This game did not start well for the Illini. They were getting outplayed by the Terrapins. Maryland kept scoring more points than Illinois early on and, eventually, went up by 10 points with 9:44 left in the first half. As an Illini fan, this made me nervous and a little part of me lost some hope.
Illinois went on a little run, but Maryland came back and actually extended the lead. The Terrapins were up 32-21 with 4:30 left in the first half. Something needed to happen for Illinois and it did. Ayo Dosunmu went on a 9-0 run by himself, and the Illini were only down 34-30 at halftime.