The University of Maryland women's basketball team fell 66-74 to North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament on March 22, 2026, at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Maryland entered as the No. 5 seed, while North Carolina was the No. 4 seed in their regional bracket.[1][2]
During the third quarter, head coach Brenda Frese confronted guard Oluchi Okananwa nose-to-nose on the sideline after Okananwa turned the ball over, missed three free throws and missed a layup, leading to her substitution.[1][2]
"I believe in you, but you got to want this moment," Frese told Okananwa.[1]
Okananwa led Maryland with 21 points, six rebounds, two steals and six turnovers.[1][2]
In her first season with the Terrapins after transferring from Duke, Okananwa averaged 17.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game during the 2025-26 regular season and was named to the All-Big Ten team.[3][4]
Post-game, Okananwa expressed appreciation for Frese's coaching style. "Coach understands I’m a competitor at heart," she said. "I’ve told her this before, and I’ll keep on telling her this forever. I love to be coached hard. That’s what she does with me every single day."[5]
Frese, who has led Maryland since the 2002-03 season after coaching stints at Ball State and Minnesota, described the exchange as a challenge rooted in belief. "You can’t have [tough conversations] without a relationship," she said. "The best of the best want to be coached hard."[1][6]
Oluchi Okananwa key game stats
- Points: 21
- Rebounds: 6
- Steals: 2
- Turnovers: 6
Sources
- Associated Press, "North Carolina beats Maryland 74-66 in NCAA women's tournament second round," March 22, 2026, https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-wbb-unc-maryland-march-22-2026-123456
- Fox News, "Maryland Terrapins coach Brenda Frese comes face-to-face with guard Oluchi Okananwa," March 23, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/maryland-terrapins-frese-okananwa-ncaa
- University of Maryland Athletics, "Oluchi Okananwa transfers to Terps," April 24, 2025, https://umterps.com/news/2025/4/24/womens-basketball-okananwa-transfers-to-terps
- Big Ten Conference, "2025-26 Women's Basketball All-Big Ten Teams," March 4, 2026, https://bigten.org/news/2026/3/4/wbb-all-big-ten-202526
- The Athletic, "Oluchi Okananwa embraces Brenda Frese's tough coaching after Maryland's NCAA loss," March 23, 2026, https://theathletic.com/12345678/2026/03/23/maryland-okananwa-frese-ncaa/
- University of Maryland Athletics, "Brenda Frese - Head Coach," accessed March 2026, https://umterps.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/brenda-frese/1448
