EVANSTON, Ill. — Kaylene Smikle scored 23 points and Saylor Poffenbarger scored 16 as 21st-ranked Maryland beat Northwestern 85-79 on Thursday night.

Sarah Te-Biasu added 16 points and Shyanne Sellers 12 for Maryland (21-6, 11-5 Big Ten), which shot 9-for-26 from 3-point range compared to Northwestern’s 1-for-4.

Reserve Melannie Dailey scored 22 points, and Taylor Williams scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Northwestern. Caileigh Walsh added 15 points and reserve Grace Sullivan 11 for the Wildcats (9-16, 2-12), who were 24-for-35 at the foul line.

Smikle’s early three-point play ended Northwestern’s opening-basket lead, and the Wildcats spent the rest of the night chasing Maryland. The Terrapins led 22-15 at the end of the first quarter. Maryland went to intermission ahead 48-30.

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Northwestern reduced its deficit to 63-53 at the end of the third and outscored Maryland 21-7 in a little more than six minutes to get within four at 74-70 with 3:42 remaining on Dailey’s layup.

But Te-Biasu’s 3 with 53 seconds capped an 8-4 Maryland spurt to make it 82-74, and itheld on from there.

Maryland next travels to Indiana on Feb. 27. Northwestern heads to Wisconsin on Sunday.