WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. — If there was a bright spot for the Maryland men's basketball team in Wednesday's deflating 64-57 defeat at Illinois, it was the re-emergence of freshman guard Dion Wiley as a reliable off-the-bench scorer.
Wiley hit his first shot, a 3-pointer from the right baseline, as the Terps built a six-point lead in the first half. After Maryland fell behind by as many as 16 in the second half, Wiley helped the No. 11 Terps cut their deficit to 60-55 by hitting a 3-pointer with 24 seconds left.
The 6-foot-4 Wiley finished with nine points on 3-for-4 shooting, all of them 3-pointers, in 19 minutes. He also added two rebounds, an assist and a steal. It was his longest and most productive stint since playing 22 minutes Dec. 21 at Oklahoma State, where he had seven points, two steals and and an assist.
His performance against the Fighting Illini came after he played just eight minutes against Minnesota, tying his season low, though he did make two of three 3-pointers. His two-game stretch of hitting five of seven 3-pointers follows an eight-game slump in which he made just six of 24.
Wiley said Thursday that it was a matter of getting used to the pace of the college game, particularly in the Big Ten Conference, and "having confidence in my shot." Wiley said encouragement from coach Mark Turgeon during the slump has helped.
"He has confidence in me, and I have a lot of confidence in myself to get the job done and be a spark off the bench," Wiley said. "I always kept my confidence because I know it's a long season and I know my teammates and coaches would support me."
Wiley said he has spent a lot of time after practice working on his shooting. He also has kept his conditioning up with treadmill sessions monitored by Kyle Tarp, Maryland's director of basketball performance.
"I'm not as winded as I was. I'm in a lot better shape," said Wiley, whom Turgeon told to get in better shape after he gained a lot of weight during his senior year at Potomac High.
Wiley said he expected the ups and downs of his freshmen year. The highlights so far: a season-high 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting and six rebounds against Virginia Military Institute and 12 points in a loss to then-No. 7 Virginia in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge the next game.
In fact, Wiley said: "Coming in, I really wasn't expecting to play as much as I am now, but now that I am, I want to take advantage of every opportunity that Coach Turgeon gives me."
Turgeon said last week that his confidence in Wiley never has wavered, pointing out two "huge" shots Wiley made before halftime at Oklahoma State that helped give the Terps a lead they never lost.
"I think Dion's going to make every shot," Turgeon said. "Our coaches want Dion shooting when he's open. His teammates want him shooting. He's a little bit streaky, but I think it's [his] age and where he is in the rotation. He's a big-time shooter. If he's open, we want him to let him fly."