COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Fighting Illini women's basketball team struggled to handle early pressure from No. 9-ranked Maryland, and were unable to keep pace with the Terrapins offense in a 103-58 loss at Xfinity Center on Wednesday afternoon.
Sophomore guard Jada Peebles led the Illini with 18 points, including 2-for-2 from three-point range. Freshman guard Aaliyah Nye also reached double-figures scoring with 11 points. Kennedi Myles and Geovana Lopes each pulled down a team-high six rebounds, and leading scorer Jeanae Terry added five rebounds and six assists, despite being held to just three points.
Mistakes plagued the Fighting Illini (3-14, 1-12 B1G) who had little room for error against the conference-leading Terrapins (15-2, 11-1 B1G). Maryland entered the game as the NCAA leader in scoring average – at nearly 92 points per game – and broke 100 for the fourth time this season.
Thanks to six Illini turnovers in the opening 2 minutes, 30 seconds, Maryland built a 10-0 lead before Kennedi Myles got the Orange and Blue on the board at the 6:16 mark of the first quarter. The Illini never drew closer than eight the rest of the game, as Maryland pushed its advantage to 29-11 after the first quarter, and 54-33 at the half.
The Illini did find an offensive spark from beyond the arc in the second period, thanks to a flurry that saw the team score from deep on four-consecutive possessions from four different players – Aaliyah McQueen, J-Naya Ephraim, Nye and Peebles.
Maryland was led by Katie Benzan who scored 19 of her game-high 22 points in the first half. Chloe Bibby added 20 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while Ashley Owusu (17 points) and Diamond Miller (11) also finished in double-figures scoring. Owusu and Miller each recorded seven assists.
STAT OF THE GAME
After missing their first three shots from beyond the arc, Illinois connected on four of their next eight three-point attempts as part of a 22-point second quarter. The four treys came from four different players as Aaliyah McQueen, J-Naya Ephraim, Aaliyah Nye, and Jada Peebles all hit from distance in the period.
TEAM NOTES
- The Illini struggled with Maryland's full-court pressure in the early going, falling behind 10-0 and committed six turnovers in the first 2:30. Â Â
- Illinois' 22-point second quarter marked a season-high scoring effort for either a first or second quarter, and the fifth most points scored by the team in a single quarter overall this season.
- Illinois tallied 33 first-half points, the second-most in an opening half this season (40 at Nebraska, Dec. 10, 2020).
- Maryland's 103 points mark the second-most surrendered the Illini this year, behind the 107 points scored by Iowa on Jan. 3).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Sophomore G Jada Peebles recorded a team-high 18 points. It marks the sixth time this season, and third-consecutive game, in which Peebles finished as the team's leading scorer. She has now reached double-figures scoring 22 times in her Illini career, including 12 times this season.
- Freshman G Aaliyah Nye reached double-figures scoring for the fourth time in her freshman season. She tallied 11 points, including a pair of three-pointers. It is her sixth game with multiple three-pointers.
- Illinois' leading scorer, sophomore G Jeanae Terry, was held to just three points, but contributed to the Illini offense with a team-leading six assists. Terry has led or tied for the team lead in assists in 14 of 17 games this season, including seven of the last eight vs. Big Ten opponents. Â Â Â Â Â
- Freshman G Aaliyah McQueen sparked the Illini off the bench with seven points, one shy of her career-high. McQueen also tied her personal-best with two steals. Â
NEXT UP
The Fighting Illini travel to Piscataway, N.J., for a Saturday matchup against Rutgers at The RAC. Tipoff between the Illini and the Scarlet Knights (8-3, 4-3 B1G) is set for 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT. The game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network. Mike Koon will call the action for the Illini on WDWS 1400 AM. Streaming audio and live stats are also available at FightingIllini.com.
