All terrapins

Maryland Falls On The Road To No. 11 Illinois

The Terps couldn't overcome the Fighting Illini's offense, dropping the road contest last night.
Jaden Golding|
Jan 21, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard David Coit (8) shoots over Illinois Fighting Illini forward Ben Humrichhous (3) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Fred Zwicky-Imagn Images
Jan 21, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard David Coit (8) shoots over Illinois Fighting Illini forward Ben Humrichhous (3) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Fred Zwicky-Imagn Images | Fred Zwicky-Imagn Images

In this story:

Maryland TerrapinsIllinois Fighting Illini

The Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team was looking to carry momentum from its Sunday victory against Penn State into the road matchup with No. 11 Illinois. Still, ultimately, a late run at the end of the first proved to be the gut-punch, downing the Terps 89-70 last night at State Farm Center.

Maryland (8-11, 1-7 Big Ten) opened up the game hot, going six-of-seven from the field with three of the baskets coming from guard David Coit. Coit, hot off a career-high 43-point explosion on Sunday, was kept at bay yesterday, only finishing with 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the floor.

Forward Solomon Washington hit a pair of free throws at the 7:58 mark, putting the Terps ahead of the Fighting Illini (16-3, 7-1 Big Ten) 26-22 in the first half. From that point all the way to the end of the half, Illinois turned the game in their favor with a 25-4 run into halftime that put them ahead 47-30.

Andrej Stojakovic was a primary catalyst of the run, scoring 16 first-half points.

Stojakovic would finish the game as the leading scorer, with 30 points on 9-of-18 shooting and nine rebounds.

In the second half, the Terps were unable to keep up with Illinois's offensive firepower.

Andre Mills was the Terps' leading scorer off the bench, matching a season-high 16 points, hitting four of his five three-pointer attempts.

Washington continued to provide a high-level energy in the interior and overall, securing his third double-double performance of the season (13 points and 10 rebounds).

Maryland is now 2-8 in their past 10 contests.

Key Team Stats

  • Maryland shot 40% from the floor (26-of-65), 31% from three (10-of-32), and 50% at the charity stripe (8-of-16).
  • Illinois shot 44% from the floor (27-of-62), 38% from three (15-of-40), and 71% at the free-throw line (20-of-28).
  • The Terps were outrebounded 47-31 (Illinois had 15 offensive rebounds).
  • Maryland had one of its best games protecting the ball this season, finishing with only five total turnovers on the night.

What Went Wrong?

Forward Pharrel Payne's presence was missed in a contest like this. Illinois is a top rebounding team in the country, currently ranked 17th (41 rebounds per game), and they could've used his activity on the glass, defensively and offensively. Illinois didn't dominate the Terps in the paint, but their size stretched the Terps' defense and caused them issues.

The offense for the Terps seems to go through stagnant periods throughout the year, where the ball movement slows, they put up shots late on the shot clock, and become too reliant on the three-ball. Lack of consistency continues to show itself with this group.

Up Next

Maryland continues its road stint, heading north for a matchup with the No. 10 Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center on Saturday. Tipoff will start at 12 p.m.

Published | Modified
Jaden Golding
JADEN GOLDING

Jaden's sports journalism career began at the College of Southern Maryland from 2022-2023, where he was brought in to cover baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball at CSM. In late 2023, he began interning at the University of Maryland Athletics Department as a contributing writer to help develop feature stories and game recaps. He also creates his own sports media content on professional Washington teams with LegacyMaker Sports Network.

Home/Basketball