Maryland into Sweet 16 after taking down Arizona
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Diamond Miller scored 13 of her 24 points in the third quarter to help second-seeded Maryland to a 77-64 victory over seventh-seeded Arizona in the second around of the women's NCAA Tournament on Sunday night.
The Terrapins (27-6) advance to the Sweet 16 for a third straight year and the 11th time under coach Brenda Frese. Maryland trailed by a point after two quarters but ran past the Wildcats (22-10) in the second half.
Shyanne Sellers scored 15 points and Faith Masonius gave the Terps a lift with 12.
Frese was coaching against her alma mater. She played at Arizona and graduated in 1993.
The Wildcats gave Maryland a tough battle for 20 minutes but couldn't keep up offensively. Arizona was up 33-32 at the break but went almost half the third quarter without scoring. After being held to four points in the first half, Miller had five on one trip down the court — a layup while being fouled, followed by a 3-pointer after Arizona was unable to rebound her missed free throw. That put Maryland ahead 39-33.
By the time the quarter was over it was 61-42. The Terrapins shot 11 of 14 from the field in the third.
Maryland advances to face third-seeded Notre Dame in the regional semifinals Saturday. The Terps beat the Irish 74-72 at Notre Dame on Dec. 1 on a buzzer-beater by Miller.
Cate Reese led Arizona with 19 points.
BIG PICTURE
Arizona: The Wildcats exited in the second round for a second straight season after reaching the national title game in 2021.
Maryland: The 6-foot-1 Masonius gave Maryland an encouraging performance, finishing two points shy of her season high. Her ability around the basket could be important for a team without a great deal of size.
UP NEXT
Miller scored 31 points in that December game against Notre Dame. Olivia Miles scored 14 points for the Irish, but she's now out because of a knee injury.
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