Terps take advantage of short-handed Irish

GREENVILLE 1 REGIONAL MARYLAND 76, NOTRE DAME 59

GREENVILLE, S. C. — Amid the happiness of an on- court celebration for Maryland reaching the Elite Eight for the first time in eight years, Terps Coach Brenda Frese took a few moments to smile and reflect how far her team has come in the past year.

The best part for Frese is the journey’s not done yet.

Diamond Miller and Shyanne Sellers had 18 points apiece as the Terps ( 28- 6) took control in the third quarter to defeat depleted No. 3 seed Notre Dame 7659 on Saturday and move a victory away from a trip to the Final Four.

The Terps will play defending champion South Carolina, the undefeated, top overall seed, on Monday night for a trip to Dallas.

Chasing a championship didn’t look promising at the end of last season. Frese had lost 85% of her offense a year ago as Maryland went through a roster transition with nine new faces. The group gelled quickly and are among the last teams still standing in March Madness.

“What I felt like a year ago and to where we are today,” recalled Frese, who won an NCAA title 2006 and last reached the Elite Eight in 2015. “Yeah, this one is going to be one I’ll remember for a very long time.”

Miller, the transcendent 6-3 All-American, was asked why she didn’t join the exodus from Maryland after her junior season a year ago.

She reasoned that stay or go, she’d play with new, unfamiliar players. “When you look at it like that, I was like, ‘ I’m just going to stay and trust the process.’ And I’m so happy I did,” Miller said.

Miller and Sellers combined for 30 of their 36 points in the final two quarters.

The third-seeded Fighting Irish (27-6) played once again without injured leading-scorer Olivia Miles after her knee injury at the ACC Tournament earlier this month.

Miles and guard Dara Mabrey, both starters, were injured spectators for Notre Dame, which hung tight with Maryland for 25 minutes before Miller and Sellers took over.

Miller, the first- team All- American, shook off a poor first half as Maryland gained control. Tied at 44- all, Lavender Briggs had a 3-pointer and Miller followed with a three-point play as the Terps closed the third quarter on a 13-1 run.

Notre Dame, which fought off Mississippi State on its home floor to advance last week, could not respond.

Maryland used its defensive pressure to break out early, forcing eight turnovers by the Fighting Irish to build a 19-14 lead. But Notre Dame showed its NCAA Tournament resiliency once more with a 13-0 burst to move in front 27-19.

Miller and Brinae Alexander each hit three-pointers in the final 80 seconds of the half to cut the lead to 32-31.

Things changed in the second half as the Terps and their leading scorers turned up the fire.

“I just felt like they were confident and aggressive and they got really good looks, and they nailed every shot that they took,” Notre Dame Coach Niele Ivey said.