Illinois women get historic win over No. 14 Maryland in back-and-forth thriller

It was Illinois' third win over a ranked opponent this season as it continues to overcome a 1-3 start to Big Ten play. Amazingly, this was Illinois' first win in program history over Maryland after losing its previous 17 meetings.

The game featured 15 lead changes and seven ties. There were three lead changes in the final 45 seconds of the game. After Illinois sophomore Brynn Shoup-Hill knocked down a go-ahead three-pointer to put the Fighting Illini up 64-63 with 45 seconds left, Maryland guard Shyanne Sellers hit this clutch shot close to the basket to give the Terrapins the 65-64 lead with 13.9 seconds remaining.

That was all for nothing as Fighting Illini guard Genesis Bryant made two free throws with six seconds left before Sellers missed a pair of jumpers in the closing seconds.

Three-point shooting (10-of-21) carried Illinois. Bryant had a team-high 20 points. Freshman forward Berry Wallace led the Fighting Illinois with four triples (4-of-9).

The brutal stretch continues for the Terrapins after a fourth loss in their last five games. Junior guard Kaylene Smikle had 15 points while Sellers had 14 points (6-of-14 FG). Despite the loss, Sellers became the 18th player in Maryland program history to score 1,500 career points.

If Maryland (17-5, 7-4 Big Ten) is going to bounce back from its recent struggles, it must get more consistent offensive production after scoring 67 points or less in each of those losses.

After its historic win over Maryland, Illinois (17-5, 7-4 Big Ten) will look to maintain its defensive performance, having allowed 65 points or fewer during its winning streak.