Maryland senior forward Crystal Langhorne said there was no way she was going to end her collegiate career with a loss on her home court at Comcast Center.
Now, Langhorne is determined to make sure she doesn?t lose again in a Maryland uniform. Langhorne helped lead the Terrapins to the Sweet Sixteen for the second time in three years with a 76-64 win over eighth-seeded Nebraska in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday.
Top-seeded Maryland (32-3) heads to Spokane, Wash., where it will play fourth-seeded Vanderbilt (25-8) in a region semifinal on Saturday night at 9.
With a victory, Maryland will play either second-seeded Stanford (32-3) or sixth-seeded Pittsburgh (24-10) on Monday night for a berth in the Final Four in Tampa, Fla., on April 6.
Langhorne said every game in the NCAA Tournament is stressful, but Tuesday?s game came with even more pressure, as Maryland wanted to prove that last year?s upset loss in the second round to seventh-seeded Mississippi simply was a fluke.
That loss, she said, helped elevate the game of the Terrapins? senior class, including forward Jade Perry, who had eight points, two rebounds and two blocks. Guard Ashleigh Newman also came through with three points and seven rebounds against the Cornhuskers.
“This was our last game playing here [at Comcast Center] and we were talking about it before the game,” Langhorne said. “We wanted to put everything out there and that?s what we did. Jade and Ashleigh just played a great game.”
Maryland coach Brenda Frese said losing in the second round last season made Tuesday?s game more challenging for her team. But she was impressed with how the Terrapins responded when challenged by the Cornhuskers, including holding off Nebraska following its 16-2 run to end the first half. Maryland outscored Nebraska, 31-19 during the final 14 minutes, 55 seconds after the Cornhuskers tied the game at 45 in the second half.
“Mentally from our end it was going to be a big hurdle for us because this is the round we were knocked out in last year,” Frese said. “I thought mentally we had to keep this team in a great place with their confidence level and knowing they could achieve success tonight. I felt like that was going to be a big obstacle and I also knew that Nebraska was really good.”
Maryland junior forward Marissa Coleman said she has a greater appreciation for making the Sweet Sixteen this year compared to 2006 when the Terrapins won the national title.
“I don?t think you are going to find a happier team than us to be in the Sweet Sixteen,” Coleman, who scored 19 against Nebraska, said. “This was the round we got knocked out in last year and this was kind of a hump for us to get over. We?ve talked about it all week that our goal wasn?t to get to the Final Four, but to get out of College Park and take it step by step.”
