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Three takeaways from Maryland's 62-56 win at Illinois

The Terps have been a second half team most of the season and that proved to be true once again Jan. 14 as Maryland (16-2) defeated Illinois (12-6) in Champaign, 62-56.

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The game was much closer than the first meeting between these Big Ten foes in late December, but the Terps came out on top once again. Maryland trailed most of the first half and entered halftime down five. But impressive second half showings from several Maryland guards helped Mark Turgeon’s team secure the victory

Here are three takeaways from Maryland’s third straight conference win.

Early foul trouble hinders Damonte Dodd

With Michal Cekovsky still out of the lineup for Maryland, senior center Damonte Dodd needed to continue to step up and lead the frontcourt as he did in the Terps’ last two outings. However, foul trouble has been Dodd’s kryptonite throughout his college career and it plagued him again against the Illini on Saturday. Dodd picked up two early fouls, which forced him to the bench for most of the first half. He then picked up his third personal about three minutes into the second half and was never able to get in a rhythm at either end of the floor as a result. Dodd finished with just two points and four fouls, while the rest of Maryland’s frontcourt--Justin Jackson, L.G. Gill and Ivan Bender--struggled to pick up the slack, combining for nine points on 4-for-12 shooting. Being thin in the post also hurt Maryland on defense as the Illinois starting frontcourt--Leron Black and Maverick Morgan--put up a combined 29 points. Getting Cekovsky back and keeping Dodd out of foul trouble will be crucial to Maryland’s success against bigger teams moving forward.

Anthony Cowan led the Terps with 19 points and seven rebounds at Illinois.
Anthony Cowan led the Terps with 19 points and seven rebounds at Illinois. (USA Today Sports)

Maryland guards stepped up as frontcourt flounders

The down night for Maryland’s bigs has already been highlighted, but the bright spot for the Terps on Saturday was how their guards answered the bell and put the team on their backs. Melo Trimble, Jaylen Brantley and Anthony Cowan combined for 43 of Maryland’s 62 points against Illinois while also ripping down 18 boards collectively. Cowan led all scorers with 19 points and finished with a team-high seven rebounds for the Terps. As he also did in Maryland’s first meeting with Illinois this season, Brantley provided a big spark off the bench and scored 12 points in 21 minutes, including the bucket that gave the Terps their first lead in the second half. Trimble didn’t have his best shooting night--5-for-16 from the field--but he was a facilitator against the Illini, dishing out five assists to his teammates. Perhaps the best thing about this year’s Maryland squad is its versatility. If the frontcourt struggles, the guards seem to step up, and vice versa, which makes the Terps a tough team to prepare for.

Free throw shooting is not this team’s forte right now

Despite picking up a big conference win, the one stat that will surely jump off the page to Turgeon after the game is Maryland’s free throw percentage. The Terps shot 10-for-20 from the charity stripe against the Illini and the foul shooting has been erratic for Maryland all season long. The last time the Terps shot that poor from the line, they lost at home to Nebraska. Turgeon’s team responded well from the performance and went 11-for-14 from the stripe in its next outing against Michigan. A trip to Iowa is next on the docket for Maryland, and with five days in between games, Turgeon will certainly have his players in the gym correcting their free throw shooting issues. Poor foul shooting is an anomaly for a Turgeon-coached team and most of Maryland’s guards are better free throw shooters than they have showed so far this year, so this is a problem that the Terps should be able to fix as the season goes on. They will have to correct it if they want to continue to pull out close games like they did on Saturday night.

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