Jones double-double leads No. 6 Maryland past Illinois 79-63

By foxsports
Published

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) Kristen Confroy scored 17 points and Brionna Jones added 16 points and a career-high 19 rebounds to lead No. 6 Maryland past Illinois 79-63 Thursday in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

Confroy went 7 of 9 from the field and Jones finished 7 of 10 and hauled down 11 defensive rebounds for Maryland (12-1).

Chatrice White led Illinois (7-5) with 14 points, while Sarah Hartwell and Kennedy Cattenhead added nine each.

Maryland took an 8-0 lead, but Illinois made up the deficit and tied it at 14-all to end the first quarter.

''I thought we came out of the gate a bit sluggish and it showed in that first quarter,'' said Maryland coach Brenda Frese. ''We were able to make that run at the beginning of the second half and settle in.''

The Terrapins went ahead for good in the second, outscoring the Illini 25-18 to lead 39-32 at the break.

The second half began much like the first half ended, with the Terrapins extending the lead to 61-45 through three quarters.

''We just went into a lull at the start of the second half and wore us out a bit, which was not what we needed,'' said Illinois coach Matt Bollant.

Brene Moseley had 14 points, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough added 13 and Kiara Leslie had 13 rebounds and seven points for Maryland.

Maryland dominated the boards, outrebounding Illinois 55-26. Both teams went 7 of 22 from 3-point range.

White acknowledged the talent of Jones for the Terrapins.

''She's probably the best post player in the country,'' White said. ''This is just a precursor to what we will face night after night in the Big Ten, so it was good to face her in the first game of the conference season.''

TIP-INS

Maryland: Defeated Illinois for the fifth straight time, and earned its first win in Champaign. Maryland joined the Big Ten at the start of the 2014 season. ... Jones was coming off a 24-point performance on Monday at Madison Square Garden in New York in an 83-73 loss to top-ranked Connecticut.

Illinois: Played its second consecutive game without guard Cierra Rice, who is sidelined several weeks with a knee injury.

WHAT'S NEXT:

Maryland: Hosts No. 9 Ohio State on Saturday.

Illinois: Visits Purdue on Sunday.