Four Players Hit Double Figures In Illini Win Over Maryland

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-pointerscompared 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.