COLLEGE PARK — Classes are weeks away from beginning on campus, yet Maryland women’s basketball had one of its biggest crowds in years Wednesday night.
The draw was twofold. The Terps were undefeated, the eighth-ranked team in the nation and have legitimate national championship aspirations. But their opponent, JuJu Watkins and No. 4 Southern California, has garnered just as much attention and has similar hopes.
The stuffed Xfinity Center waited patiently for a moment to erupt. Kaylene Smikle’s steal — Watkins’ sixth turnover — and full-court sprint to the basket for two to pull the Terps ahead for the first time in the second half and spell a USC timeout was what they’d stood by for. For the first time, a win appeared within reach and had a noise level to match.
That became the peak of Maryland’s night. A troubling final quarter let USC back in a 79-74 loss to the Trojans, the Terps’ first of the season after a stellar 14-0 start to the year.
Maryland’s January is a gantlet — the Trojans are the second of six Associated Press Top 25 teams the Terps will play this month. Maryland faltered for the first time, a loss that dims but shouldn’t diminish its impressive start as its ceiling comes clearer into focus.
“We learned a lot about ourselves tonight,” coach Brenda Frese said. “You love seeing them welcome this big stage tonight.”
The Terps’ unbeaten stretch to open the season was their best start since the 2011-12 campaign. A 15-0 start would have been even better than their national championship season in 2005-06 and first such win streak since the 2006-07 team opened 18-0.
Maryland successfully stymied Watkins, a National Player of the Year candidate who’s blossomed into one of the sport’s top stars. Her eight turnovers are her second most in a game this season. Her 21 points are tied for her third-lowest mark of the year, and it came on an inefficient 7-for-19 shooting from the field and one 3-point make on five attempts.
“I wanted to make everything difficult for her,” senior guard Shyanne Sellers said. “We just wanted to make it tough, and we did that.”
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Watkins fouled out with 31 seconds remaining, a whistle that gave possession back to Maryland down three for a chance to send the game to overtime. But a missed 3-pointer by Saylor Poffenbarger sealed the Terps’ fate.
Maryland’s lead grew to nine in the first quarter, but a late USC burst shortened that to two entering the second. Watkins was shushed for most of that stretch. Instead, Kayleigh Heckel led the Trojans in scoring while she stumbled. Even with the opposition’s top threat subdued, Maryland was outscored 17-14 in the second quarter and entered halftime down one, saved by a late 6-0 run.
“A lot of teams would have folded,” Frese said. “They’re so strong, so fast, so athletic. And then they have the best player in the country on their team.”
Watkins, a preseason All-American, has in many ways filled that superstar-sized hole that Iowa’s Caitlin Clark left atop women’s college basketball. Watkins’ 25.1 points per game entering Wednesday are third best nationally and tops in the Big Ten. She leads the Trojans in assists and shoots 35% from 3-point range.
Maryland controlled the third quarter with Watkins in check then started the final 10 minutes on a 6-0 run to acquire a six-point lead, the Terps’ largest since the opening few minutes. USC climbed back with an explosive fourth quarter and found a slim lead late that held as the Trojans closed on a 9-2 run.
Sellers led Maryland with 26 points. Poffenbarger posted a season-high 17 rebounds. Smikle added 16 points but on 6-for-21 shooting.
“It’s always a blessing to play in front of a great crowd like this,” Watkins said. “It’s definitely helped move the game forward. We see it through all the numbers in terms of viewership and tickets.”
The Xfinity Center was its most filled for a women’s game since Clark visited last February. It was also Maryland’s first battle with one of the four new Big Ten teams, which have strengthened an already premier conference. The Terps will see No. 1 UCLA, another new squad, later this month as a part of three games against top-10 teams in six days. The Trojans won at Rutgers on Sunday to start their five-day road trip thousands of miles from home, an adjustment everyone in the new-look Big Ten is still settling into.
“I’m still learning the rhythm of a new conference,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “It’s really different for us. It’s platforms for them that we’ve never had before, and that’s a really positive thing.”
“I’ve never really visited the East Coast and Midwest often,” said Watkins, whose team visited the monuments and museums in Washington on Tuesday. “Being able to be a tourist is really cool.”
Maryland had passed all its tests through its 14-game unbeaten start to the season, including victories over No. 11 Duke, No. 19 Michigan State and No. 23 Iowa. But Wednesday represented the Terps’ toughest challenge yet. Perhaps the best player in women’s college basketball leading the fourth-ranked team in the nation was in College Park, and they became the first team to topple the Terps.
Their schedule doesn’t let up from here.
“It’s just a matter of adding on from the progress that we’ve made,” senior forward Christina Dalce said. “Since the first game to now, it’s been tremendous. Even though we took the loss, it’s not going to set us back. I think it’s gonna fuel us even more.”
Have a news tip? Contact Taylor Lyons at [email protected], 410-332-6200 and x.com/TaylorJLyons.
No. 8 Maryland at Wisconsin
Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network
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