NFL
By: Nathan Snell
Maryland came out of the gates with a six-point advantage in the first five minutes of the game. After those five minutes, the North Carolina Tar Heels seemed to have made adjustments and controlled the pace of the first. Offensively, Maryland seemed to settle for first-look shots, and the missed free throws did not help them. In the second half, the Terrapins looked better defensively and checked the Tar Heels for Four Minutes. Tied the game at 50-50 going into the fourth quarter. Let’s break down the game.
1. Coach Frese and Oluchi’s Perspective on the third-quarter sideline moment.
Oluchi Okanawa has given the Terrapins all season, nothing but effort, energy, and no one can question that. Sunday Okanawa finished with 21 points, but during the game, she was briefly substituted, and Coach Frese coached her up. Both gave their perspective on that moment on the sidelines.
“Coach understands I’m a competitor at heart, and I’ve told her this before, and I’ll keep on telling her this forever. I love to be coached hard. That’s what she does with me every single day. Really, what that was was a regroup moment for her and me, telling me she believed in me. Sometimes that’s all you really need to hear to get back out there. It’s a long game, lots of ups and downs. I feel like after that conversation, that’s when I really went back out and just did what I had to do for my team in that moment. I’m forever appreciative of that.” – Oluchi.
From that moment in the third quarter, it seemed like some of it rubbed off on the rest of the team. There was a momentum shift holding the Tar Heels to eight points in the third quarter.
“ I think for me, it’s always been a pulse that I’ve been able to have with individuals and players. We do, at times, have to have those tough conversations. You can’t have them without a relationship. You’ve got to be able to have that. The best of the best, the elite of the elite, want to be coached hard. At that moment, I watched Oluchi struggle within this tournament. She’s just too gifted, so I wanted to express how much belief I have in her and challenge her. I know what a winner and competitor she is. Just challenge her, do you want the moment? I knew to give it a minute, get her back in. And you saw she went out, she got a bucket, she got a steal, and never looked back. Sometimes that’s where you’ve got to know your players and the relationships that you have. But, like, again, you can’t have those conversations if you don’t have a relationship with them.” – Brenda Frese.
Most people will agree that those are the coaches who build you up and make you better. Brenda Frese checks that off.
2. Matchups painted the picture
One of Maryland’s bread-and-butter strengths as a team has been defense. Being athletic and having length on the perimeter gives them the ability to do two things: switch and be aggressive. The Tar Heels took advantage of that by beating the Terrapins with their off-ball movement. Elina Aarnisalo, for example, with 21 points, made it difficult for the Terps to stay in front of her defensively. It was like Coach Banghart for the Tar Heels had an individual scouting report on each terrapin and knew their weaknesses. Another example, moving Yarden Garzon and Addi Mack as shooters were kept in check; they have to, but moving off a ball a lot.
3. The Game came down to possessions
Missing fourteen free throws, twenty-three-pointers, and shooting below 40% will not lead to victory in a basketball game. Maryland’s defense gave us a brand new game going into the fourth quarter at 50 apiece. But the shots were not falling for the Terps. Maryland has played in away environments, which have given different results. From Friday to Sunday afternoon, sure, that is a lot of basketball, but for the most part, when looking back at the tape, the biggest takeaway was free throws. Maryland averages under 20 free throws a game with an average below 80% from the line. Too many points were left at the free-throw line.
Saylor Poffenbarger and Yarden Garzon could not find the bottom of the rim, shooting 0-16 from three. Garzon, at times this season, just didn’t have the shooter’s touch. Just within the big tournament, and the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, two of the twenty shots were from three.
4. A Tough way to end the Season, but there is a lot to build off.
This will be a tough pill to swallow for a bit, but this team went through a lot, losing five players due to injury. They could have quit and thrown in the towel. There is a lot to be proud of as a fan of the growth of your freshmen on the fly; no matter the game, this team deserves their flowers. “They’ve all got really bright futures. Whether that’s continuing on to play or the next move they make, they’re going to be extremely successful. So just really proud to be their coach and be able to have that moment in time, whether it be one or two years, to be able to have on the book end, the finish of their career, and hopefully give them the most positive experience that they could have had.” Coach Frese said.
