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 Layman made 7 of 11 shots from the field and had 18 points with
seven rebounds and three assists as No. 14 Maryland scored 50 points
after halftime to bury Illinois 81-55 in a Big Ten Conference
contest.
"Jake is one of my all-time favorites," said Maryland coach Mark
Turgeon. "He stuck with me, he stuck with Maryland basketball. He
committed to us when we weren't very good. He has made the last step
this year. He has become a really complete player."
Said Layman: "We have been through a lot. I stuck with (Turgeon). He
stuck with me. I am so happy to be a Terp."
The hosts had four players in double figures, as Melo Trimble added
18 points and eight rebounds while Robert Carter, Jr. and Jared
Nickens each had 14 points. Rasheed Sulaimon, the Duke transfer, had
nine assists and no turnovers.
"I am really happy for our seniors. It was a fun night. The second
half we were terrific. Jake was terrific," Turgeon said. "It was a
feel-good night, which was fun. It is hard to have them in college
basketball."
The Terrapins (24-6, 12-5) were 14 of 25 from 3-point range,
including 10 of 13 in the second half, with seven different players
connecting on a long shot in the regular-season home finale.
Layman, honored before the game on Senior Night, was 3 of 5 from
long range and has made 27 of his last 39 shots from the field in
the past five games. He was taken out late in the game and got a
large ovation from the home crowd of 17,950 fans.
"You live for those moments," Layman said.
The Terrapins took out Diamond Stone and went with a smaller lineup
for much of the second half.
"We just ran our stuff," Turgeon said. "Melo was good tonight,
really good. He really played smart. It was a good sign for us."
That lineup allowed Layman to play more at the three spot.
"They played him a lot at the four last year," Illinois coach John
Groce said of facing Layman last season. "Today they played him more
there (at the three). It stretches the floor. Certainly it gives
them a different look, there is no question."
Illinois (13-17, 5-12) was paced by Maverick Morgan, who had 13 of
his career-high 21 points in the first half. Jalen Coleman-Lands had
11 points for the visitors and Malcolm Hill had 10.
"The biggest thing that stands out is what they shot from the field
in the second half," Groce said. "That was as good of an offensive
performance we have seen in a half all year. Obviously they have a
lot of answers inside and out."
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The visitors shot just 35 percent in the first half and 39 overall.
"I thought they played terrific offensively in the second half. That
was the story," Groce said. "We knew how good they were on the
glass. We did some decent things. Unfortunately it came down to shot
making."
The Terrapins, who led by 10 at halftime, got a trio of 3-pointers
by Trimble, Layman and Nickens early in the second half to take a
42-25 lead with 15:48 left. The 9-0 run ended on a basket by Hill,
but the Fighting Illini could never recover.
Groce was hit with a technical and Trimble made two free throws to
extend the margin to 50-34. Jaylen Brantley, who had been fouled,
hit two more free throws and the Terrapins led 52-34.
Maryland had a stretch of five field goals in a row from 3-point
range. The string was snapped as Trimble made a driving layup with
9:52 remaining. Carter Jr. got into the long-range act late in the
game, hitting two 3-pointers to expand the bulge to 74-43 with 3:56
left.
Maryland entered the game fourth in the conference but had lost
three of its last four. The Terrapins are now 34-2 at home the past
two seasons.
Illinois was coming off a victory over Minnesota but failed to win
back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 19 and 23. Maryland
ends regular-season play Sunday at Indiana without a chance of
winning the regular-season title. But don't tell that to the
Terrapins , who clinched a double-bye for the conference tourney
next week with the Thursday win.
"Sunday is going to be a big game for us," Trimble said.
NOTES: This was the first meeting of the season between the teams.
Illinois won at home 75-64 last season. ... The only Illinois player
to start the first 30 games of the season was G Malcolm Hill, who
was averaging a team-high 18.2 points at game time. The only other
player to appear in the first 30 games was G Jalen Coleman-Lands,
who started 20 of those.
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