MINNEAPOLIS -- Following an 81-55 victory over Rutgers in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, the Fighting Illini women's basketball team prepares for a quarterfinal matchup with fifth-ranked Maryland on Friday evening for an ~8 PM tipoff.
Illinois and Maryland only faced off once in the regular season with the Terps taking the 82-71 win in College Park. Illinois took a 37-28 lead into halftime, but a hot-shooting Maryland team outscored the Illini 31-8 in the third quarter to take a lead they never relinquished. In the game, Illinois held the Terps scoreless from three-point range.
Makira Cook recorded a team-high 29 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, and Jada Peebles knocked down 17 points on five triples.  For Maryland, unanimous first-team All-Big Ten player Diamond Miller scored 31 points and pulled down nine rebounds in the victory, with another 18 points from Abby Meyers.
An Illinois win against the Terps would give the Illini their deepest run in the Big Ten Tournament since the 2010-11 season when they advanced to the semifinals. The Illini have now improved to a 22 wins on the season, which marks a 15-win improvement from last season. That becomes the best in Illinois program history and stands alone as the third best in Big Ten Conference history. Â
