Brionna Jones had a career-high 24 points with 14 rebounds, and No. 8 Maryland overcame a second-half lull to beat Illinois 74-54 Sunday and extend its winning streak to nine games.
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Lexie Brown each scored 13 points for the Terrapins, the lone unbeaten team in Big Ten play.
Maryland (15-2, 6-0 Big Ten) hasn’t lost since Dec. 3, against then-No. 1 Notre Dame. Since that time, the Terrapins have gone 5-0 at home and defeated three ranked teams on the road.
Freshman Amarah Coleman scored a season-high 24 for Illinois (11-7, 2-4 Big Ten), which dropped its third consecutive game. The Fighting Illini committed 27 turnovers and had three players finish with four fouls.
Up 36-26 at halftime, Maryland went 1-for-7 from the field with seven turnovers during the opening six minutes of the second half to allow the Fighting Illini to close to 42-39.
Following a Maryland timeout, Jones made a layup, Kristen Conroy nailed a jumper and Brene Moseley hit a 3-pointer to boost the margin back to 10 points with 12:15 remaining.
After Coleman answered with a jumper, Moseley hit another shot from beyond the arc and Jones added a layup and two free throws to make it 56-41 with 9:34 left.
Jones went 9 of 16 from the floor and was 6-for-9 at the foul line. The 6-foot-3 sophomore’s previous career high was 23 points against Ohio State last month.
Maryland forced 15 first-half turnovers and got 11 points apiece from Jones and Walker-Kimbrough in taking a double-digit lead at the break.
Illinois led 5-0 before Walker-Kimbrough made the final four baskets in a 12-point run that put the Terrapins ahead for good.
It was 25-18 before Walker-Kimbrough drilled a 3-pointer and Jones added a layup for a 12-point cushion.
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