Big Ten Women’s Basketball Semifinals

1-seed Maryland (28-3 OVR, 16-2 B1G) vs 12-seed Northwestern (18-15, 4-14)

Time: 3:00 p.m.

TV: Big Ten Network

The ultimate Cinderella story – it’s what the month of March is all about.

The Northwestern Wildcats are playing the role of Cinderella. The Maryland Terrapins are the ‘evil stepmother’.

This season:

01/17/16 in College Park, MD

Maryland controlled Northwestern 80-62 with four players scoring in double figures.

02/14/16 in Evanston, IL

Maryland got past Northwestern 79-70. The Terrapins only won by nine despite out-scoring NW 25-5 in the first quarter.

How they got here:

Northwestern beat 13-seed Wisconsin 76-72 in overtime in the first round of the Big Ten Tourney. The Wildcats then went on to beat Rachel Banham (7-for-25, 26 points) and 5-seed Minnesota 84-74 in the second round. The third round featured another upset for the Wildcats, defeating the 4-seed Indiana Hoosiers.

Maryland, the top team in the conference and No. 5 in the country, had a double-bye. The Terrapins first game was in the third round, as they took care of 9-seed Iowa, 75-55.

Three things to watch for:

NORTHWESTERN

1. Key Players
   • Nia Coffey, 6-foot-1 junior forward.
     • Last game vs No. 4 IND: 26 points on 11-for-23 FG, 11 rebounds.
   • Christian Inman, 5-foot-10 junior guard.
     • Last game vs No. 4 IND: 18 points on 8-for-14, five rebounds.
2. Shooting Percentage
   • NW shot 46.4 percent from the field vs No. 4 IND.
   • MD allowed Iowa to shoot 43.8 percent.
3. Fast-Break Points
   • NW outscored Indiana 14-2 on the fast-break.
   • MD was outscored by Iowa 10-8 on the break.

MARYLAND

1. Key Players
   • Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, 5-foot-10 sophomore guard.
     • Last game vs No. 9 Iowa: 23 points on 11-for-21 FG, 15 rebounds.
   • Brionna Jones, 6-foot-3 junior center.
     • Last game vs No. 9 Iowa: 23 points on 10-for 18, eight rebounds.
2. Rebounding
   • MD out-rebounded Iowa 42-25.
   • NW got out-rebounded by Indiana 45-41.
3. Points in the Paint
   • MD scored 50 points in the paint and limited Iowa to 18.
   • NW scored 42 points in the paint and allowed 42 as well.