COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Four Illini scorers reached double figures as No. 14 Illinois secured an 85-80 road win over Maryland at XFINITY Center on Saturday, marking the Illini's first away victory over the Terrapins since 2011.
Totaling their most points ever in College Park, the Illini moved to 10-4 in Big Ten play to reach double-digit regular-season conference wins for the fifth consecutive season.
Terrence Shannon Jr. took over down the stretch, registering Illinois' final eight points of the game before finishing with a team-high 27 points. Recording 16 of his points in the second half and eight in the final two minutes, Shannon made a career-high 14 free throws after going 14-for-16 from the stripe, and he added two assists and one rebound. He also made plays on the defensive end of the floor, totaling four blocks, his most in conference play this season and one shy of his career-best mark, and one steal.
Marcus Domask secured his third double-double of the season, tallying 19 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. Reaching double-digit points for the 16th consecutive game, Domask surpassed the 2,000-point career scoring mark with a jumper in the second half. He also dished out a team-most three assists.
Coleman Hawkins scored in double figures for the fourth consecutive game, ending his outing with 14 points and seven rebounds. Hawkins amassed nine points in the second half and was pivotal on the defensive end late in the game. He also racked up two assists and one steal, and he grabbed the 500th rebound of his career early in the first half.
Justin Harmon was the first off the bench, and he made the most of his 26 minutes by pouring in 10 points for his seventh double-digit scoring outing this season. Harmon also reeled in three rebounds.
Quincy Guerrier added nine points, rattled in a 3-pointer for the fifth game in a row, and grabbed one rebound. Ty Rodgers accumulated four points and five rebounds, including a team-high two boards on the offensive glass.
In a battle between two very physical teams, Illinois went 32-for-36 (89%) from the free-throw line, the team's most makes and attempts from the charity stripe this season.
Starting the game on a 9-2 run, the Illini made their first three 3-point attempts of the afternoon to open up a seven-point advantage within the first two-and-a-half minutes of play, though the Terrapins trimmed their deficit to one point with a 6-0 run of their own. Four of the Orange and Blue's five starters connected from 3-point range within the first five minutes to give the visitors a 12-8 edge at the first media timeout.
The Illini got to the free-throw line often in the first half, registering 10 of their next 12 points from the charity stripe. With the visitors holding a five-point lead with under nine minutes remaining in the opening half, Maryland used a 13-4 run to take its first lead of the afternoon.
With Illinois trailing by four points with five minutes to go, Domask moved into double figures with a crafty finish off the glass before Rodgers tied the game with a dunk for his first points of the game. Shannon's layup helped the Illini retake the lead before Domask went coast to coast to finish off an 8-0 Illini run in the span of less than two minutes.
Shannon scored Illinois' final four points of the opening frame, which moved him into double figures, as the Orange and Blue went into the break with a 43-38 advantage.
Both teams shot 50% from the field through the first 20 minutes, though the difference came from beyond the arc and at the free-throw line. The Illini registered five 3-pointers compared to the Terrapins' two, while Illinois also outscored Maryland at the line, 14-8, prior to halftime.
The Illini opened the second half with a 4-2 run, which equaled the team's largest lead of the afternoon at seven points, 47-40. With Illinois' advantage reduced to two points, Harmon doubled his scoring total with an and-1 bucket. The three-point play pushed the Orange and Blue's edge to 54-49 with 13 minutes left.
With Illinois' lead back down to two points, Domask got his layup to fall before Shannon recorded an and-1 layup and Guerrier tallied a dunk to complete a 7-2 run and bring the Illini's advantage up to seven points once again with 9:31 to play.
Both sides got to the free-throw line often over the next five minutes, with the sides combining for just two field goals during that stretch. After the Terrapins tied the game at 68, the Illini used a bucket from Domask and free throws from Rodgers to go on a 4-0 run. That scoring stretch gave the visitors a four-point edge with four-and-a-half minutes remaining.
The Terrapins cut their deficit back to one point, and they had a fast-break opportunity to take their first lead of the second half. Domask jumped straight up to force the miss before the rebound was corralled by Harmon, who made a full-court pass to Hawkins. Making the transition dunk while getting fouled, Hawkins completed the three-point play to push Illinois' lead to four points with under three minutes to go. One minute later, Shannon got his layup to fall through contact to bring the Illini's advantage to six points.
Maryland cut Illinois' lead to four points, and the Illini got a big stop with 49 seconds to play before Shannon sealed the road victory by making some late free throws to put the game out of reach with 20 seconds left on the clock.
No. 14 Illinois (19-6, 10-4 B1G) closes its two-game road trip on Wednesday, when the Illini travel to take on Penn State in the lone regular-season meeting between the two sides. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. CT at Rec Hall in University Park, Pa., and the game will air on Big Ten Network.
HIGHLIGHTS
PRESS CONFERENCE
POSTGAME NOTES
PLAYER NOTES
- Terrence Shannon Jr. scored a team-leading 27 points, including 14-for-16 from the free-throw line.
- Has scored in double figures in 29 straight contests dating back to Jan. 31, 2023.
- Recorded four blocks, his most in a game since a career-high five blocks vs. Colgate (12/17/23), and the most blocks he has recorded in a Big Ten game in his career.
- His 27 points are the most ever by a player at Maryland, eclipsing Sam Maniscalco's 24-point effort on Nov. 29, 2011.
- Registered a career-high 14 made free throws.
- His 16 free-throw attempts equaled his most in a single game in his career.
- Marcus Domask recorded his third double-double of the season with 19 points and a season-high 12 rebounds.
- Has scored in double figures for the 16th straight game
- Eclipsed 2,000-career points in his collegiate career with his 15th point of day on a jumper in the lane to give the Illini a 51-47 lead with 13:51 left in the second half.
- It marked his second points-rebounds double-double of the year, after posting 16 points and 10 rebounds vs. Indiana (1/27/24). He also has a points-assists double-double with 11 points and 11 assist vs. FDU (12/29/23).
- His 12 rebounds are also the most by an Illini in a game at Maryland, moving past the 10 originally set by Robert Archibald (11/27/01) and matched by Maverick Morgan (3/3/16)
- Shot 7-for-14 from the field, the sixth time in his last eight games in which he has shot 50% or better.
- Coleman Hawkins tallied 14 points, including a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, with seven rebounds.
- Hawkins has scored in double figures in 15 of the last 17 games, including each of the last four games.
- Hawkins' second rebound of the game, a defensive board at the 15:14 mark of the first half, marked the 500th of his Illini career.
- Justin Harmon posted 10 points and three rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.
- Ty Rodgers pulled down five rebounds, including a team-high two offensive boards to bring his team-leading offensive rebound total to 51 on the season.
- He reached double-figures scoring for the seventh time this season and his first time in his last seven games since pouring in 18 vs. Rutgers (1/21/24).
- Amani Hansberry, who hails from Silver Springs, Md., played late in the first half on Saturday, his first game action Jan. 30 at Ohio State.
TEAM NOTES
- The Illini snapped a five-game losing streak at Maryland, and picked up their first Big Ten road win in College Park.
- The Illini's first road win at Maryland since a non-conference victory on Nov. 29, 2011.
- Illinois' 85 points are its most ever in a game at Maryland, surpassing the 71 points scored in the team's 2011 victory.
- The Illini improve to 6-4 away from State Farm Center in 2023-24. Illinois and Purdue are the only Big Ten teams with winning records in road and neutral games.
- The Illini improve to 65-29 (.691) in league games over the last four-and-a-half seasons, the winningest mark in the Big Ten.
- Following Illinois' road win the Illini also have a Big Ten-leading 27 road victories (27-20, .574) in conference play since the start of 2019-20, the best mark in the league during that time.
- Illinois shot 32-for-36 from the free-throw line as a team, including connecting on their first 10 to start the game.
- Illinois 32 free-throw makes are a season high, surpassing the 24 free-throws the team made at Tennessee (12/9/23).
- The team's 36 attempts from the stripe also set a season high, breaking the mark of 31 set vs. Missouri (12/22/23).
- The Illini shot 24-for-50 (.480) from the field, the team's best shooting percentage ever in a game at Maryland, surpassing the 44.3% (27-for-61) set Dec. 2, 2022.
- Illinois posted a 19-2 edge in fast break points, the team's largest margin in that category in a single game this season.
