How Maryland Women’s Basketball faced a season filled with setbacks

Andrew Wilson
Maryland Terrapins Women's Basketball vs Purdue Boilermakers at Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland on Sunday, February 22, 2026. (Courtesy of Grayson Belanger/Maryland Terrapins)

Despite four key players suffering ACL tears and knee surgery by the first half of the season, Maryland women’s basketball finished out the year strong, with a 24-9 record, ending the regular season ranking No.17 overall in the NCAA.

In the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, the Terps’ postseason came to an end after beating the Murray St. Racers in the first round, 99-67. Going into the second round, the Terps fell short against the North Carolina Tar Heels, 74-66.

“When you talk about a lot of adversity, they’ve faced that through the injuries we’ve had this season.” Head Coach Brenda Frese said during a post-interview on Feb. 22. “It’s just a great lesson for life as they’ve just continued to pour into each other, I think you’ve seen this team really come together.”

Senior guard Bri McDaniel suffered a season-ending ACL tear last season and decided to recover for next season. Freshman guard Lea Bartelme and sophomore guard/forward Ava McKennie also went down with season-ending ACL tears this past November and December. Senior guard Kaylene Smikle went down with a knee injury and underwent surgery this past December.

Last season, both McDaniel and Smikle each averaged double-figure points for the Terps. McDaniel averaged 10.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 50.7% from the field. Smikle also averaged 17.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists, shooting 44.8% from the field. 

McKennie shot 32.4% from the field last season but improved to 66.7% this season. Bartelme has started the first four games this season, averaging 6.8 points, 3 rebounds and 3.8 assists, shooting 52.4% from the field. 

“The most important lesson to learn this season is that you can go through adversity and some tough times, but you can come out on top,” Frese said.

During the Terps’ last home game of the regular season against Northwestern on Feb. 25, freshman forward Breanna Williams came off the bench and had a big game with nine points, four rebounds, and an assist, steal and block. Williams mentioned the type of energy the bench gives this season.

“It comes back to staying ready, doing the little things, and whatever needs to be done, whether that’s diving on the floor, getting a block, rebounds, second chance points,” Williams said. “I think that’s just kind of what we’ve embraced coming off the bench is giving that little spark and just doing the little things that our team needs.”

During the Feb. 25 postgame interview, Coach Frese gave the team a name to explain the season’s outcome.

“Resilient. The Resilient Terps,” she said. “When you look at this season, they had to be resilient through a lot of injuries. I think that’s important when you talk about not only the game of basketball, but the game of life.”

Rebecca Safra, a senior marketing major, talked about the Terps and how they’ve dealt with the limited roster and had high expectations for the freshmen.

“They’re never really out of the game,” Safra said. “Even with limited depth, there’s just been a lot of comebacks for this team. In all four years I’ve attended here, this is the first time the freshmen have really been put in a lot. I really hope they stay so we can see them develop, because they’ll be a big part of the future for the Terps.”

Jonathan Young, a junior environmental science and technology major, is a member of the Mighty Sound of Maryland marching band and the Maryland Basketball Pep Band. The percussionist has seen his fair share of how Coach Frese and the Terps found ways to persevere.

“Even with the injuries at the beginning of the season, this team always finds a way to fight back,” Young said. “We call Brenda Frese the GOAT [greatest of all time] for a reason, because of her way to mess with the lineup and also out-coach some of the great coaches.” 

On Apr. 6, Smikle posted via Instagram, announcing her decision to enter the transfer portal along with Williams, who announced her decision on Mar. 28. McDaniel announced her decision to return next season via Instagram on Apr. 6 with the picture captioning, “I’m back.”