CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Anthony Cowan scored 20 points and ninth-ranked Maryland held on to beat No. 20 Illinois 75-66 on Friday night.
The Terrapins (19-4, 9-3 Big Ten) took sole possession of first place in the conference with the win. Illinois (16-7, 8-4) fell into second place.
Illinois led by as many as 14 points midway through the first half, but the Terrapins fought back and pulled to within 42-40, with a 3-pointer by Wiggins at the halftime buzzer.
Maryland opened the second half with an 11-0 run to take a lead it never relinquished.
Darryl Morsell scored 18 and Eric Ayala added 12 for Maryland.
Ayo Dosunmu led Illinois with 16 points. Andres Feliz added 12.
Emotions were running high from the opening tip. There were four technical foul called in the first half, two on the Maryland bench and one each on Illinois (Feliz) and Maryland (Morsell).
Illinois coach Brad Underwood was called for the game’s fifth technical foul midway through the second half for yelling at the referees.
The game was the first in seven years between two ranked teams in Champaign (when No. 8 Minnesota defeated No. 12 Illinois on Jan. 9, 2013), and the first Friday night Big Ten game ever played at State Farm Center.
UP NEXT
Maryland: Hosts Nebraska on Tuesday before traveling to No. 16 Michigan State on Feb. 15.
Illinois: Hosts No. 16 Michigan State on Tuesday and heads to Rutgers on Feb. 15.
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