Box Score COLLEGE PARK, MD -- Maryland defeated Illinois, 90-82, during its second annual Paint it Gold Game. The game was also a part of Maryland's annual Alumni Game where women's basketball alumni were in attendance. The Terps remained undefeated In 15 all-time meetings with the Illini.
Maryland (12-6, 4-3 B1G) was led by Jakia Brown-Turner, who scored 12 Terrapin points in a row midway through the fourth quarter to give the Terps some cushion in building an 80-69 lead with three minutes left on the way to victory. She finished with a Maryland career high 20 points to go along with 10 rebounds. It was also her second double-double of the season.
Sophomore guard Bri McDaniel showed toughness and resilience after briefly entering the locker room because of a hard fall she took at the end of the first quarter. McDaniel scored eight of her 22 points after her return. She's averaging 20.8 points over her last four games.
Junior Allie Kubek was another factor for the Terps as she tallied double-digits for the eighth game of the season. She finished with 17 points and four rebounds.
Shyanne Sellers came on in the second half, scoring all of her 14 points in the final 20 minutes. She fell just short of becoming the second Terp to record a double-double in the game with nine assists.
The Terps consistently attacked the Illini in the paint in the first half. Twenty-two of their 38 first half points came in the red area. However, in the second half Maryland got hot from beyond the arch. They knocked down 5-6 three-pointers to put Illinois away.
Illinois (8-9, 2-5 B1G) had its two-game win streak snapped and it fell below .500 for the second time this season. Five players scored in double figures for the Illini with Genesis Bryant and Camille Hobby leading the Illini with 19 and 18 points, respectively.
Breaking Down The Action
- Bri McDaniel scored seven straight points from the floor and the Terps went 4-4 as a team at one point to snag a 15-12 lead at the first media timeout. It was an opening six minutes that featured a plethora of offense with each team shooting over 50 percent from the field.
- McDaniel entered the locker room after taking a hard fall at the end of the first quarter. She led all scorers in the game at the time, doubling the total of the next closest. The Terps held the advantage, 20-18.
- Maryland entered halftime with a 38-36 advantage after Gretchen Dolan knocked down a 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Terps did a majority of their damage in the paint, scoring 22 of their 38 points in the red area.
- At the third quarter media timeout, the Terps had pulled ahead slightly, leading by nine points at one point. Brinae Alexander then entered the game and knocked down a three to claim a 10 point advantage at 52-42.
- Shyanne Sellers scored 10 points in the third quarter but Illinois knocked down three 3-pointers after only making two in the first half. They closed the gap but Maryland ended the quarter with a 60-57 lead.
- Illinois tied the game up at the 8:00 mark of the fourth quarter, but Allie Kubek converted an and-one to establish the lead once again. Jakia Brown-Turner scored 12 straight points for the Terps forcing an Illinois timeout. Maryland held on the rest of the way for the win.
Coach Frese's Take
"All around when you're talking about the history and the legacy of this program and the amazing women that have come before being the Alumni Day today,"
Brenda Frese said. "A lot of programs talk about family but for us, it's real and to see so many players come back and be able to recognize the 2014 Final Four team, just an awesome day and loved our response coming out of Wednesday night."
From The Girls
"I think you're just seeing the game slow down a lot for Bri," Sellers said. "Obviously, just being a little bit more comfortable this year, getting to watch - I mean it sucks last you you didn't get to be on the floor as much. But I think it was good for your growth and you're just shooting fantastic numbers and doing well for us. She just flows in and she was ready when her number was called."
McDaniel Continues Hot Streak
- Bri McDaniel scored 22 points in the contest, marking her 20-plus point performance in the last four games. She's now averaging 20.8 points over that stretch.
- She set career highs in scoring in back-to-back weeks at Michigan State (20) and against Purdue (25) at home. Her three 20-point games in her last four games are the first 20-point games of her career.
- On Monday McDaniel was named to the Big Ten Player of the Week Honor Roll for her first career weekly honor.
Double-Figure Factors
- McDaniel tallied 22 points for her ninth game this season and 12th of her career in double-figures. It was her fourth game in a row posting double-digits, doing so in the opening quarter. The sophomore also eclipsed 20-plus points for the third time in her last four games.
- Brown-Turner hit the double-figures mark for the 10th time this season, her first with the Terps, scoring 20 points - her most at Maryland this season. Overall, she has 77 double-figure scoring games in her career with 67 coming at NC State.
- Kubek scored in double-figures for the eighth time this season with 17 points. She scored 10-plus points in 41 career games with 33 coming at Towson before transferring to Maryland.
- Sellers (14 points) has scored double-figures in 14 of 18 games this season and 54 in her career.
Records & Milestones
- Brinae Alexander has made 111 three-pointers in her two years as a Terrapin, which ranks No. 16 in Maryland's program history. She passed Marah Strickland, who made 111 from 2008-09. Next on the list is Lexie Brown who made 120 from 2014-15
- Maryland has four 1,000-point scorers on its roster. (Brown-Turner - 1,462; Alexander - 1,327; Briggs - 1,329; Sellers - 1,026).
- Entering the matchup, Alexander's Maryland career three-point percentage was 43.0%, which is third in Maryland history, behind just Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (45.9%) and Katie Benzan (47.4%). Lavender Briggs' three-point percentage in her Maryland career was 38.2%, which is No. 11.
Undefeated In The Series
- Maryland has never lost to Illinois in 15 all-time meetings between the teams.
- The Terrapins won both matchups last year - 82-71 in College Park on Feb. 12, 2023 and 73-58 in the Big Ten Quarterfinals on March 3, 2023.
- Maryland's largest margin of victory against Illinois was on Feb. 17, 2021 when the Terps defeated the Illini 103-58 for a +45 margin of victory.
- Brenda Frese is 14-0 vs. the Illini in her career as a head coach.
Honoring Tara Heiss
- The Terps wore No. 44 patches to honor the late Hall of Famer Tara Heiss 1975-78.
- Heiss was the first Terp to score 1,000 points in a career. She finished her career with 1,350 points and 504 assists which ranks No. 25 and No. 3 in program history.
- She led Maryland to win the first ever ACC championship in 1978 where she was named MVP. She also led the Terps to the 1978 AIAW National Large College Basketball Championship where they finished as the runner up.
- Her No. 44 jersey is retired and now hangs in the rafters of XFINITY Center.
Numbers To Know
- 1: McDaniel was named to the Big Ten Player of the Week Honor Roll Monday for her first career weekly honor.
- 2: Maryland has a strength of schedule of No. 2 in the nation, per Massey Ratings.
- 2: Jakia Brown-Turner had a second double-double of the season in the game.
- 5: Entering the matchup Sellers was No. 5 in the country in free-throws made this season.
- 7: Entering the matchup, the Terps were No. 7 in the country and led the Big Ten in free throws made per game.
- 20: Jakia Brown-Turner had a season-high 20 points, scoring 16 in the second half.
- 20.8: Bri McDaniel is averaging 20.8 points per game over her last four games, scored 20 or more in three of the four games.
- 62: The Terrapins have won 62 straight games when leading with 5:00 to play.
- 75: Maryland is 75-7 against Big Ten opponents at home since 2014.
- 310: Maryland is 309-45 at home under Brenda Frese
Up Next
- Maryland travels to Ann Arbor for its matchup against Michigan on Jan. 24 at Crisler Center. The matchup will tip-off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
