Maryland Terrapins: Terps rout Illinois in Big Ten opener
Maryland Terrapins’ Melo Trimble scores 20 points to blow past Illinois Fighting Illini 84-59 in Big Ten opener on Tuesday night.
The Maryland Terrapins came into B1G Ten play ready to prove the nation that they are worthy of their 12-1 start. As a result, the Terps put their series of slow starts behind them and dominated Illinois from the outset and never trailed to win 84-59 and improve to 13-1 overall on the season.
Melo Trimble had 20 points, shooting 70 percent from the field (7-10) with three rebounds and two assists. Jaylen Brantley provided the Terps with a solid performance off the bench, adding 13 points with five rebounds and three assists.
The Maryland Terrapins extend their winning streak to six games following their home win Tuesday night. The victory also marks a win for the Terps in all three of their B1G Ten openers since joining the conference in 2014.
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Forwards Ivan Bender and L.G. Gill delivered solid numbers and combined for 13 points and 12 rebounds. Senior center Damonte Dodd missed his fifth straight game due to a sprained left knee ligament, and junior Michal Cekovsky sat out Tuesday to rest an ailing left ankle injury.
The Terps erupted with an 11-0 run to take a 15-4 lead with 12:43 remaining in the opening half. Maryland never looked back as they stretched their lead 16 points at halftime.Maryland collectively shot 55.9 percent from the field as Illinois never found a rhythm and shot a poor 35.6 percent.
After Maryland’s Dion Wiley failed to play in the Terps win over Charlotte due to a sprained wrist, came off the bench in 14 minutes of to hit all three of his shots from beyond the arc, finishing with nine points. Wiley is beginning to come back to form after sitting out last season and is now 7-10 from three-point range in his last two games.
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Maryland continues their B1G Ten play at home as they host Nebraska on New Year’s Day at 12:00 p.m. ET on BTN. The Terps will look to secure their 14th victory of the season before traveling to Ann Arbor, Michigan for just their second road game of the season.