Freshman Andre Mills steals Senior Day spotlight, but Maryland misses upsetting No. 11 Illinois

COLLEGE PARK — In the final regular season game for four Maryland seniors, it was the Terrapins’ blossoming freshman star who took the spotlight.

Andre Mills late-season rise continued, leading all scorers with 30 points, but Maryland’s 3-point shooting went cold late in a 78-72 loss to No. 11 Illinois Sunday.

“We fought really hard, like we executed the game plan. We didn’t give up a lot of second-chance points. Everything was what we call a push. All the stats were one to two off — rebounding, assists, etc, etc. So we thought we just could have pulled away with this one,” Mills said. “It was a winnable game.”

Mills’ 10-of-18 performance was the second 30-point game of his first Maryland campaign as he finished the year averaging 23 points across his final six games.

“I think there’s been somewhat of a crescendo in how [he’s] played,” said Maryland coach Buzz Williams. “I think the more that he gets fouled, the more it helps. He’s working at understanding the game more and understanding where the help is coming from. Obviously, his position on the scouting report, I think, has probably changed relative to how the opponents are guarding him.”

But a Terrapins team that stayed close thanks to nine made threes missed its final eight of the game, as the Fighting Illini held on.

“This one hurts a little bit for sure,” Mills said. “But I definitely say that, unlike any other game, I think that our fight, our execution to the game plan, was probably the best we’ve had all year. I just say, later down in the stretch, that minute, we got to execute what we need to execute.”

“We’ve been through a lot, so that’s why it hurts me a little bit.”

Fellow freshman Darius Adams scored 14 points, 10 in the second half, and senior Diggy Coit added only his second double-figure scoring effort in his last six games with 10 points.

Illinois freshman guard Keaton Wagler, its leading scorer at 18.1 points per game, was held scoreless in the first half and finished with 11. Center Tomislav Ivisic, another of the Fighting Illini’s scoring pillars, was also held well beneath his average with only 4 points, two in each half. The Illini (24-7, 15-5 Big Ten) were paced by forward David Mirkovic’s 22 points and 11 rebounds, while guard Kylan Boswell added 11. Illinois outscored Maryland in the paint, 42-20 and made 21-of-26 foul shots.

“I think offensively, they do an unbelievable job of hunting the advantage, whatever they deem to be their best versus your worst. And then they make decisions based on your decision in that,” Williams said. “They shoot high value shots at any point in the clock, they rebound any of those misses higher than any team in the league, and when they get the ball back, they shoot another high value shot.”

The loss means Maryland (11-20, 4-16) will finish with 20 losses for only the third time in the program’s 103-year history. With all 18 schools included for the first time, Maryland will head to Chicago as the No. 17 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and face 16th-seeded Oregon in the first game Tuesday evening. Its next loss will tie the record of 21 set in 1941.

“I’m very thankful for the support of the students from beginning to end this season at Xfinity [Center]. Really thankful for the loyalty of the longtime season ticket holders, the notes that I’ve received, the messages that I’ve gotten, despite the volatility and lack of success,” Williams said. “We get to Chicago [Monday] evening. We’ll count that, kind of, as one day before, and just kind of double up our prep tomorrow, just mentally getting back to where we need to be.”

The Terrapins honored their four seniors — Coit, Solomon Washington, Elijah Saunders and Colin Metcalf — before the game, with all four also earning starting nods.

“The team we are today was not the team that started out in November at all. From players, coaches, maturity, we’ve all grown so much. It’s unlike no other, for sure,” Mills said. “Regardless of the record, I feel like we’ll all remember this forever.”

Maryland started 6-of-12 from the floor, helped by threes from Mills and Washington — only his ninth one of the season. A string of three consecutive triples — from Illinois’ Jake Davis, Maryland’s Saunders and Boswell — continued to keep things tight at 19-all with 8:20 left in the first half.

Both teams made four of their final five shots in the final 5 minutes, with Illinois holding a 37-34 lead at halftime on the back of Mirkovic’s 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Maryland, the worst shooting team in the Big Ten, bested the Illini 52% to 48% from the floor in the first 20 minutes.

Wagler finally got on the board after halftime, converting an and-one opportunity and scoring two of the Illini’s first four baskets in the second as they took a 6-point lead. But Maryland answered with a 6-0 run, helped by one of Adams’ two second-half threes, to tie the game at 51 with 12:44 remaining.

The Terrapins overcame a 3-plus minute scoring drought and a flagrant foul by Washington, who kicked his leg out on an attempted three, to again draw even, 61-61, via three-straight made shots.

A Saunders foul, however, would put Illinois into the bonus for the final 8 minutes of the game, and Washington would foul out with 3:56 left. Yet the Illini couldn’t take advantage, not scoring for a 3 minute stretch of their own. Maryland narrowed its deficit to 72-70 after Mills’ 10th bucket, but would only take two shots in the final 90 seconds before falling.

“We just have to defend without fouling, particularly any team, but particularly a team that’s as potent offensively as they are,” Williams said.

NOTE: Maryland senior forward Pharrel Payne, who hasn’t played since leaving with a leg injury Dec. 13 against Michigan, was not recognized as part of the day’s festivities. Williams said, “No decision has been final, because it has nothing to do with me, and honestly it has nothing to do with the University of Maryland,” when asked about Payne’s status. “

Williams has been more protective than most coaches when discussing injuries all season. “Anytime there’s gonna be anything medical, that can’t come from the coach, that can’t come from the trainer. That all has to be medically driven before the NCAA or any conference can approve anything,” he said.