Maryland upsets No. 17 Illinois with Kofi Cockburn out - The Washington Post
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In Illinois big man’s absence, Maryland finally announces its presence

What to know from the Terps’ 81-65 win over the Illini

Updated January 21, 2022 at 10:31 p.m. EST|Published January 21, 2022 at 9:59 p.m. EST
Maryland's Donta Scott reacts after getting fouled by Illinois's Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk (13) during Friday's 81-65 Terps win. Scott scored a career-high 25 points. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
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The Maryland Terrapins had one big reason to believe Friday’s game against Illinois might go differently than the Big Ten letdowns that have plagued their season. Their hope stemmed from who wouldn’t be on the court for the No. 17 Illini — star big man Kofi Cockburn, who didn’t make the trip to College Park because of a concussion.

The Terrapins took advantage, accomplishing what they have struggled to do at times this campaign: close strong and keep their poise. The result was an emphatic 81-65 win.

Junior forward Donta Scott, who wasn’t part of the starting lineup for the first time this season, scored a career-high 25 points, including 15 in a dominant second half that saw Maryland finish the game on a 24-7 run. The exclamation point was Hakim Hart’s dunk in the closing seconds. Soon after, Fatts Russell was screaming toward the ceiling of Xfinity Center and the Terrapins (10-9, 2-6 Big Ten) were celebrating perhaps their biggest home win of the season.

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“It’s big for us because it gives us confidence,” Scott said. “It instills that we may have lost a lot of games early on but the season isn’t over. As long as you’ve still got a game ahead of you, you’ve always still got that fight left in you.”

Illinois (13-5, 6-2), without the 7-foot Cockburn in the paint, committed to its outside shooting, making 11 of 35 attempts from beyond the arc. The Illini were led by Alfonso Plummer, who recorded 18 points, including 5 for 11 from three-point range, but scored just four in the second half.

The Terps exploited the void left by Cockburn, and they controlled the paint, where they outscored the Illini 40-16. Maryland hardly needed three-point shooting, going just 4 for 11 as it built a comfortable lead. The Illini went the final 5:03 without a field goal.

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“We just, for whatever reason, didn’t have a ton of fight tonight,” Illinois Coach Brad Underwood said. “That’s disappointing. It’s a hard deal when you’re without arguably the best player in college basketball.”

Here’s what else to know from Maryland’s win:

Wahab’s reemergence

Georgetown transfer Qudus Wahab, a former All-Met at Flint Hill, was an early beneficiary of Cockburn’s absence. Wahab scored 11 points in just 16 minutes on 5-for-7 shooting with four rebounds.

Wahab arrived in College Park with hope that he was the Terps’ answer in the post. At the start of the season, he was — averaging 11.6 points through the first eight games. Then he struggled, failing to score more than four points in a game since Jan. 3.

His night was cut short Friday when he appeared to injure his hand. Maryland interim coach Danny Manning said he would have been available late, but he liked the way the team was playing with freshman forward Julian Reese on the floor.

Reese’s surge

Reese, who spelled Wahab after the big man exited, made a pair of three-pointers for the second straight game. His second, with 8:24 remaining, put Maryland up by a point when the contest was still tight. Reese finished with seven points in 23 minutes.

“He’s just scratching the surface of how good he’s going to be,” Manning said. “He’s just starting to figure it out. He’s a baby at the end of the day. He’s a freshman. He’s just learning what Big Ten play is about.”

Wright starts; Scott shines

Simon Wright, a graduate transfer who started 35 games in four years at Elon, received his first start as a Terp. He took the place of Scott, a three-year starter. In Wright’s previous 10 appearances, he averaged 3.4 minutes and 0.7 points.

Scott said he found out he wasn’t starting a few days ago. “When I played today and I got my first step on the court, my mind-set was just do anything to get this win for my team,” Scott said.

The Terps relied on the same starting lineup in the first 16 games of the season, but lately Manning has made some tweaks. He kept usual starters Hart and Russell out of the starting lineup at Michigan this week. He described the decision as a way to “challenge” those veterans and noted that the coaches had reached a point that they were “going to push some buttons.”

“It’s our job as a staff to challenge our guys to not only do well off the court as well as on the court,” Manning said.

Scott checked in for Wright roughly three minutes into Friday’s game, and Wright didn’t return to the floor in the first half. Wright started the second half and logged another brief scoreless stint, playing four minutes on the night. Scott had his career night with 32 minutes on the floor.

“Donta’s a terrific basketball player, and his skill set allows him to do a lot different things out on the court,” Manning said. “But I think this type of game for him is what we would like to see.”

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