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Illinois Postgame Notes

Illinois 64, #11/9 Maryland 57
State Farm Center // Jan. 7, 2015 // Attendance: 12,896 


1. The Illini remained perfect at State Farm Center, improving to 8-0 on the season.

2. Illinois earned its fourth win over an AP Top-15 ranked team under third-year head coach John Groce. The Illini last knocked off a Top-15 ranked opponent on Feb. 7, 2013, downing No. 1 Indiana, 74-72. They also defeated No. 8 Ohio State, 74-55, on Jan. 5, 2013, and No. 10 Gonzaga, 85-74, on Dec. 8, 2012, earlier that season.

3. Tonight's win also marked the eighth victory over an AP Top-25 foe under Groce. Illinois is now 8-19 against Top-25 opponents under Groce.

4. UI came out on fire in the second half, rolling off a 20-3 run to turn a 28-26 halftime deficit into a 46-31 lead. The Illini held the Terrapins scoreless for a span of 5:47 during the run and only allowed two field goals in the first 12 minutes of the second half.

5. Sophomore Malcolm Hill poured in a career-high 28 points to lead all scorers, including a career-best 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. He registered a career-high 39 minutes, marking the most minutes played by an Illini this year.

6. Hill finished 9-of-18 from the field, starting 2-of-7 in the first half before turning it on in the second stanza by finishing 7-of-11 for 18 points after the break. Nine baskets tied the most field goals made by an Illini this season, while the 18 attempts is the most recorded by an Illinois player this year.

7. Senior Nnanna Egwu displayed senior leadership in one of his best performances of the season, tallying 11 points, a game-high nine rebounds and four blocks in a career-high 38 minutes.

8. Egwu became the fourth Illini in school history to reach at least 170 blocks, with 171 career blocks. He trails Derek Holcomb (174), Mike Tisdale (176) and all-time leader Deon Thomas (177) in the UI record book.

9. Illinois, which entered the game ranked third in the nation in free throw percentage at 77.6 percent, iced the game with eight clutch free throws in the final minute. The Illini finished 17-of-20 (85 percent) from the charity stripe to improve its season mark to 78 percent.

10. Making his first career start, sophomore Jaylon Tate was 4-of-4 from the free throw line during the final minute, equaled a career-high 10 points and dished out a team-high four assists while only committing one turnover in a career-high 31 minutes.

11. Sophomore Kendrick Nunn equaled his career-high with six rebounds.