Maryland Crushes Illinois in Big Ten Opener; Terps Improve to 13-1

BALTIMORE, Maryland, Tuesday, December 27, 2016 - It was the opinion of critics, including the media midgets who keep Maryland out of the various Top 25's, that the "real" Maryland would show its colors once the Big Ten Season got underway.

Wrong!

With Melo Trimble predictably leading the way, Maryland crushed a good Illinois team, 84-59, Tuesday night in College Park, Maryland.  Trimble poured in 20 points to lead four Terrapins in double figures.  He was helped plenty by Sophomore Jaylen Brantley's 13 points, Freshman Anthony Cowan's 12 points, Freshman Justin Jackson's 12 points, and Redshirt Sophomore Dion Wiley's 9 points, all from three-point range.

Maryland, despite its gaudy record (13-1), and strong schedule (including wins over Georgetown, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Richmond and Illinois), remains unranked in either major poll.  They would be No. 26 in the AP Poll were it extended, and No. 27 in the Coach's Poll.

Both teams started slowly, and Illinois didn't score for the first 3:15 of the first half.  But the Terps only had four points over that stretch.  Illinois managed to tie the score at 4-4, but never could get a lead.

After the first minutes, Maryland took control.  Cowan's jumper in the paint with 12:19 left in the first half put the Terps ahead, 17-5.  Jackson's jumper in the paint with 9:21 left in the half gave Maryland a 21-8 lead.  Maryland's biggest lead came with just over five minutes left when Cowan hit a free throw to stretch the Terrapin lead to 29.

Maryland played without two of its top post players, Damonte Dodd, who has been out, and Michal Cekovsky, whose injured ankle kept him out of uniform.  Nevertheless, the Terps outscored Illinois, 48-24, in the paint.  The Terps received a much-needed lift from L.G. Gill, who came off the bench to score 6 points and grab a team-high 7 rebounds.

Maryland improved to 13-1 overall, while Illinois fell to 10-4.  The Terps play next on Sunday (January 1) against Nebraska, also in College Park.  Their first conference road game is January 7 at Michigan.