@IlliniWBB Falls to No. 6 Maryland in Big Ten Opener

Bollant Press Conference | Highlights

Champaign, Ill. - Six Illini scored eight or more points each on Thursday   Dec. 31, in Illinois' Big Ten opener against the No. 6-ranked Maryland Terrapins, but it wasn't enough to secure the win.  Maryland took a 79-63 victory over the Illini, improving to 12-1 on the season. Illinois falls to 7-5 on the season and 0-1 in Big Ten play. UI was led by sophomore Chatrice White who put up 14 points, and eight of nine Illini found the net in the contest. Illinois took five charges in the game, with three credited to redshirt senior Kyley Simmons. Simmons also continued her three-pointer streak knocked down two treys in the game. She finished with eight points, four rebounds and a block and has made two or more three-pointers in 10 games this season.

"I give Maryland a lot of credit, I think that's the best Big Ten team I've seen in quite awhile," head coach Matt Bollant said of Thursday's game. "I think we really battled and fought in the first half and they still scored 39 points. I felt like we had a pretty good defensive half. I think the key to the game was that third quarter, we had a lull to start that, when we really needed to be playing with some life. They were a physically demanding team and I think that really wore us down at the end. But, I was still really proud of our fight."

The Illini played tough defense to start the game, limiting Maryland to 6-of-16 shooting early on. The Terps took an early lead in the game, but the Orange and Blue used a 14-2 to pull ahead of the nation's sixth-ranked team. Illinois forced five Maryland turnovers in that six-minute span, while holding on to the lead for more than two minutes in the period. Six of seven Illini on the court found the net in the first quarter, once again using a balanced attack.  

"I think we have a lot of offensive threats," White said of the balanced scoring. " For us to use that, to the fullest is the best thing for us as a team. We just need to play with that energy and keep getting defensive stops like we did in the first half and carry that over into the rest of the game."

Illinois stayed close through the second quarter, keeping the Terps within five points for much of the period. Illinois went into the locker room with five players netting five or more points apiece, led by White' seven first-half points, and three rebounds from both White and Alex Wittinger. The Illini held the Terrapins' leading scorer, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (19 points per game), to just three points before the halftime break. 

Maryland came out of the break on an 11-2 run to take a 16-point lead over Illinois. Maryland was aggressive on the glass, pulling down 15 offensive rebounds by the end of the third quarter and limiting Illinois to just five. The Terps racked up 17 second chance points before heading into the final period, while out-rebounding UI, 37-23. 

"I think we did pretty well on the boards in the first half," White said after the game as the Illini were only outrebounded by 10 in the first half.. "It's a matter of continuing that throughout the whole game. They're a big, strong team, so we just needed to get a body on them sooner and hit harder."

Maryland kept its distance in the final period, but the Illini continued to take care of the ball. UI did not commit a single turnover in the period, while forcing eight from the Terrapins. The Orange and Blue scored 17 points off of 17 Maryland turnovers in the game, while giving up just 15 off of their 12 turnovers. Illini senior Eriel Davis made her first appearance for the Illini this season, entering the game in the fourth quarter.

Illinois will head out for its first Big Ten road game on Jan. 3, facing the Purdue Boilermakers at 1 p.m. CT. 

Stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com for the latest on Illinois Women's Basketball. 

Notes

-Illinois dropped its fourth consecutive game on Thursday, falling 79-63 to the No. 6-ranked Maryland Terrapins. The Illini move to 7-5 on the season and 45-184 against ranked opponents, all-time. 

-The Illini used a 14-2 run to take the lead over Maryland in the first quarter of play. Illinois held the lead for two minutes and 15 seconds 

-Freshmen Jaelyne Kirkpatrick and Alex Witinger earned their second consecutive start for the Illini on Thursday.

-Senior Eriel Davis made her first appearance for the Illini this season, entering the game in the fourth quarter. 

-The Illini used a tough defense to limit Maryland's leading scorer, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, to just three points in the first half. She averages almost 19 points per game. Walker-Kimbrough finished with 13 points overall, her second lowest point total of the season.

-Six of seven Illini on the floor found the net in the first quarter, and five of those players put up at least five points each in the first half. Eight of nine Illini scored on the day.

-Junior Ashley McConnell scored three points on Thursday, her first points since scoring two against Tennessee State. 

-Maryland's Brionna Jones recorded 19 rebounds today, matching the State Farm Center record for Illinois opponents. The number has been reached by five other players.