But Maryland's coach wasn't ready for the Terrapins' run in the NCAA tournament to end with Monday night's loss to Stanford in the Spokane Regional final.

"I don't want to be sad that it's over. I want to be happy that it happened," Frese said after the top-seeded Terrapins fell 98-87 to Stanford, ending their hope for a second Final Four trip in three years.

"Especially with this group. What these seniors have meant to our program in their four years ... they have raised the standard for Maryland basketball."

The Terrapins finished the season at 33-4, but carrying on their three-year run of success is going to be a challenge with the loss of ACC player of the year Crystal Langhorne and forward Laura Harper both graduating.

Of course, knowing that star point guard, and second-team All-American Kristi Toliver, dynamic freshman Marah Strickland and versatile forward Marissa Coleman all return can make anyone associated with the Terrapins program smile.

Thoughts of next season weren't prevalent in anyone's mind late Monday night.

"All I'm feeling is the loss and the fact that I don't get to play with my seniors any more," Toliver said.

Toliver's performance on Monday night nearly matched that of Stanford star Candice Wiggins. Both players scored 24 points in the second half and Toliver finished with a career-high 35. She scored nine straight at one point late in the second half as the Terrapins tried to rally from a double-digit deficit.

"Kristi was playing like she was possessed," Harper said. "She was trying to win that game on her own. She was carrying the team on her shoulders."

But while Wiggins got help from a pair of unlikely sources - light-scoring sophomore JJ Hones and freshman Kayla Pedersen - Toliver had no such help. Langhorne was double-teamed almost every time she touched the ball and took just six shots, finishing with 13 points. Aside from scoring just four points against Boston College on Feb. 14, it was Langhorne's fewest points since the end of December.

"I didn't want my career to end," Langhorne said. "And it's never going to be this anymore, professionally. The team atmosphere, it's never going to be like this any more. And we just didn't want it to end."

Maryland's 33 wins were the second most in school history, part of a crazy season that started last fall when the players learned that Frese was pregnant with twins. The pregnancy left Frese limited on how involved she could be with the team, both in practice and games.

Frese didn't travel on most road trips, and the players had to accept first-year assistant Daron Park as their voice of direction on the sideline. But the situation only strengthened the Terrapins resolve. They survived a brutal schedule that included games against Oklahoma, Notre Dame, LSU, Rutgers and Ohio State, to go along with their usual ACC slate.

Once Markus and Tyler were born on Feb. 17 - the day Maryland beat Duke 76-69 on the road - the team grew even closer, brought together by being big sisters for the twins. And yes, that included diaper duty.

"We were already tight, but having the twins just added another piece of the puzzle and just made us that much closer," Coleman said. "It was an experience for all of us to see her go through it, to be with her."

Even with the loss to Stanford, the Maryland players believed the season was a success. But those returning are still seeking more accomplishments.

"When it's all said and done and we graduate, we want Maryland to be known as one of the elite programs in the country," Coleman said. "It's on its way to being that, but there are some more things to accomplish."