Andrej Stojakovic scored a season-high 30 points to pace No. 11 Illinois to its eighth straight win, 89-70 over Big Ten nemesis Maryland in Champaign, Ill., on Wednesday.
Keaton Wagler contributed 13 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Illini (16-3, 7-1 Big Ten) finally handled the Terrapins, who had captured wins in five of their past six trips to Champaign.
Illinois overcame the loss of second-leading scorer Kylan Boswell, who sustained a broken hand in practice on Monday. Jake Davis, who moved into the starting lineup for Boswell, made 4 of 6 attempts from 3-point range, scoring 12 points.
David Mirkovic delivered 15 points and nine rebounds while Tomislav Ivisic added nine points and seven rebounds, helping the taller Illini to a 47-31 edge on the glass.
Stojakovic, who also finished with nine rebounds, entered the game with 11 triples and a 23.4% success rate from beyond the arc. On Wednesday, he made his first four attempts from distance.
Andre Mills scored 16 points off the bench to pace Maryland (8-11, 1-7), which lost for the eighth time in its past 10 games and is off to its worst start since the 1988-89 season.
David Coit scored 15 points and Solomon Washington contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Terrapins.
Maryland got off to a promising start, taking a 24-19 lead when Aleks Alston drained a corner 3 midway through the first half.
But in the final 7:34 of the period, the Illini outscored the Terrapins 25-4. Illinois started the spree with a 13-point run which included triples from Ivisic and Stojakovic.
Mirkovic was a force in the final four minutes of the half as he made a 3-pointer, a layup and a jumper. He closed the half with an offensive rebound and a pass to Ivisic, who scored on a buzzer-beating jumper which stretched Illinois’ lead to 47-30.
After thriving from the perimeter in the first half, Stojakovic took the ball inside in the second half, driving for a pair of three-point plays. His 12 points in the first 5:02 of the period swelled Illinois’ lead to 62-40.
Later in the half, Davis made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to stretch the advantage to 71-45.
–Field Level Media
