Maryland
Maryland dominates the paint, upset No. 10 Illinois on the road – WMUC Sports
Courtesy of Maryland Athletics
Jordan Geronimo stood at the top of the key defending against Marcus Domask who was two for three from behind the line. Geronimo rose up and rejected the shot, leaking out into transition. Young found Geronimo sitting in the dunker’s spot and fed him the ball. Geronimo threw down an aggressive dunk sending the Maryland bench into a frenzy.
Geronimo’s dunk provided the punctuation on Maryland’s, 76-67, upset victory over No. 10 Illinois, Sunday afternoon in Illinois. The win was Maryland’s first Big Ten road victory of the season and made them the first team in the Big Ten to beat a top-seven conference opponent on the road. It was also the team’s first Top 10 road win under head coach Kevin Willard.
Maryland has struggled away from Xfinity Center all year compiling a record of 1-5 away from College Park. The Terps only win away from home came in California when Jahmir Young’s career high 37 points powered the Terps to victory over UCLA.
Young led the way again scoring a team-high 28 points to go along with eight assists and one block. Julian Reese provided 20 points and 11 rebounds to help back up his point guard’s tremendous effort.
“I definitely felt a little bit disrespectful that you know, especially Hawkins being this kind of small defender more perimeter defender, I felt like a little disrespected,” said Reese. “So, we tried to go at him. I told the coach give me the ball and you see what happens.”
The Terps did most of their damage from the paint outscoring the Illini, 52-26 from inside. The Terps exploited a mismatch they found on film matching up Reese with senior forward, Coleman Hawkins.
“If they’re gonna play Coleman Hawkins at the five spot then we were just gonna just go inside and just kind of keep pounding it and pounding it,” said Willard. “Even if Ju [Reese], I mean Ju goes eight for 16, he gets 20 and 11, but even if on his missed shots were making him [Hawkins] defend. … that wears you out.”
Maryland did get some key contributions from three-point range from two unlikely sources down the stretch. Geronimo and DeShawn Harris-Smith knocked down their first three-pointers of the new year in the second half. Geronimo’s three turned Maryland’s lead into a two possession advantage and Harris-Smith’s corner three did the same with just four minutes left to play.
Maryland hung around throughout the first half despite a disappointing showing from beyond the arch, going two of their 12 attempts from three-point range. Maryland found success from inside the line outscoring the Illini, 26-14, in the paint. Maryland’s offense was the best it’s been in the first half of a conference game this season, scoring 37 points.
The Maryland defense played well despite going into halftime down, 39-37. The Terps forced six turnovers converting them into seven points. Maryland was aggressive on the offensive glass as well pulling down six offensive rebounds resulting in seven second chance points.
The Terps’ defense came out in the second half and immediately improved on their previous 20 minutes. Maryland’s defense held the Illini to nine points through the first eight plus minutes of the second half.
The defensive pressure continued through the rest of the second half. Maryland held Illinois to under 25% shooting in the second half. Illinois only made one three-pointer in the half after making five in the first half.
“Really proud of the defensive effort in the second half. I thought that was phenomenal holding this team to 33% and 28% is really good on the road,” said Willard.
The win brings Maryland back to .500 in conference play with a record of 3-3. The Terps will stay on the road for a conference contest against Northwestern on Wednesday.
Related
Maryland
Arrest made after $40K worth of HVAC units stolen in Maryland, over 10 businesses impacted
CHARLES COUNTY, Md. (7News) — A Maryland man has been arrested in connection with a string of thefts targeting heating and air conditioning units that impacted more than 10 businesses across the region, authorities said.
On Dec. 31, 2025, detectives with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, working alongside investigators from the Prince George’s County Police Department, took Thomas Guinyard, 30, of Hyattsville, into custody.
Charles County deputies said Guinyard has several active arrest warrants tied to the theft of heat pumps and air conditioning units valued at more than $40,000.
Authorities said the thefts caused widespread disruption to local businesses, with investigators confirming that more than 10 were affected.
SEE ALSO | Man accused of stealing circuit breakers from nearly 50 Maryland homes
When deputies tried to approach him, Guinyard allegedly ran away but was apprehended without further incident, according to the sheriff’s office. During the arrest, deputies said they learned the vehicle Guinyard was driving had been reported stolen.
Guinyard faces a charge of theft and destruction of property. He is being held without bond at the Charles County Detention Center.
Investigators continue to review the case to figure out whether more charges or related thefts may be connected to Guinyard, the sheriff’s office said.
Maryland
Md. Gov. Moore touts public safety funding increase, even with crime continuing to drop – WTOP News
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore noted the continuing decrease in crime across the state and shared a proposal to spend $124.1 million on public safety in the next fiscal year budget.
Executive Aisha Braveboy and Police Chief George Nader(WTOP/John Domen)
Maryland lawmakers return to Annapolis next week, and plugging a roughly $1 billion budget hole will be one of many items on their agenda as the 2026 session gets underway.
This week, Gov. Wes Moore has been touting parts of the budget he’ll be unveiling, to go with legislation he intends to champion in Annapolis.
On Thursday, he stood in front of a huge gathering of police, federal law enforcement and prosecutors at the Maryland State Police Barracks in College Park to talk about the continuing decrease in crime and share a proposal to spend $124.1 million on public safety in the next budget.
“That is the highest level of funding in our state’s history, and a $2.3 million increase over last year’s budget,” Moore said. “These are real resources for local police departments all throughout the state of Maryland.”
He said the funding will support overtime patrolling and new equipment that “officers need to make sure they are doing their job safely and that they can get home to their families.”
Moore also took issue with the premise, often posed to Democrats, that you have to choose between siding with law enforcement or siding with “the community,” arguing that he does both “unapologetically.” He also promised that his plan for public safety is both urgent and strategic.
“This is backed by data and built on three core pillars,” Moore said. “Provide the resources and the support that law enforcement needs; build stronger, more vibrant communities that leave no one behind; and coordinate all aspects of government and community to make sure that our streets are safer.”
As he enters the final year of his term, Moore highlighted a 25% reduction in homicides around the state, to a number he said is the lowest in 40 years. He also touted a 50% violent crime reduction and a sharp drop in non-fatal shootings.
“This is not trends or vibes. It happens because we made smart investments, and it happened because we chose to do something really unique — work together,” Moore said. “We are standing here coordinated, bipartisan, nonpartisan, knowing that community safety does not have a partisan bend and protecting our neighbors does not have a political affiliation.”
At the same time, Moore said he wasn’t taking a victory lap about the heartening trends in crime just yet.
“We are making progress, yes, but we will not rest until everybody and all of our communities feel safe,” he said. “Too often, false choices will dominate the public safety debate. Do we want to hold criminals accountable, or do we want to focus on rehabilitation? We’re told to pick a side without understanding that’s not how people live.”
Maryland
What Rep. Hoyer’s retirement means for Maryland and what’s next
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