Skip to main content

Oluchi Okananwa scores 25 points and No. 14 Maryland women topple Northwestern 79-57

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Oluchi Okananwa scored 25 points, surpassing 1,200 career points in the process, and No. 14 Maryland defeated Northwestern 79-57 on Wednesday night.

Okananwa, one of four 1,000-point scorers on Maryland’s roster, now has 1,213 career points. The 17.4 points per game scorer has 51 points in the past two games.

Northwestern was within eight points in the middle of the third quarter before Okananwa and Kyndal Walker each scored six points in a 12-2 run that gave the Terrapins a 63-45 lead heading to the final period.

The lead reached 24 points four times in the fourth quarter.

Maryland (23-6, 11-6 Big Ten) turned Northwestern’s 21 turnovers into 24 points. The Terps committed only six turnovers, leading to two points for Northwestern.

Among Maryland’s starters, Yarden Garzon scored 11 points, Addi Mack added 10 points and Saylor Poffenbarger grabbed 13 rebounds to reach 1,000 for her career. Walker scored 10 points off the bench.

Grace Sullivan scored 23 points for Northwestern (8-20, 2-15).

Okananwa scored eight points in the first quarter and Maryland led 20-14 after one. A 12-3 run in the second quarter helped push the lead to 15 points and the Terrapins went on to lead 44-31 at halftime.

Maryland leads the series with Northwestern 16-1 and has won the last eight games.

Up next

Maryland: Visits No. 8 Michigan on Saturday in a regular-season finale.

Northwestern: The regular season ends at home against Purdue on Sunday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.

Today in History: March 19, Bush announces Iraq invasion

Today is Thursday, March 19, the 78th day of 2026. There are 287 days left in the year. Today in history: On March 19, 2003, President George W. Bush announced in a televised address that coalition forces had begun an invasion of Iraq. (Bush would declare victory just over five weeks later in his “Mission Accomplished” speech, though the main U.S. troop withdrawal would not be completed until 2011.) Also on this date:
Read Next Story