Illinois Women Edge Maryland, 66-65

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Illinois secured its first ranked road win since 2019 with a dramatic 66-65 victory over No. 14 Maryland at XFINITY Center on Sunday afternoon.

With three lead changes in the final 60 seconds, Genesis Bryant knocked down two free throws with six seconds remaining to give the Fighting Illini their first-ever win against the Terrapins and their third ranked triumph of the season.

Playing all 40 minutes, Bryant finished with a game-high 20 points while making two 3-pointers and going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Scoring 10 points in the third quarter alone, Bryant also amassed four rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

Berry Wallace continued to make clutch plays for the Orange and Blue, with the true freshman recording 14 points to along with a career-high four 3-pointers. She also collected two rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal.

Brynn Shoup-Hill knocked down a 3-pointer with 45 seconds left to give the Illini a late lead. She logged seven points, two assists, and a block, and five of her eight rebounds came on the offensive glass.

Kendall Bostic posted her fifth consecutive double-double, concluding the afternoon with 13 points and 14 rebounds. She also tallied two assists and a block across her 40 minutes of action.

Adalia McKenzie filled the stat sheet with nine points, a career high-tying seven assists, and three rebounds.

The Illini shot 10-for-21 from 3-point range in the road victory, while they turned 10 offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points.

After a back-and-forth opening six minutes of the contest that featured five lead changes, the Terrapins closed the frame with a 10-2 run to establish an 18-11 edge. Bryant accounted for six of the Illini's 11 points in the first quarter, the most of any player through the first 10 minutes of play.

The home side extended their advantage to nine points early in the second period, but the Orange and Blue pieced together a 9-2 run to cut their deficit down to 22-20 just under three minutes into the frame. McKenzie tallied seven points during that two-minute span, including her lone 3-pointer of the afternoon.

Maryland made another run to go back ahead by five, but five consecutive points from Bostic tied the game at 30 with less than a minute remaining in the first half. The Terrapins ultimately scored the final two points of the frame, sending the sides into the break with the hosts narrowly in front, 32-30. 

Bryant gave Illini the lead with a 3-pointer to start the second half, but a 10-0 run from the Terps put the home side ahead once again. The Illini were not quiet for long, though, responding with a 10-0 run of their own over the next three minutes to re-establish a one-point edge, 43-42. Bryant moved into double figures during that time, while Wallace connected from beyond the arc for her second trey of the day.

After the sides traded baskets across the final three minutes of the third quarter, the Illini and the Terps entered the final frame knotted at 50 apiece.

Illinois scored the first four points of the fourth quarter, a stretch that started with a bucket from Bostic. Shoup-Hill then grabbed an offensive rebound before Wallace made the second-chance layup to move into double figures and give the visitors a 54-50 lead with 7:48 remaining.

A 9-0 run from Maryland gave the Terps a 59-54 advantage with under three minutes remaining, but the Illini continued to fight. Back-to-back baskets from Bostic and Bryant reduced the Orange and Blue's deficit to one, but three consecutive points from Maryland extended the home side's edge up to 62-58 with under two minutes to go.

Wallace buried her fourth trey on the Illini's next possession to cut the team's deficit back down to one. After Maryland split a pair of free throws, Shoup-Hill rattled in her first 3-pointer of the afternoon to put Illinois ahead, 64-63, with 45 seconds to play. The Terps took the lead once more with 14 seconds remaining, but Bryant got fouled as she drove to the basket with six seconds to play and made both free throws to send Illinois ahead, 66-65.

Getting a stop on the defensive end, the Illini improved to 17-5 and 7-4 in Big Ten play with their fourth conference road victory of the season.

Three of Illinois' next four games will be played at State Farm Center, starting on Thursday when the Fighting Illini host Northwestern for a 6 p.m. CT contest on B1G+.