By Faith Harris and Holliday Woodard

Maryland women’s basketball’s season is underway. The Terps are 3-0 with wins over Loyola Maryland, UMBC and Georgetown.

Coming off a Sweet 16 appearance last season, coach Brenda Frese is looking to guide her team back to that stage. Women’s basketball reporters Holliday Woodard and Faith Harris took questions from fans and answered them below.

Questions have been edited for clarity and length.

Do you think Frese wants to settle on a specific starting lineup, or will she play the matchups and tinker with her starters and sub minutes throughout the season?

Holliday: Roster consistency is important, according to Frese. But in the first three games, Frese has used anywhere from 11 to 13 players. These early-season games allow Frese to try out rotations and establish who will be starters or depth pieces.

Playing time has been more balanced than anticipated —Frese’s starters are not playing as many minutes as you might expect. Saylor Poffenbarger and Lea Bartelme were the first players to pass 30 minutes in Sunday’s game against Georgetown.

I think that over time, we will start to see a core five develop. Poffenbarger, Yarden Garzon and Oluchi Okananwa will definitely be a part of this group. Bartelme and Addi Mack have meshed nicely with the upperclassmen — you can tell they are working to earn an official spot.

“I will say this freshman class is, as you can tell, a lot different. They’re more prepared, they’re more experienced. They’ve just come in with a different mindset. So they’re playing older and beyond their years, which, you know, has really helped us,” Frese said Wednesday.

I believe by the Big Ten home opener against Wisconsin, the Terps will be relying on a strong seven to eight player rotation.

Which freshman will have the most impact on the team this year?

Faith: Bartelme was listed on 2025 WNBA draft boards before she opted for college. Frese hasn’t given a starting role to a freshman since Angel Reese in 2020. I think Bartelme is starting to show why she deserves to keep it.

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Bartelme plays like a true point guard. Frese referenced the “poise” her point guards have displayed so far,and the Slovenia native has shown just that through only three NCAA games. She’s been great at facilitating the ball, which can be credited to her European basketball experience. I think she’s passing a bit too much, but for a freshman starting with four upperclassmen, that’s expected.

Her individual scoring has looked better with each game. Bartelme showed the ability to make pull-up threes and she’s been more effective as a driver. Maryland will need that level of continued aggressiveness from her.

To me, what sets Bartelme apart is her basketball IQ, which might be the best on the team. Playing professionally in the Women’s Adriatic Basketball Association for six years has definitely given her an edge in seeing the court.

Bartelme’s biggest weakness right now may be her confidence. But that’s not surprising for a freshman playing huge minutes this early in the season. I’m excited to see more of her talent as she gets comfortable here.

What is the team’s offensive identity?

Holliday: Frese has consistently called her team “unselfish.” Players want to find the right assist or pass to their teammate, and in the opening games, that’s what has made this team so interesting. They’re almost unselfish to a fault, according to Frese, but she would rather have it that way than the inverse.

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Maryland’s leading scorer through three games is Okananwa, followed by Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu and Mack. Then, there are five players averaging between five and nine points.

The offense is currently a work in progress, according to Frese. The Terps have struggled with turnovers, tallying double digits in every game so far, but they’ve also capitalized on their opponents’ mistakes.

Maryland had 18 turnovers in its home opener against Loyola, but earned 35 points off the Greyhounds’ giveaways. The Terps scored 23 points off turnovers against UMBC and 28 against Georgetown.

“With every game we get under our belt, and more practices, I think you’re going to see a lot more continuity on the offensive end,” Frese said.

What player that didn’t get a ton of minutes last year is expected to see more time on the court?

Faith: Most of Maryland’s returning class averaged more than 20 minutes a game last season. But Ozzy-Momodu should find an increased role in her redshirt junior season. Maryland was looking for center support and Ozzy-Momodu has provided that in the paint.

Ozzy-Momodu averaged a double-double in 2023-24 at Gulf Coast State. Most of that production came inside the paint. Spending a year studying and practicing in Frese’s system has benefited her — the forward has started in every game. She’s got 13 rebounds on the season, but Ozzy-Momodu still does her best work when she’s scoring under the basket.

The redshirt junior’s biggest threat to playing time is a lack of experience. Ozzy-Momodu has only played in JUCO and didn’t play any games for Maryland last year. The intensity of Division I basketball has shown, as she leads the team in turnovers.