“I thought for me personally that was our most disappointing game of the season,” MSU head coach Robyn Fralick said. “We were missing teamness, toughness on both sides of the ball and it was a disappointing effort.”

Turnovers continued into the second quarter, and the Spartans’ offense became streaky as scoring opportunities dried up. After Maryland scored the first basket of the quarter, MSU responded with an 8-0 run to take its first lead of the game and extended it to 28-22. From there, however, the Spartans managed just five points the rest of the quarter.

Over the final 6:47 of the quarter, Maryland outscored MSU 21-5 to take a commanding 43-33 lead into halftime. Turnovers helped fuel the Terrapins’ run, as the Spartans committed six in the quarter compared to just one for Maryland.

“We weren’t passing. They [Maryland] were packing it in and we’re not passing. So that was a little peculiar,” Fralick said, regarding the second quarter struggles. “We just were out of sync both sides, defensively too. There was a lot of one on one with no help.”

The sloppiness continued into the third quarter, even if it did not always show up on the stat sheet. Errant passes to guards who were not looking and balls ricocheting off teammates’ legs were small but costly mistakes — the type that could have been avoided. Those errors allowed Maryland to remain comfortable, leading 67-53 heading into the fourth quarter.

“We do things together, and the lack of that tonight was the most disappointing part,” Fralick said. “So I’m hoping it’s one of those games that you can scratch your head and take some film and learn from it.”

Offensive struggles carried into the fourth quarter as MSU failed to gain ground. Maryland’s lead never dipped below 11 points, with rebounding proving to be the difference. The Terrapins outrebounded the Spartans 36-33, creating second-chance scoring opportunities that became pivotal in preventing a late comeback.

“Maryland’s good. They’re athletic, they’re big, they’re physical,” Fralick said. “There’s a toughness piece, especially in this league, and we were missing all of that tonight.”

Even with four players out for the season, Maryland’s double-digit win featured balanced scoring. Junior guard Oluchi Okananwa led the way with 23 points, while senior guard Yarden Garzon added 16. Redshirt freshman guard Kyndal Walker finished with 14, redshirt senior guard Saylor Poffenbarger scored 13 and graduate forward Mir McLean chipped in 10. Maryland also received 32 points from its bench.

Despite the team’s struggles, MSU had individual bright spots. Senior forward Grace VanSlooten scored 19 points, while redshirt sophomore guard Kennedy Blair and senior guard Jalyn Brown added 15 and 13, respectively.

The loss pushed the Spartans into unfamiliar territory, marking their first back-to-back losses of the season and just their second home loss.  

“We play again Saturday, so the regroup got to be quick,” Fralick said.

MSU will look to bounce back Saturday when it travels to University Park, Pennsylvania, to face Penn State (7-15, 0-11 Big Ten). Tipoff is set for 1 p.m., with the game streaming on Big Ten Plus.