Maryland dominates inside to upset No. 10 Illinois

[January 15, 2024]  Jahmir Young pumped in 28 points and Julian Reese added 20 as Maryland continued its recent dominance of No. 10 Illinois with a 76-67 Big Ten Conference upset Sunday in Champaign, Ill.
 
Reese added 11 rebounds as the Terrapins (11-6, 3-3) owned the lane. They outscored the Fighting Illini (12-4, 3-2) by a whopping 52-26 in the paint, more than offsetting 4-of-17 3-point shooting and the fact that Illinois made more free throws (19) than Maryland shot (17).  

Jan 14, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Maryland Terrapins head coach head coach Kevin Willard reacts during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Domask scored 26 points for Illinois and Luke Goode added 13, but it wasn't quite enough. The Fighting Illini went ice-cold in the second half, converting just 9 of 40 attempts from the field and only 1 of 14 from the 3-point line.

Illinois coach Brad Underwood seemed to sense his team was in trouble when he called a timeout just 1:18 into the second half after Domask sank a 3-pointer to give his team a 42-41 edge. It didn't help as Maryland took the lead for good on Reese's dunk with 15:32 left.

Domask hit a short jumper to pull the Illini within 68-65 with 1:09 remaining but the Terrapins sealed it with 6-of-6 foul shooting and a dunk by Jordan Geronimo in the last 61 seconds.

Illinois controlled most of the first 12 minutes, but a trend developed. Although Maryland trailed by as many as nine points, it was able to attack the Illini inside, a trend few opponents have been able to mimic. Their defense against 2-point shots has been among the best in Division I.

The Terrapins started reducing the deficit behind Young and Reese, pulling within 30-28 as Young connected on two free throws with 5:24 left in the half. They even took a brief lead when Reese hit a jump hook at the 1:43 mark.

Dain Dainja came alive inside for Illinois in the last couple of minutes with three foul shots and a short jumper, allowing it to take a 39-37 edge into the locker room.

--Field Level Media

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