Digest: Maryland football faces its first conference test]

The Terps will face Ohio State twice — first at home on Jan. 11 before heading to Columbus on Feb. 15. Maryland’s 13-5 conference record tied Ohio State for third-best behind the two California programs.

Purdue and Northwestern will visit College Park for the Terps’ final homestand on Feb. 22 and Feb. 25, respectively. Michigan will host Maryland’s final match on Feb. 28, where the Terps look to get revenge from their 98-71 loss in the Big Ten tournament.

With minimal shakeups from the draft and transfer portal, USC and UCLA appear set to dominate the Big Ten for a second straight season.

The Trojans lost Kiki Iriafen and Rayah Marshall to the WNBA Draft but secured the commitment of No. 1 recruit Jasmine Davidison. The Bruins, who visited the Final Four last season, return star Lauren Betts and picked up her younger sister, Sienna, the No. 2 recruit in the nation.

Maryland aims to challenge the West Coast’s reign if the roster can remain healthy. Picking up at least one win on the California trip will be crucial for the Terps if they want a chance of claiming their first Big Ten title since 2021.

Jackson, a small forward, selected the Terps over South Carolina, Alabama, Ohio State, Miami and TCU. The No. 8 recruit in ESPNW’s 2026 class is coach Brenda Frese’s highest-ranked commit since the Terps landed Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese in 2020.

Jackson played her junior season at Sidwell Friends School, averaging 19.3 points and 6.8 rebounds and winning the District of Columbia State Athletic Association championship. Jackson announced her commitment to play her senior season at The St. James Academy on July 15, following her head coach, Tamika Dudley. 

Following Jackson’s commitment, Frese has five open scholarships for the 2026-27 campaign, barring future transfers from the program. Kaylene Smikle, Isi Ozzy-Momodu, Bri McDaniel, Yarden Garzon, Saylor Poffenbarger and Mir McLean will exhaust their eligibility after the coming season.

 

 

[Maryland football hopes to reset team, locker room culture in 2025]

 

Lewis started all 49 games at first base for Maryland this season, and was the Terps’ top power hitter. The junior batted .310 and hit a career-high 10 home runs this year. 

The move comes after Maryland finished with its worst conference record since joining the Big Ten. The Terps ended conference play 3-19, missing postseason play for the first time in Lewis’ career. 

Lewis is the first Terp to enter the portal and leaves with a year of eligibility.

“I’ve always wanted to be a part of a winning culture, and we just don’t have that culture right now,” Lewis told The Diamondback. “I wanted to be a part of it, but I didn’t realize the longevity of how long it’s going to take, and I just frankly don’t have the time left.”

[Maryland softball still lacks direction after 2 years under Lauren Karn]

Lewis originally committed to Maryland under former head coach Mark Montgomery, who left the program in 2023. In two seasons under coach Lauren Karn, the Terps have suffered a significant regression.

“There’s just so much work to be done, and I fully entrust it with Coach Lauren and her staff,” Lewis said. “It just keeps going back to ‘I don’t have time to help build it.”

The first baseman’s move is a significant blow to Karn’s roster entering her third season. Lewis helped Maryland’s program maintain its heart throughout the tough 2025 season, The Diamondback reported.

Lewis led the Terps’ RBI in the past two seasons, tallying 95 in her career. The three-year offensive standout was Maryland’s designated hitter in her sophomore season before she took over the starting first base spot this season.

The Texas native finished the 2025 season with career bests in batting average, hits and slugging percentage.

“I know that I want to go deeper,” Lewis said. “Making it as far as I can in the postseason, and also being a part of that journey, I am going to go somewhere and make an impact.”

Nebraska’s 10th hit of the day walked off the Terps in the sixth inning. While Nebraska pitcher Jordyn Bahl held the Terps hitless through four innings, Maryland cycled through three pitchers in the same time.

The Terps split their first six conference games, but dropped 16 straight Big Ten matchups to close the season. Maryland posted its worst conference record since joining the Big Ten, in a season that left doubt on what coach Lauren Karn’s leadership looks like.

The Terps didn’t have one strong spot across their game that stood out. Their 96.1 fielding percentage fell in the middle of the Big Ten, while many significant batting and pitching stats fell in the bottom five spots of the conference.

“We’re trying to stay positive, even though we’re taking some hits,” Karn said in April.

Most damage during the season came from a failure to replace key pieces in the lineup. Karn, a former pitcher, opted to use the entire pitching rotation instead of recruiting a new pitcher to replace 2024 graduate Courtney Wyche.

[Sydney Lewis helped Maryland softball keep its heart amid a tough season]

That strategy wasn’t successful. The pitching rotation’s ERA increased by more than a run for the second year straight. Freshman Aubrey Wurst was the only pitcher to average less than five earned runs, but featured in just two ⅔ innings in conference play.

Maryland’s expected aces had tough seasons. Junior Bri Godfrey worked on a new pitching motion that ultimately faltered as the season continued. Sophomore Julia Shearer took over the starting role for Godfrey, but allowed more than a third of Maryland’s surrendered hits this season.

The entire pitching rotation still has at least one year of eligibility, but has to pick up velocity or specialty pitches. Without a strikeout pitcher, Maryland took a different route, promoting changeup pitcher Keira Bucher into a starting role, hoping to switch it up for stronger batting orders.
“I kind of think that for us to have success, we have to show multiple pitchers,” Karn said in April. “It’s giving us a different opportunity to give a different look.”

Only three of Maryland’s hitters were returners to the starting lineup. Graduate student Mazie MacFarlane stepped into the leadoff hitter role flawlessly and led the Terps in runs, while junior Sydney Lewis added 38 RBIs to her career.

But the pair was just two of three Terps batters to finish with more than .300.

[Maryland softball’s season ends with 16th straight conference loss, falls 9-1 to Nebraska]

“The [batters] that are below that .300 mark, I would say, just aren’t as adaptable [with] making adjustments,” Karn said. “But we have to keep finding a way and keep fighting for it.”

The Terps’ schedule ranked fifth in difficulty among Big Ten teams. Maryland picked up one ranked win, a 6-3 defeat over No. 21 California in February, but posted a -68 run differential against Top 25 opponents overall.

“​​We were playing really good softball, and then teams, quite frankly that were better than us, were ending up beating us,” Karn said. “The more hits we took in that manner, the harder I think it’s become to really believe that we can win late in games.”

The disappointing campaign resulted in the Terps missing the Big Ten tournament for the first time since 2021. Maryland hasn’t made the NCAA tournament since 2012 under Laura Watten and is on its fifth coach since that season.

Recruiting will be critical to fill in the gaps on the Terps’ roster. Along with gaping holes already across the lineup, graduate students MacFarlane and Sam Bean will depart the program. Karn said she is looking to add help “in every area” across the lineup.

At the center of the team’s spark was first baseman Sydney Lewis. When the junior wasn’t batting in runs at the plate, Lewis was in the dugout, leading the cheering for her team. Lewis has always been the hype person throughout her career, noting she “can’t function” and “won’t play the same” if she’s not.

But it’s hard to have energy when your team is losing.

Coach Lauren Karn said she was waiting for the team that started the season on a high note “to show up” after the Terps picked up their 10th straight loss during an abysmal 20-day stretch from late March to mid-April.

That was a low point for Lewis, who felt she held the solo responsibility to bring her team out of it.

“My coaches tell me all the time that I am the person that people lean onto for my energy,” Lewis said. “When we lose like 10 Big Ten games in a row, it’s like, ‘Well, how on earth am I supposed to keep my energy up?’”

[Maryland baseball clinches key sweep against Minnesota, wins 11-10]

Lewis rose to the challenge. While playing first base, Lewis often ran up to the pitcher’s circle, saying something encouraging to whoever was throwing that day.

Junior Bri Godfrey, who tossed the most innings for the Terps this season, appreciated the notes of “you got this” or “we have your back right here.”

Lewis’ influence grew. The whole team began to approach the circle with her after an out, tossing around the ball before high-fiving their pitcher in the circle and leaving words of their own.

“I tend to remind myself … being that energetic is what makes me happy about this game,” Lewis said. “If I don’t act like that, I’m not going to be the same, and I won’t have any fun.”

Karn said that mindset makes Lewis a good leader, and Karn wants the rest of her team to emulate it.

“She’s worked really hard to get herself to be in that space this year, and it’s paying off,” Karn said. “It’s just not bleeding into others on the team right now, and that’s, I think, part of our issue.”

That connectedness started to falter as the team faced more adversity and players got down on themselves individually. That’s where Lewis’ knowledge of her teammates came in handy.

[Maryland softball’s season ends with 16th straight conference loss, 9-1 to Nebraska]

Lewis tailors her chants on the bench to whoever is up to bat and what they need in that moment, which isn’t always something serious. For veterans like graduate student Mazie MacFarlane, sometimes it’s just telling her that she looks “beautiful.”

“Mazie has been in this game a long time, she doesn’t need to hear, ‘hit the ball hard,’” Lewis said. “Mazie just wants to hear that she’s beautiful, so I’m like, ‘Of course, I’ll tell her that.’”

For underclassmen, it’s often words of advice that help them stay focused on their goal at the plate. That support from Lewis helped freshman Taylor Borovac and other teammates improve their confidence, which they struggled with early on.

Lewis often reminded Borovac to keep her game simple when she got up to the plate. Although Borvac said she didn’t need much, those pep talks reminded her that she was a good player and helped her play loose. And when things didn’t go her way, there were people to support her.

“Us having to rely on each other is one thing that definitely helped a little bit to just be like, ‘OK, things aren’t going our way right now, but we’re gonna push through this,’” Borovac said.

The Terps have a closer bond this season as friends, something that gave them confidence going into the season. Lewis hopes to continue to be a leader for Maryland, playing a big role in getting relationships off the field to transition into trust on the field for a young roster.

“It’s not like we have an issue of energy — it’s just consistently doing it in the mindset when we’re failing, and I think that’s where we’re trying to implement it,” Lewis said.

Keira Bucher threw in relief after Bri Godfrey and Julia Shearer each managed only one inning of work against Nebraska, allowing a combined seven runs. The junior held the Huskers scoreless for 3 ⅓ innings, but Ava Kuszak’s two-run home run mercy-ruled Maryland, 9-1.

It was the 11th time this season the Terps have lost via the mercy-rule and the 16th straight loss they suffered against a conference opponent.

Maryland finished with a -95 run margin against Big Ten foes. It gave up sixteen runs or more in 16 of its 22 conference matchups.

“I’m hoping our team, when they return, doesn’t forget that and forget what this feels like,” coach Lauren Karn said.

Karn’s team regressed in her second season, finishing the year with a 3-19 record in Big Ten play. It’s the program’s worst conference record since 2005 and the team’s lowest win percentage since 2018.

[Maryland softball musters just 1 hit in 6-0 loss to Nebraska]

A 6.69 team ERA during Big Ten play cost Maryland multiple games. Sunday was no different. Nebraska started the game by scoring four runs in the first inning, including a home run by the Huskers’ Jordyn Bahl on the second pitch of the game.

Bri Godfrey, who pitched 3 ⅓ innings, allowing five hits and four runs in the series’ first two matchups, started the contest.

The junior was at one point Maryland’s ace, but dropped off in conference play. Godfrey’s ERA rose from 3.68 at the beginning of the Big Ten slate to over five by the season’s end.

Shearer replaced Godfrey after just one inning, but the sophomore struggled as well, surrendering another three runs on five hits.

The talent disparity in the pitching circle was even more evident when Maryland’s offense took the field. Bahl no-hit the Terps and struck out six batters through four innings.

[Pitching doomed Maryland softball against Penn State despite strong offense]

Maryland didn’t get much from either of its graduating students in their final game. Both Mazie MacFarlane and Sam Bean struck out twice in their final career at bats.

After Nebraska made a pitching change, the Terps’ offense strung together three hits in the fifth inning and scored their lone run of the game. But Bucher’s strong outing ended in disappointment, as Kuszak’s home run ended Maryland’s season.

The final long-ball was the 42nd home run the Terps allowed this season. Karn’s first two seasons haven’t gone according to plan – Maryland’s regressed from its two winning years in 2023 and 2022.

“Going into next year, I just think we need to find a way to want to win a little bit more,” Karn said.

The Terps will miss the Big Ten tournament for the first time since 2021. Sunday’s game was emblematic of most of Maryland’s season — limited offensive production and disappointing pitching performances, ending in a conference series sweep.