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Maryland stops Alabama on final possession to reach Sweet 16 (0:29)
Maryland doesn’t let Alabama get a shot off on the final play of double overtime to move on to play South Carolina in the Sweet 16. (0:29)
Maryland completed a 17-point comeback to win a 111-108 double-overtime thriller over Alabama, advancing to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in five years. It’s the Terrapins’ second-largest comeback in NCAA tournament history, trailing just an 18-point comeback against Texas A&M in 2012.
“This was a heavyweight fight,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. “No team deserved to lose this game tonight.”
This is the only second-round matchup of this tournament in which the No. 4 seed was able to take advantage of home court and beat the No. 5 seed. There has never been a Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament without at least one No. 4 seed.
“I was trying to instill as much energy, positivity and confidence into them as possible,” Frese said. “Overtime is our time. I knew they were tired but [I said] you need to dig in even further.”
There wasn’t one particular play that the Terps say fueled their comeback, as they turned their 17-point halftime deficit into a nine-point one heading into the fourth quarter. Rather, it was a timeout.
“I remember we were talking about score stop score,” said Shyanne Sellers, who finished with a team-high 28 points. “Just get it within 10. And then before we knew it, we were right there.”
That message remained the same as they navigated the final stretch of the fourth quarter and both overtime periods. Sarah Te-Biasu scored eight of her 26 points in the second overtime.
“I really wanted to win,” Te-Biasu said. “I just tried to play the best I can on every possession. … The want to win, that’s the mentality. Everyone on the team wanted to win. We never gave up.”
Each of the final three periods featured chaotic stretches of basketball full of turnovers and fouls. At the end of the fourth quarter, there was also epic shotmaking, first by Sarah Ashlee Barker for the Crimson Tide and then Te-Biasu for the Terps. Karly Weathers had a chance to hit a go-ahead 3-pointer for Alabama, but her miss sent the game to overtime.
At the end of the first overtime, the Terps did the one thing they shouldn’t have done: foul a 3-point shooter with one second remaining. But that’s what happened, and Barker went to the line with a chance to send the game to double overtime.
“I said, ‘Pray for me,'” said Barker, who made all three free throws.
Barker finished with a program-high 45 points on 17-of-25 shooting and took on a huge load in the overtime periods as Alabama lost Zaay Green and Aaliyah Nye, who both fouled out late in the fourth quarter.
“I wish I could have done more,” Barker said. “Just the opportunity to be here, the opportunity to play for Alabama, represent Alabama, yeah 45 points is a lot, but I would have loved to win rather than score 45 points, but at the end of the day, it’s not my glory.”
Sellers hit two free throws of her own — and probably her two biggest points of the season — to put Maryland up three with just seconds remaining in the second overtime.
“I just wanted to knock them down. I didn’t want to give them any hope,” Sellers said. “I wanted to make them have to hit a 3 if they wanted to send it to another overtime.”
Alabama got an excellent look but couldn’t get the 3-pointer to fall. The Crimson Tide got one more chance, but Maryland broke up the inbounds pass and secured the win, ending this marathon of a game.
The 219 combined points by Maryland and Alabama is the second-most points scored in tournament history, trailing just Duke and Alabama’s 241 points in 1995 in a four-overtime game.
“This game was really fun,” Te-Biasu said. “It was a blessing to be a part of this.”
“You dream of these moments,” Barker added. “You live for these moments. It didn’t go our way, but I am going to walk out … with your head held high. That was an amazing basketball game.”
Maryland’s reward for its epic win is a matchup with top-seeded and defending champion South Carolina in the Sweet 16. It’s a rematch of an Elite Eight game two years ago that the Gamecocks won 86-75.
