Resiliency a highlight of Maryland women’s basketball’s season despite Round of 32 exit

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 20: Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu #9 of the Maryland Terrapins talks to her teammates during a timeout during a first round game of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held at Carmichael Arena on March 20, 2026 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) | NCAA Photos via Getty Images Head coach Brenda Frese described Maryland women’s basketball’s 2025-26 season in many ways throughout the campaign, but one sentiment stuck out. Resiliency.

“When their backs were against the wall, when they’d lost four games in January, a lot of teams wouldn’t have made the tournament,” Frese said. “The beauty of this team is they just continue to fight for one another, fight for this program, and you saw it unfold. ” Maryland fought through one of its worst stretches in Frese’s illustrious tenure.

For most teams, that losing streak would have been calamitous, but it gave the Terps fuel. They followed it up with a six-game winning streak, and the season was turned around. Not only did the Terps make the NCAA Tournament, but they were named a 5-seed, the first team outside of the top 16 hosts.

There was disappointment sprinkled through the season. Prime examples include the season-ending loss to North Carolina and the Big Ten Tournament opening loss to Oregon, in which many players underperformed. Yet this team had a tough identity, with Frese’s fingerprints all over it.