Maryland freshman guard Anthony Cowan scored a game-high 19 points, junior guard Jaylen Brantley added 12 points off the bench and the Terps made a key 14-0 run in the second half to take control of their game at Illinois to beat the Fighting Illini, 62-56, Jan. 14.
Maryland (16-2, 4-1 in the Big Ten) also beat Illinois in each team's conference opener Dec. 27. Illinois controlled the first half Jan. 14, leading by as many as 11 points with less than five minutes to go in the half and generating a 32-23 lead with less than 20 seconds to play in the first half.
But the Terps entered halftime down just 32-27 thanks to two free throws by Cowan and guard Melo Trimble picking Illinois guard Malcolm Hill's pocket for a last-second layup. The five-point deficit was something of a victory for the Terps. Thirteen of Maryland's 27 shots in the half were from 3-point range and the Terps only made three of them.
