No. 3 Maryland holds on for 79-76 win over No. 6 Baylor

Posted November 21, 2021 6:00 am

By NOAH TRISTER

Maryland head coach Brenda Frese points during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Baylor, Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) The Associated Press

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Ashley Owusu scored 24 points and No. 3 Maryland handed No. 6 Baylor its first loss of the post-Kim Mulkey era, 79-76 on Sunday.

The Terrapins (6-0) led 76-65 before a furious Baylor rally nearly forced overtime. The Bears had the ball down by three, but Sarah Andrews missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds.

The Terrapins passed their first big test of the young season, and they did it without guard Katie Benzan, who missed the game because of an illness. This was just the beginning of a stretch in which Maryland faces Baylor, No. 5 North Carolina State and No. 7 Stanford in the span of a week.

The Terrapins also take on No. 1 South Carolina next month.

This was also the first significant test for the Bears (3-1) under new coach Nicki Collen, who took over after Mulkey left for LSU. NaLyssa Smith had 30 points and 15 rebounds for Baylor, and Jordan Lewis added 29 points.

Owusu scored inside to give Maryland a 76-65 lead - and give herself 1,000 points for her career. Lewis then answered with a 3-pointer, and her three-point play made it a five-point game with 2:01 to play.

Smith made a layup after a Maryland turnover to make it 76-73, but then Diamond Miller scored inside while drawing a foul on Smith with 1:08 remaining. The free throw doubled the lead.

Lewis made another 3 to cut the margin to three, and the Bears had a chance to tie it after Owusu's driving effort missed.

BIG PICTURE

Baylor: Smith and Lewis provided plenty of offense for the Bears, but they finished with 15 turnovers to Maryland's nine, and that made a difference in a tight game.

Maryland: The Terps won despite shooting 40% from the field. Maryland used only seven players while not at full strength.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Baylor has been ranked in the AP Top 10 for 131 straight weeks. The Bears probably won't be punished too much for a road loss to the No. 3 team, but that streak could be in jeopardy.

UP NEXT

Baylor: The Bears face Fordham on Thursday at the Cancun Challenge.

Maryland: The Terrapins face N.C. State on Thursday at an event in Nassau, Bahamas.

___

More AP women's college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Baylor forward NaLyssa Smith (1) reaches for the ball against Maryland forward Mimi Collins (2) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) The Associated Press

Maryland guard Ashley Owusu (15) handles the basketball against Baylor guard Jordan Lewis (3) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) The Associated Press

Baylor forward NaLyssa Smith (1) shoots against Maryland guard Ashley Owusu (15) and forward Mimi Collins (2) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.