No. 20 Maryland women’s basketball won its third game in a row on Thursday, turning things around after a four-game losing streak.
However, the Terps needed to still snap a three-game losing streak at home. They did that, taking down Penn State, 81-62.
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Here are three takeaways from Maryland’s victory.
The Terps set the pace
Since Maryland embarked on its three-game winning streak, it has returned to doing something it excelled at earlier in the year: setting the pace.
The Terps dominated play and set the tone Thursday. They capitalized on the fast break and scored off turnovers.
“It’s part of Maryland’s identity, the part of our DNA,” Yarden Garzon said. “Play fast, be greedy, fight every position. Just trying to play to our strengths. We want to get out there and run as much as we can.”
The Terps forced 21 giveaways, just above Penn State’s average of 18.5. But what Maryland did best was converting from those mistakes, as evidenced by its 28 points in transition.
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The Terps were able to prevent Penn State from taking shots that went to those other than Kiyomi McMiller or Gracie Merkle most of the time. McMiller leads the Big Ten, averaging 4.1 turnovers per game; she had six on Thursday.
Early on, it wasn’t pretty. The Terps struggled to sustain momentum. It took until the third quarter, where they went on a 16-2 run, for them to gain separation. That’s where the fast break was very important — Maryland pushed the pace and often connected for an easy layup or a 3-pointer, usually from Yarden Garzon.
“I thought that 16-2 run was huge and was really the standard that we want to play at,” head coach Brenda Frese said.
Maryland had a 14-0 advantage on the fast break over Penn State. The ability to dominate those transition chances helped that third-quarter run have a sustained effect.
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The balanced scoring attack and ability to return to controlling the pace have aided Maryland’s resurgence. The Terps look more like the team they have been for the majority of the season.
Rebounding domination
Heading into Thursday, if Merkle suited up, it seemed inevitable that she would dominate the Terps down low and on the glass.
“That’s who we are. I thought we were really aggressive,” Frese said of the rebounding approach.
Maryland doesn’t have anyone who can feasibly contend with her 6-foot-6 frame. That’s part of the reason why it tried to bring her in last offseason.
But the Terps finished Thursday with a 13-rebound advantage over the Nittany Lions, holding Merkle to just seven boards.
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Maryland also racked up 19 offensive rebounds and parlayed it into 24-second chance points.
“To be able to get 19 offensive rebounds, we were quick to be able to get it off the glass, we needed it, especially with kind of an off shooting night from the three point line,” Frese said.
On Thursday, rebounding proved paramount. The Terps’ acumen on the defensive boards motored the fast break, and the offensive glass bought extra opportunities to score. The Terps combined for 38 points in those areas, compared to Penn State’s four.
Saylor Poffenbarger was Maryland’s lead rebounder — she had 11 overall and eight on the defensive end. Her defensive rebounding aided her playmaking, and she finished with five assists.
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Poffenbarger wasn’t Maryland’s only force on the glass. Five Terps had five or more rebounds.
“That’s who we are on both ends of the floor,” Frese said. “We’ve had great success when we out-rebound teams and really dominate like we did tonight.”
McMiller had a big game, but it didn’t have much effect
Maryland’s scoring distribution has been spread out relatively evenly, especially over the 2026 stretch of season. But it’s been prone to allowing opponents to do the opposite: star opposing players have dominated the Terps and carried their teams to victory on multiple occasions.
That was the case again on Thursday — but not the victory part. McMiller had 30 points on 12-of-26 shooting from the field. She made some very difficult shots and was Penn State’s primary scoring option, accounting for 48.4% of her squad’s points.
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“I didn’t think we were as good [as] we needed to be with Kiyomi tonight,” Frese said.
Next up is Ohio State and Jaloni Cambridge, who scored 28 points against Maryland earlier this season. The Terps will need to force other Buckeyes besides her to beat them in a crucial game as the regular season winds down.
“We’re gonna have to do a lot better against Jaloni,” Frese said. “That area we’ve got to be able to clean up.”
