By IlliniGuys Staff

January 1, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - It was a veteran Illinois team that scored the program's first ever win over Maryland in College Park last February.

The new kids on the Illinois campus hope to make it a tradition.

Berry Wallace scored a game-high 22 points and the Illini defense held Maryland to 19 points under their season scoring average to pull off the 73-70 upset at State Farm Center.

Illinois (13-1, 3-0 in Big Ten) has won 11 straight games and extends the best start in program history as they post their first win over a Top 10 team since beating Kentucky 77-71 in November 2014.

The sophomore Wallace scored 16 of her points in the first 20 minutes, nearly half of the Illini output as they trailed the Terps 39-34 at the break.

Maryland (14-1, 2-1 in Big Ten) entered the day beating their opponents this season by an average of 36 points with just two victories coming by single digits, all while forcing 22 turnovers a game.  But the Illini withstood their pressure with only 12 turnovers committed while handcuffing Maryland on their own. The Terps were held to a season-low 70 points and just 1-of-12 from three-point range, their worst effort of the season.

Redshirt sophomore Gretchen Dolan and freshman center Cearah Parchment each scored 17 points.  Parchment also grabbed eight rebounds and had three blocks and three steals to help force the visitors into 18 turnovers. The Illini scoring their first ever home win against Maryland and their second in a row after the 66-65 thriller last season. Illinois had been 0-15 all-time against the Terrapins.

Yardon Garzon led the Terps with 17 points while Saylor Poffinbarger added 15.

Illinois, the nation's leader in free throws at 82.7 percent, drained 20-of-23 attempts, including 9-of-11 in the 4th quarter. The Illini are now 3-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.

Stay with IlliniGuys.com for complete postgame coverage from State Farm Center.