Maryland women’s basketball guard Bri McDaniel isolated on the left wing, recognizing the mismatch against Purdue’s Reagan Bass. A high ball screen from Christina Dalce gave McDaniel an opening — the junior accelerated past Bass before connecting on a straightaway jumper.

After trailing for 37 straight minutes, the bucket gave the Terps their first lead on Saturday and capped a 13-point third quarter from McDaniel, nearly outscoring the Boilermakers’ team total in the frame alone.

McDaniel’s second-half offense fueled No. 7 Maryland. It overcame early scoring struggles in its Big Ten opener to surge past Purdue, 78-69, in a comeback victory at Mackey Arena.

“I’ll never take a road win for granted, especially with our start,” coach Brenda Frese said. “I don’t think you could’ve had a worse start for us … [but] we settled in to ourselves.”

A Dalce pullup jumper was Maryland’s lone basket through the first seven minutes. The Terps (10-0, 1-0 Big Ten) only other first-quarter field goal came more than six minutes later, another Dalce score. Junior Kaylene Smikle was the lone other Terp that scored.

The slow start translated into Maryland’s worst first quarter of the season. The Terps shot just 11.8 percent in the frame and didn’t make a 3-pointer through the first 10 minutes. They nearly had as many turnovers (five) as points (six).

Bass’ buzzer-beating triple at the end of the opening frame pushed Purdue (5-4, 0-1 Big Ten) ahead by 12.

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Senior Shyanne Sellers played just 48 total seconds in the first quarter. The guard returned after a break of over nine minutes to start the second frame, providing immediate offense with a straightaway jumper that brought the deficit within single digits.

The bucket gave Maryland’s offense life — the Terps outscored the Boilermakers 23-20 in the second quarter.

But the Purdue attack stayed consistent, dominating possessions to maintain consistent momentum throughout the frame. Fifth year guards Ella Collier and Destini Lombard scored with back-to-back jumpers to extend the Boilermakers’ lead to 16 points midway through the period.

“They were really well prepared, they came out and were ready from the tip,” Frese said.

Another buzzer-beating Boilermakers sequence — this time, a Rashunda Jones layup — capped a quick 5-2 scoring run to end the first half. Jones, who finished with a team-high 17 points, accounted for nearly half of Purdue’s second-quarter scoring.

The Terps’ offense surged back to begin the second half, blitzing Purdue with a quick 9-2 scoring run through the third quarter’s opening three minutes.

Then, McDaniel took over.

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Back-to-back free throws from the guard tied the game for the first time since the start. Just seconds later, she helped Maryland take its first lead.

“I gotta be the energetic bunny, being a spark to everybody — that person that everybody can lean on,” McDaniel said. “[We] showed our resilience and how hard we play on the court … just being aggressive.”

The Terps’ advantaged ballooned to as much as 11, sparkplugged by 14 quick points to begin the fourth quarter with a balanced attack that featured five different scorers.

Maryland’s improved offense led to better defense, especially on the perimeter — Purdue only made a single 3-pointer in the entire frame.

While the Boilermakers got within four late in the final quarter, the Terps’ veteran backcourt — specifically Smilkle and Poffenbarger — contributed with a barrage of 3-pointers. The pair combined for 30 total points, 14 of which came in the fourth frame.

Five of the Terps’ eight active players notched double-digits in Maryland’s first Big Ten road opener in three years. McDaniel accounted for 16 of its 22 bench points, with a season-high in both points and minutes.

“[Bri] understands her role, that growth and maturity gives us a huge spark off the bench,” Frese said. “… Having a competitive attitude and mentality on both ends of the floor, that’s a will to compete.”