Jakia Brown-Turner leads Maryland past Penn State, Ashley Owusu
Maryland had managed two points in nearly three minutes when Jakia Brown-Turner seemed to say, “Enough is enough.” She made a three-pointer from the top of the arc to start a stretch of 12 straight points for the Terrapins, who grabbed the lead in the third quarter and never relinquished it.
Brown-Turner scored 10 of those points but was far from finished, pouring in a career-high 32 during a 77-62 victory over Penn State on Sunday afternoon at Xfinity Center.
“I think it was more of just like a natural thing,” the graduate transfer from North Carolina State said of her scoring outburst on senior day. “Just doing whatever it takes for us to win. ... Definitely a game that I’ll never forget the rest of my life.”
Maryland (15-10, 7-7 Big Ten) and Penn State (16-10, 7-8) split the season series after the Nittany Lions had cruised to a 36-point win last month in University Park, Pa. As they push to make the NCAA tournament, the Terps have won three straight following a four-game skid. ESPN’s bracket projection, last updated Friday, had the Terps as the first team out of the field. They entered Sunday 35th in the NCAA’s NET rankings and had the No. 5 strength of schedule per WarrenNolan.com.
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“Really important game for us as we continue to trend in the right direction,” Coach Brenda Frese said.
The day’s unquestioned star was Brown-Turner, who scored 28 of her points in the second half. She finished 12 for 17 from the field and added seven rebounds. Her career high — 27 points at the time — came in the fourth quarter on a jumper off a feed from Shyanne Sellers. Moments later, Brown-Turner used a Euro step for a layup. Then came a three that put Maryland up 71-48.
At that point — Brown-Turner had scored nine straight Maryland points — Penn State called a timeout. She has found a groove of late, averaging 19.7 points in her past 10 games. In the seven before that, Brown-Turner averaged 7.6.
“I’m happy [she’s] picking up her confidence,” Sellers said. “She’s been huge for us the second half of the season.”
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Sunday’s matchup didn’t resemble in any way the teams’ first meeting, in which Penn State scored at will in a 112-76 victory Jan. 28. The Nittany Lions’ 62 points were a season low — and that included 22 in the fourth quarter, when the game was essentially decided. Their 26 turnovers, including six by former Maryland standout Ashley Owusu, matched a season high. Maryland played more man-to-man defense in the rematch and tried to be the more physical team defensively.
Ali Brigham led Penn State with 14 points. Makenna Marisa added 13 but shot 3 for 12.
“Maryland did a really good job denying our entries and really getting up there and disrupting what we wanted to do off that first initial pass,” Penn State Coach Carolyn Kieger said. “And our team really never responded.”
The Terps struggled offensively in the first half, scoring just nine points in the second quarter, and led 28-26 at halftime. After halftime, they shot a scalding 60.7 percent. Sellers finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
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Frese said the Terps wanted to play at a slower pace and not allow Penn State to turn it into another high-scoring game, but she knew they needed to pick it up after halftime.
“I kind of challenged Shy with that pace, and ... her response was terrific,” Frese said. “And then we talked about layups. If we would have made the five or six layups we had in the paint, we would have been up 10 going into the locker room. So much better emphasis on focus and concentration in that second half.”
Maryland didn’t forget about its blowout loss in the first matchup. Frese said there was a “pride factor” at work.
“This game was a lot more personal considering what happened last time,” forward Faith Masonius said.
Here’s what else to know about Maryland’s win:
Senior day
Maryland recognized its four seniors before the game; family members walked the players to center court to receive framed jerseys. Brinae Alexander, Lavender Briggs, Masonius and Brown-Turner were honored — and Masonius’s brother’s dog, Moose, came out on the court, too. All four were in the starting lineup.
Welcome back
Owusu played her first game at Xfinity Center since she transferred in 2022 after three seasons with the Terps. The former Paul VI standout spent a year at Virginia Tech before moving to Penn State.
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This season, Owusu didn’t play until Jan. 14 because of a health issue, according to the team, but she came in averaging career highs in points (18.5) and rebounds (6.3) over 10 games. Sunday was more of a challenge; she had seven points (on 2-for-6 shooting), one rebound, three assists and three steals in 20 minutes.
Up next
Maryland hosts Rutgers at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Xfinity Center (Big Ten Plus). The Terps’ 67-59 win Feb. 6 in Piscataway, N.J., snapped their four-game skid.
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