EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Oluchi Okananwa scored 23 points and the No. 22 Maryland women’s team held off No. 12 Michigan State 86-70 in the second half on Wednesday.
Maryland (18-6, 6-6 Big Ten) led 43-33 at halftime and put the game away in the third quarter.
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Okananwa made 8 of 13 shots and contributed 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. The Terps shot 49% from the field.
Yarden Garzon had 16 points and five assists, Kyndal Walker had 14 points and Saylor Poffenbarger had 13 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Maryland forced 20 turnovers and scored 23 points, while Michigan State scored 4 points on 15-of-3 shooting.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Terps relied on Poffenbarger’s three-pointer to expand the score to 72-55. Okananwa quickly scored seven straight points, including a layup and a three-pointer, extending the lead to 84-68 with less than two minutes left. Maryland never let the Spartans get within single digits in the final quarter.
Grace VanSlooten had 19 points, nine rebounds and four blocks to lead Michigan State (19-4, 8-4). Kennedy Blair had 15 points and 7 assists, and Jalin Brown had 13 points.
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Next
Michigan State: The Spartans play at Penn State on Saturday.
Maryland: The Terrapins visit Nebraska on Saturday.
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