Takeaways from No. 5-seed Maryland women’s basketball’s 74-66 loss to No. 4-seed UNC in NCAA Tournament second round

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – With just over a minute to go in Sunday’s NCAA Tournament second round action, North Carolina’s Nyla Brooks stepped into a 3-pointer and caught nothing but net, extending her team’s lead to six. It was the dagger in No. 5-seed Maryland women’s basketball’s 2025-26 season, which ended with a loss to No. 4-seed North Carolina, 74-66.

“I felt like it was there for the taking,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “We didn’t manage enough plays to go take it.”

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Here are three takeaways from Maryland’s loss.

Free throw shooting killed the Terps

All season long, the Terps have looked to get into the heart of defenses and draw fouls as a primary offensive strategy. This, combined with their tenacity on the glass, has provided them plenty of free points from the charity stripe.

“In the NCAA, when you’re playing on someone else’s home court, it’s extremely difficult,” Frese said. “We missed 14 free throws … so a lot of uncharacteristic plays for us.”

Coming into Sunday’s contest, the Terps were shooting over 15 free throws per game and making almost 78% of them. Against the Tar Heels, Maryland shot 31 and made 16 — good for a conversion rate under 55%.

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In the madness of March, margins like these decide whose season is over for good and who gets a date in the Sweet 16. The Terps put themselves in enough winning positions against the Tar Heels but fell due to an inability to collect free points at the line.

It started early with Oluchi Okananwa, whose relentless drives to the basket often draw contact from defenders. Okananwa has made over 77% of her shots from the line this year, but was 3-of-11 from the charity stripe — including many misses that could have closed the gap for Maryland in key moments.

“That was uncharacteristic of us, uncharacteristic of me,” Okananwa said. “Those are controllables, and I think that’s something that you look back on.”

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Publish date : 2026-03-22 20:52:00

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