Terrence Shannon's 27 Leads Illinois Fighting Illini Past Maryland Terrapins

The Illinois Fighting Illini had struggled against Maryland since they became members of the same conference.

The Illini was just 3-10 against the Terrapins since they joined the Big Ten during the 2014-15 season. So there was finally some relief after Illinois 85-80 victory in College Park.

The Illini were led by Terrence Shannon's 27 points.

“There’s no question everybody knows they’ve kind of had our number the past years,” Illinois guard Marcus Domask said. “To come in here on the road in a hostile environment, and I know they had some stuff for their students. I know they were excited for this one but to come in here and get the win means a lot.”

The Illini improved to 19-6 overall and 10-4 in the Big Ten. They have now won five of the last six, the only loss coming last week against Michigan State.

Domask added 19 points while Coleman Hawkins had 14 points and seven rebounds. The Illini led most of the second half before Maryland tied it at 68 but Shannon sealed it with four late free throws. It ended the Illini's five-game losing streak at Maryland.

“It’s finally nice I can check this one off, the only place (in the Big Ten) I hadn’t won was here,” Underwood said. “It feels good to be able to do that.”

The Illini, who are second in the conference to Purdue, return to action Wednesday on the road against Penn State.

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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Illini Now. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com.