NCAA tournament: Maryland storms back from 17-point deficit, stuns Alabama in 2 OT thriller
A day after the Maryland men pulled off the thriller of the NCAA tournament, Maryland’s women have offered their own entry into tournament lore.
No. 4 seed Alabama rallied from a 31-21 first-half deficit to take a 17-point lead in the third quarter of Monday’s second-round matchup with Maryland. But the Terrapins countered with a rally of their own to erase the deficit before eventually pulling off a stunning, 111-108 win in double overtime.
The victory overcame a heroic effort by All-SEC guard Sarah Ashlee Barker, who set an Alabama record with 45 points.
Sarah Te-biasu’s 3-pointer on a busted play late in the shot clock secured the tie for Maryland in regulation.
The Terrapins then appeared to have victory secured with a defensive stand to thwart Alabama’s effort to tie the game again with 8.4 seconds remaining in the first overtime. The Crimson Tide had two looks at a game-tying layup, but both missed the mark.
Maryland extended its lead to 96-93 on a 1-for 2 trip at the line on the other end, setting Maryland up with a chance to tie the game in the final seconds. The Terps then fouled Barker on a 3-point attempt with 0.7 seconds remaining, sending her to the line with a chance to tie the game.
Barker calmly swished all three throws to tie the game with her then-career high 39th point to force the second overtime.
Maryland then scored the first bucket of the second overtime and never trailed again.
Alabama cut its deficit to 108-106 on a Barker layup with 28 seconds remaining. She scored again to cut Maryland’s lead to 109-108 with 15.1 seconds remaining for her 45th point.
But it wasn’t enough to secure the win as Alabama’s last-gasp 3-point attempt by Diana Collins missed the mark and Maryland held on for a breathless victory.
It added up to the thriller of the tournament while making multiple entries in the the NCAA record book. Barker’s 45 points are tied for the fourth-most in NCAA tournament history and the most since 2016. The 219 combined points are the second-most in an NCAA tournament game and the most in 30 years.
This story will be updated.
