Crisis averted Maryland survives in overtime after wasting 22-point lead at Illinois. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Maryland guard Anthony Cowan Jr. stepped to the line with six-tenths of a second remaining in overtime Sunday night against Illinois, needing to make just one shot to save Maryland from a potentially historic implosion. A couple of misses in this situation, with the game tied and fans at State Farm Arena screaming their lungs out, were not out of the realm of possibility. Not on a night when Maryland blew a 22-point lead in the second half. Not on a night when it committed 25 turnovers and remarkably called its last timeout with more than five minutes remaining. Not on a night when freshman Bruno Fernando tipped an offensive rebound in to force the extra period with less than one second remaining in regulation. But Cowan didn’t miss. He connected on the first one and shrugged at his bench. No sweat. He even missed the second one purposely, and after the Fighting Illini didn’t get a shot off before the buzzer, Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon exhaled and looked up at the scoreboard: Maryland 92, Illinois 91. It was as if he needed to confirm it with his own eyes.