Owusu leads No. 7 Maryland past Nebraska 83-73
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Ashley Owusu had team highs of 22 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to lead No. 7 Maryland to an 83-73 victory over Nebraska on Thursday In the quarterfinals of Big Ten women’s basketball tournament.
Owusu sank 10 of 11 free throws, including all seven in the final quarter to help the top-seeded Terrapins pull away. Diamond Miller and Chloe Bibby each 18 points and Mimi Collins added 17.
Maryland will face the winner of Northwestern-Michigan in the semifinals Friday.
The Terrapins shot 46% from the field compared to 42% for Nebraska.
The Cornhuskers stayed close by hitting 11 of 26 3-pointers compared to 7 of 22 for the Terrapins.
Sam Haiby was high for Nebraska with 24 points.
Owusu sank a pull-up jumper to put Maryland ahead for good at 70-68 with 4:49 to play. That started a 7-0 spurt, all by Owusu.
With the Cornhuskers trailing 57-54 after three quarters, Haiby sank consecutive 3-pointers to give Nebraska a 60-57 lead with 8:55 left in the fourth quarter.
Maryland’s largest first-half lead was 36-28 with 1:45 left in the second quarter, but Nebraska cut that lead to 38-34 at halftime.
The game was tight throughout, a contrast to Maryland’s 95-73 rout at Nebraska on Valentine’s Day.
BIG PICTURE
Nebraska: The Cornhuskers showed some promise in the tournament, battling Maryland the entire way and avenging two losses to Minnesota with a 72-61 victory Wednesday in the second round. Haiby, a second team All-Big Ten selection, topped the 1,000-point career mark during the game. She needed 16 points entering the game.
Maryland: The Terrapins are aiming for their seven straight appearance in the Big Ten Tournament championship game. Maryland won from 2015-17, lost in 2018-19 and won in 2020.
UP NEXT
Nebraska: Evened its record to 12-12 in likely its final game of the season, barring a postseason bid.
Maryland: Will face Northwestern-Michigan winner in Friday’s semifinals.
___
More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
