No. 20 Maryland wrapped up its preseason slate with a hard-fought 72-68 win over No. 12 North Carolina, turning an exhibition rematch of last year’s NCAA Tournament meeting into exactly the kind of test Brenda Frese wanted.
The Terps leaned on Nunu Agara from the start and never really let her out of the spotlight. She finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds, her second straight exhibition with more than 20 points, and set the tone early by scoring nine of Maryland’s first 13 points. That burst helped Maryland build a 19-point first quarter, with an 8-0 run and nearly five minutes in which North Carolina couldn’t score.
“The game was exactly what we needed when you talk about getting us ready. I thought their physicality was something that we needed to see.
I love the fact that we adjusted to what needed to be done. ”
North Carolina answered with a wild second quarter, one that featured five lead changes and sent the Tar Heels to halftime ahead 33-32. Kate Harpring carried the offensive load for UNC, finishing with a game-high 29 points, while North Carolina knocked down nine 3-pointers to stay in it.
Maryland took control for good in the third. Rainey Welson, who finished with just those two baskets, buried a pair of 3-pointers as the Terps put up a game-high 22 points in the frame and reclaimed the lead. From there, Maryland used its size, physicality and defensive pressure to hold on in a tense finish that included seven total lead changes.
Bri McDaniel added 10 points, Trinity Jones scored nine, and Oluchi Okananwa stuffed the stat sheet with seven points, nine rebounds and three steals. Ten different Terps scored, and Maryland won the battle on the glass 44-33 while piling up 32 points in the paint. The Terps also went 19-for-22 at the free throw line.
The fourth quarter brought one last UNC push, but Maryland answered when it had to. Okananwa opened the period with a three-point play, Agara reached 20 points at the line, and Jordyn Jackson later stretched the margin with a 3-pointer. North Carolina pulled within two in the final minute, but Addi Mack closed the door with a pair of free throws.
Maryland led for 23:27 of the game and finished its exhibition schedule with a 20+ point showing from Agara in both preseason games. The Terps now turn to the 2026-27 regular season, opening Nov. 2 in Paris against No.
1 South Carolina in the 2026 Oui-Play. The game is set for 12 PM and will air on ESPN.
How it happened:
McDaniel got Maryland started with two free throws, and Agara knocked down a 3-pointer midway through the first quarter before tying the game at 13-13 on a layup with four minutes left. Okananwa then pushed the Terps in front during the 8-0 run, and Agara reached double figures before the buzzer as Maryland took a 19-16 lead after one.
North Carolina flipped things in the second quarter, opening with a 3-pointer from Addi Mack and later taking back the lead with a 6-0 run. McDaniel briefly put Maryland back ahead at 26-25, but the Tar Heels responded again, and Marya Boiko’s first points of the game helped UNC edge in front by one at halftime.
Jones opened the third quarter by putting Maryland back ahead, and the Terps stretched that edge with an 8-2 start to the half. Agara’s free throws made it 46-41 midway through the period, and Welson’s late 3s gave Maryland a 54-48 lead entering the fourth.
Okananwa sparked the final quarter with a three-point play, Agara hit 20 points with a free throw, and Jackson added a key 3-pointer halfway through the frame. McDaniel then became the second Terp in double figures late, and Mack’s free throws sealed the 72-68 win.
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Baba Oladotun is getting ready for his first college season at Maryland after arriving with plenty of buzz as a five-star recruit, but the freshman forward has already spent much of the fall adjusting to a very different game. He reclassified into an earlier graduating class and missed most of his high school season, so his transition has come with the usual growing pains that can hit even the most polished prospects.
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