Maryland knocks No. 4 Ohio State out of the Big Ten women's basketball quarterfinals

With Maryland's 18-year NCAA tournament streak in jeopardy — krikya18.com correspondent Autumn Johnson's latest bracket projection has UMD as an 11 seed — the Terrapins delivered an emphatic statement at the 11th hour, dominating No. 4 Ohio State 82-61 to advance into the Big Ten tournament semifinals. 

The Terrapins' conference tournament dreams looked dead from Day 1 in Minneapolis Thursday, falling behind 20-7 against 9-seed Illinois before a furious second-half rally, and they limped to a similarly slow start against the Buckeyes. Maryland managed just two field goals in the final six minutes of the first quarter, and stellar showings from Jacy Sheldon and Taylor Thierry helped Ohio State claim a 17-12 lead after ten minutes of play.

However, Jakia Brown-Turner roared out of the first intermission, completing an and-one finish through Rikki Harris before swishing a three to bring the Terps within one. Brinae Alexander stepped up next with consecutive triples to restore Maryland's lead, and Faith Masonius converted at the can to cap off a 14-2 spurt. UMD maintained a three-possession advantage through most of the quarter, and Shyanne Sellers wowed with an off-balance jumper just before the halftime horn to give Maryland a 38-30 halftime edge. 

. AT THE BUZZER 🚨 x 🎥 BTN /

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB)

Maryland's all-guard lineup continued to wear down the Buckeyes with a balanced scoring barrage out of the locker room — Brown-Turner, Alexander, Masonius and Sellers, who stole the show with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, all finished the game with at least 15 points. Cotie McMahon clawed OSU within three early in the third quarter, but Brown-Turner quickly sparked another dominant Maryland as her layup began a 21-5 tear that ended, fittingly, in an Ohio State technical foul on a frustrating evening for the Buckeyes. 

On an excellent defensive afternoon for Maryland, the Terrapins found another gear in the fourth quarter to stifle any Buckeye comeback hopes, holding Ohio State to just nine points on 3/13 shooting from the field. Maryland led by as much as 22 late on and advanced comfortably into the Big Ten tournament semifinals, where they await the winner of Michigan State and Nebraska at 2 p.m ET.