Five players to watch during March Madness
USA Today’s Meghan Hall breaks down five players in the WNCAA March Madness Tournament we need to be paying more attention to.
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The fourth-seeded Maryland Terrapins will have the home crowd behind them in College Park when they take on the No. 5-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide in second-round women’s NCAA Tournament action on Monday.
Maryland (24-7) held off 13th-seeded Norfolk State 82-69 in the opening round, pulling away in the fourth quarter behind Sarah Te-Biasu (22 points) and Kaylene Smikle (21).
The Crimson Tide (24-8) ended Green Bay’s 22-game winning streak with an 81-67 victory in the opening round as Aaliyah Nye scored 23 points and Zaay Green added 22.
The two teams met in the NCAA tourney four years ago, with the Terps winning in a 100-64 blowout. But they’re much more closely matched this time around.
We are headed to double overtime!
Maryland’s Saylor Poffenbarger had the opportunity to ice the game at the free throw line. Poffenbarger went to the line with the opportunity to put the Terrapins up by two possessions with six seconds remaining in the game. Poffenbarger hit one of two free throws to give Maryland a 96-93 advantage. Alabama’s Sarah Ashlee Barker attempted a three in the closing seconds of overtime to tie up the game, but she was fouled on the attempt by Poffenbarger. Barker knocked down all three free throws to send the game to double overtime. Barker has a career-high 39 points and seven rebounds.
Abalama’s Aaliyah Nye and Zaay Green are both fouled out, while Barker has four fouls. Maryland’s Kaylene Smikle is fouled out, while Shyanne Sellers has four.
Maryland’s Sarah Te-Biasu made a 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining to tie the game 83-83, and Alabama’s Karly Weathers missed a potential game-winning jumper at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.
The No. 4 seeded Terrapins rallied back in the fourth quarter after Alabama took a 17-point lead midway through the third.
No. 5 seed Alabama has taken command and outscored No. 4 seed Maryland 23-16 in the third quarter. The Crimson Tide went on a 14-0 run during the third quarter and extended their lead over the Terrapins to as many as 17 points. A flurry of 3-pointers helped Alabama take a nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Crimson Tide are 7-of-15 from 3-point range. Sarah Ashlee Barker has hit three 3-pointers, while Aaliyah Nye has knocked down two.
The No. 4 seed Terrapins led by as many as 10 points in the first half, but the No. 5 seed Crimson Tide went on a 13-2 run in the second quarter to take the lead. Alabama has a 41-39 lead at halftime.
Alabama’s Sarah Ashlee Barker has a team-high 17 points and four rebounds. The Crimson Tide are shooting 56% from the field and 2-of-8 from three. Meanwhile, the Terrapins are shooting 41.9% from the field and 4-of-11 from three. Shyanne Sellers has a team-high 10 points, while Sarah Te-Biasu added 8 points.
Both Maryland and Alabama were careless with the ball in the first half, with each team registering 10 turnovers. Maryland scored 14 points off turnovers, while Alabama scored 11 points.
If Alabama goes on to win, it will mark the first time in women’s NCAA Tournament history that all No. 5 seeds beat No. 4 seeds in the same tournament.
Where to watch Maryland vs. Alabama: TV channel, time
- Game Day: Monday, March 24, 2025
- Game Time: 5 p.m. ET
- Location: Xfinity Center College Park in College Park, Maryland
- TV Channel: ESPN2
- Live Stream: Fubo – Watch Now!
Watch Maryland vs. Alabama on Fubo (free trial)
Maryland vs. Alabama odds
Odds via BetMGM as of Sunday, March 23.
- Spread: Alabama -1.5
- Moneyline: Maryland/Alabama (-110)
- Total: 153.5
