Big Ten Basketball: Illinois upset bid falls just short in loss to Maryland

In the first Big Ten Basketball game for both squads, Maryland used a second-half comeback to pull out the victory in College Park over Illinois.

Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon wasn’t afraid to admit his team’s poor performance against Illinois almost cost them Saturday in their Big Ten opener.

"The basketball gods were obviously on our side, it was kind of a miracle win. We weren’t very good. I wasn’t very good, and we weren’t ready to play and they were.– Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon via Associated Press/ESPN"

Luckily for the Terps, Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half, including the game-tying three in the final minute, and helped Maryland to a 59-58 victory over Illinois.

The Illini, 6-3 (0-1 Big Ten), came out hot with freshman Kofi Cockburn and junior Trent Frazier each scoring twice in the first 7 minutes giving Illinois a 14-5 lead. That lead would grow to as much as 14 going into the halftime break, 39-25.

Illinois seemed to pick up right where they left off to begin the second half as they were able to sustain a 15 point lead at the 17:23 mark of the half. That’s when Maryland began to return to form.

An Anthony Cowan Jr. jumper with 15:07 to go made it a single-digit deficit for the Terrapins and they would continue to trim the lead throughout the next couple of minutes. The Illini were able to gain momentum again though with 4 and half minutes to go as they would push the lead to nine. That is as far as they would get from Maryland though.

After a Trent Frazier made free throw, Maryland’s go-to-guy Anthony Cowan Jr. pulled up from near the logo and drained a game-tying three with 0:21 left on the clock.

"Right when he shot it, it looked perfect, I knew it was in, and that’s just kind of what he does. – Maryland head Coach Mark Turgeon via Associated Press/ESPN"

Illinois then dribbled down the court with a chance for a last shot game-winner but Andres Feliz lost the ball and fouled Cowan Jr. sending him to the free-throw line where he would make one of two to give the Terrapins a 59-58 win.

The heartbreaking loss for the Illini comes after another tough loss at the hands of Miami on Monday. Illinois coach Brad Underwood was honest after the game, stating how proud he was of his team.

"I could not be prouder of my guys, there were a lot of tears in there. There was a lot of hurt, and that makes me feel good. I know we’re on the right page… We grew up a lot tonight. – Illinois head coach Brad Underwood via Associated Press/ESPN"

The Illini only had two guys in double figures, Frazier with 13 points and Feliz with 11. Kofi Cockburn was near a double-double with 9 points and 8 rebounds as a large majority of the Illini offense failed to show up in the loud Big Ten environment.

Maryland was led by Cowan Jr. with 20 points while big man Jalen Smith had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Up next for Illinois is a visit from #4 Michigan at the State Farm Center in Champaign on Wednesday. Maryland will travel to State College to play upstart Penn State on Tuesday.