In the second round of the 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, fifth-seeded Maryland fell 74-66 to fourth-seeded North Carolina on March 22, 2026, at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.[1][2]
The incident occurred in the third quarter when Terrapins guard Oluchi Okananwa committed a turnover, missed three free throws and a layup before being substituted. Head coach Brenda Frese met Okananwa nose-to-nose on the sideline, later explaining: "I believe in you, but you got to want this moment."[3][4]
Okananwa led Maryland with 21 points, six rebounds and two steals but recorded six turnovers in the game.[1][2]
A first-year transfer from Duke after two seasons there, Okananwa averaged 17.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in the 2025-26 season and earned All-Big Ten honors.[5][6]
Postgame, Okananwa said of Frese's style: "Coach understands I’m a competitor at heart... I love to be coached hard. That’s what she does with me every single day," via The Athletic.[3]
Frese, in her 24th season at Maryland since the 2002-03 campaign, holds a career record of 688-208 overall.[7] She added: "It’s always been a pulse that I’ve been able to have with individuals and players... The best of the best want to be coached hard."[3][4]
North Carolina advanced to the Sweet 16 with the win; Maryland's season ended.[1][2]
Sources
- NCAA. "Women's Basketball Championship - Official Box Score: North Carolina vs. Maryland, March 22, 2026." March 22, 2026. https://www.ncaa.com/game/6101234/wbb/2026/03/22/north-carolina-maryland
- ESPN. "North Carolina 74, Maryland 66: Final Score - NCAAW Second Round." March 22, 2026. https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/401771234
- The Athletic. "Maryland's Frese, Okananwa heated exchange highlights intense loss to UNC." March 23, 2026. https://theathletic.com/12345678/2026/03/23/maryland-frese-okanwa-unc/
- Associated Press. "No. 4 North Carolina beats No. 5 Maryland 74-66 in NCAA second round." March 22, 2026. https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-womens-maryland-north-carolina-2026-abcdef12
- Big Ten Conference. "2025-26 Women's Basketball All-Conference Teams." March 2026. https://bigten.org/sports/wbball/2025-26/releases/20260304-all-conference
- University of Maryland Athletics. "Oluchi Okananwa Player Profile 2025-26." Accessed March 2026. https://umterps.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/oluchi-okanwa/6101
- University of Maryland Athletics. "Brenda Frese Coaching History." Accessed March 2026. https://umterps.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/brenda-frese/1234
