Basketball is usually a game of rhythm. You find a flow, the shots start falling, and the scoreboard ticks upward like a fast-moving clock. But on Thursday night at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, rhythm was nowhere to be found.
Honestly, it was a mess.
The No. 12 Maryland Terrapins walked away with a 62-55 win over the USC Trojans, but the final MD women's basketball score doesn't even begin to describe the absolute "grindfest" that took place on the court. If you were looking for the high-flying, 87-points-per-game offense that Brenda Frese has spent the season building, you came to the right place at the wrong time.
Maryland shot just 39% from the floor. They turned the ball over 19 times. At one point, they went almost the entire fourth quarter without making a single field goal. Yet, they won. How? By turning the game into a defensive alley fight that left USC gasping for air by the final buzzer.
The Defense That Saved the Day
Sometimes you win because you're better. Sometimes you win because you're tougher. Thursday was definitely the latter.
Maryland’s defense was basically a brick wall with a grudge. They held USC to a miserable 28% shooting overall. Even worse for the Trojans? They went 5-of-32 from the three-point line. That is 16%. You aren't going to beat a top-15 team shooting like that, even if that team is having a nightmare offensive night of their own.
The real story, though, was Jazzy Davidson. The USC freshman came out like a house on fire, dropping 12 points in the first quarter alone. She looked unstoppable. Then, the Terps' defensive adjustments kicked in. Davidson didn't score another point for the rest of the game. She went 0-for-14 after that first quarter explosion. That kind of defensive lockdown is exactly why Brenda Frese was smiling in the post-game presser despite the ugly offensive stats.
"Just really proud of our toughness," Frese said afterward. She knew that winning on the road in the Big Ten—especially after a long flight to the West Coast—is never a given.
Winning at the Charity Stripe
When the shots aren't falling from the perimeter, you have to find another way to get points. Maryland found theirs at the free-throw line.
They didn't just visit the line; they lived there. The Terrapins finished 22-of-26 from the stripe. In a seven-point game, that is the entire margin of victory right there. Kyndal Walker was the MVP of the "boring but effective" category, going 9-of-10 on her free throws.
It wasn't flashy. It wasn't "Showtime." But it was effective.
Key Stats From the 62-55 Victory
- Addi Mack: 12 points (Team High)
- Yarden Garzon: 10 points, including a massive rainbow three-pointer late in the fourth.
- Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu: 10 points and 9 hard-earned rebounds.
- Oluchi Okananwa: Grabbed 7 boards and officially surpassed 500 career rebounds.
- Fast Break Points: Maryland had only 3. For a team that loves to run, this was a weird, slow-motion reality check.
What This MD Women's Basketball Score Means for the Big Ten
The standings are getting crowded. This win moves Maryland to 17-2 overall and 5-2 in conference play. They are currently sitting in a pack behind UCLA and Iowa, who are both still perfect in the league at 6-0.
But here is the thing: Maryland was picked to finish second in the Big Ten preseason polls. They have the talent. Yarden Garzon is leading the conference in threes, and the team ranks 4th nationally in rebounding margin. They are a juggernaut that just happened to have a "clunker" of an offensive night in LA.
The fact that they can win a game where they lose their offensive identity is actually a scary sign for the rest of the Big Ten. It means they don't need to score 90 to beat you. They can just wait for you to miss.
The Road Ahead is Brutal
If the USC game was a grind, Sunday is going to be a war. The Terps are staying in Los Angeles to face No. 3 UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.
UCLA is the preseason favorite. They have a 16-1 record and haven't lost a conference game yet. If Maryland plays with 19 turnovers against the Bruins, the outcome won't be a gritty win; it'll be a blowout. But if they can combine this new "scrappy" defensive identity with their usual high-octane scoring, we might be looking at the game of the year.
The game tips off at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 18, and it's getting the big-stage treatment on NBC and Peacock.
Actionable Insights for Terps Fans
If you're following the MD women's basketball score updates this season, keep a close eye on the "Points in the Paint" and "Free Throw Attempts" in the box scores. When Maryland is struggling to find their rhythm from deep, their ability to force contact and get to the line is their safety net.
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Also, watch the rebounding battle. Being +14.2 on the glass for the season is a massive advantage that covers up a lot of shooting slumps. As long as Ozzy-Momodu and Saylor Poffenbarger are cleaning up misses, Maryland is never truly out of a game.
Check the local broadcast schedules for the UCLA game, as the move to NBC means a wider audience and potentially a different energy for a team that thrives on the big stage.