On Maryland’s second possession Tuesday night, freshman guard Anthony Cowan started to drive against Tracy Abrams when the fifth-year Illinois senior was called for a blocking foul.
Though no free throws resulted, Cowan had accomplished something that teammate Melo Trimble often did when he was a freshman two years ago: he showed his opponent in his first Big Ten game that he wasn’t going to back down.
By the time the game ended with the Terps beating the Fighting Illini, 84-59, at Xfinity Center, Cowan had scored 12 points to Abrams’ two, mostly on drives to the basket but also on a 4-for-4 performance from the foul line.