Brenda Frese added Addi Mack to No. 10 Maryland women’s basketball’s roster this offseason. The Terps’ coach had scouted the freshman guard for her scoring ability — she logged over 4,000 points in high school.
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.”
