Fresh off a crucial second-half comeback victory over Michigan on Thursday, Maryland basketball entered Sunday’s matchup at No. 10 Illinois in dire need of a resume-boosting road victory to spark any conversation about possible postseason play.
In the first of an important two-game road stretch, the Terps strolled into Champaign and stunned the Illini, 76-67, for a massive conference road victory.
Jahmir Young (28 points, eight assists) and Julian Reese (20 points, 11 rebounds) were dominant all afternoon, as the Terps outscored Illinois 52-26 in the paint despite making only four three-point shots.
The victory marks the second road conference win under Kevin Willard.
“It’s definitely a good sign to see us win on the road,” Reese said. “It’s definitely a good sign to a turnaround, beating the No. 10 team in the country is definitely a good sign for us and a good stepping stone for what’s to come.”
Maryland weathered an early storm in the first half, falling behind by as many as nine points as Luke Goode knocked down three early three-pointers to give Illinois a comfortable cushion.
Goode (13 points) and Marcus Domask (26 points) were the main scoring threats for the Illini, who have now lost two of their last three games.
Maryland made only one of its first seven three-point attempts in the first 10 minutes, while Illinois started 4-6.
After falling behind midway through the first half, Maryland began to assert itself on the interior. Reese scored 11 of his 20 points in the first 20 minutes as the Terps ran their offensive sets through the junior big.
“Our whole thing was, let’s get it inside to [Reese] early, let’s try to wear out Coleman Hawkins, because if you just let him switch pick-and-rolls and play perimeter defense, he gets a rest,” Willard said.
The teams traded baskets throughout the half, as Maryland’s three-point shooting struggles continued. The Terps shot just 2-12 from three in the first half.
Reese’s layup with 1:43 remaining in the first half gave Maryland a brief lead, before Illinois eventually took a 39-37 advantage into the halftime break. Maryland scored 26 points in the final 11 minutes of the first half.
The second half is where Maryland began to find its rhythm. The Terps attempted just five threes in the second half and began to fully lean on its interior presence.
Young, who scored 16 of his 28 points in the final frame, was relentless in his attack of the basket.
“We have three main sets that we turn him into a two-guard and get him running off some down screens,” Willard said of Young. “He likes it because he gets the ball coming off screens with some speed, with some space, he has worked hard on his floater.”
The Terps scored 18 of their first 21 second-half points in the paint, while only attempting two free-throws before the final three minutes of the game. Illinois shot 19-24 from the line.
Despite the free-throw disparity, Maryland relied on its duo of Young and Reese down the stretch. While the two combined for 48 points, it was the defensive effort in the second half that halted any chance of an Illinois comeback.
Maryland held Illinois to 22% from the field in the second half, stifling the Illini on the offensive end. Illinois was 1-14 from three-point range after halftime.
“Really proud of the defensive effort in the second half, I thought that was phenomenal,” Willard said. “Holding this team to 33% and 28% is really good on the road.”
Leading 63-59, freshman guard DeShawn Harris-Smith connected on his lone three-point shot of the game to give Maryland a seven-point advantage. He started the game 0-4 from three and was scoreless until the 16:32 mark of the second half.
“Sometimes as a player when you’re struggling, you’ve got to see the ball go in,” Willard said. “With DeShawn, he got that fast-break layup and the next shot he takes, he hits a three because he saw the ball go in.”
“In this league, it’s not so easy just to see the ball go in sometimes,” he added.
Harris-Smith’s three, paired with multiple key blocks by Young, shut the door on Illinois and gave Maryland a marquee road victory.
Maryland now moves to 3-3 in conference play before another road tilt at Northwestern on Wednesday at 9 p.m.
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Notes heading into the weekend (+)
May 4, 2024
