After the Maryland women’s basketball team ended the opening quarter on a 15-2 run and led by as many as 24 points over Illinois in the first half Monday, it appeared as if the Terps were going to roll to a fifth-straight conference victory.

But if there’s been one takeaway so far during the Big Ten slate, it’s that no margin is safe.

The Illini countered with a 15-2 run of their own to end the half, and after forward Sarah Shewan converted a triple a little more than a minute into the second half, No. 10 Maryland’s lead shrunk to just 50-42.

Still, the Terps remained unfazed, and behind a balanced attack that saw six players score in double-figures, Maryland overcame poor shooting in the middle two quarters to hold off Illinois, 80-66, and move into a tie for first place in the Big Ten.

“We came out really aggressive pushing the tempo,” coach Brenda Frese said. “Illinois did a really good job battling back in the second and third quarter.”

[Read more: Fast breaks have been the key to Maryland women’s basketball’s recent success]

Illinois started the game hot to go up 12-11, but after the momentary string of made jump shots, the magic quickly faded.

The Terps (20-2, 9-2 Big Ten) countered with a 13-point run to end the quarter, and the Illini’s offense, which was without guard Arieal Scott — the team’s third-leading scorer — suffered. Illinois (9-13, 1-10) converted just 1-of-9 shots to end the first period, and Maryland capitalized.

Following a triple by guard Taylor Mikesell — her second in as many possessions — the Terps’ early deficit had rapidly become a 26-14 lead after 10 minutes. And with 3:49 left in the opening half, Maryland’s lead was up to a game-high 24 points.

The Terps shot 51.5 percent from the field before halftime, due in large part to their commitment to attacking the post. Maryland notched 20 points in the paint in the first half and finished with 36 down low.

[Read more: Maryland women’s basketball re-enters top 10 in newest AP Poll]

“We kinda went to some play calls to really execute inside,” Frese said. “And I thought they did a nice job of taking advantage of the mismatches inside.”

And on the block, no player was more effective than forward Shakira Austin.

Austin has struggled on offense at times during conference play so far, but the freshman was at her best Monday. She had nine points in the first half and finished with a team-high 17 on 6-of-9 shooting to cap one of her most efficient offensive performances of the season.

Austin’s 17-point total matched a season-high, and her 66.6 shooting percentage was her best of the conference slate so far.

“Knowing that they had one post, maybe 6-foot-2, and they didn’t really have height on the bench,” Austin said, “we attacked them off the jump and just kept playing aggressive knowing that they just didn’t have the height that we had.”

But despite Austin’s boost on the offensive end, the Terps didn’t end the half strong. After an uncontested lay-in by guard Lyric Robins that cut the Illini’s deficit to 46-28, Frese called a timeout to rally her lackadaisical defense.

Her message didn’t take hold, though, and Illinois buried three straight shots from behind the arc to finish the half and reduce Maryland’s once-sizeable lead to 48-37.

And following Shewan’s triple early in the third period that lowered the Terps’ lead to eight points, Maryland was surprisingly up against the wall in a contest that seemed to be in hand for much of the night.

Scorers who were once clicking on the offensive end were struggling to hit as the game progressed, and Illinois made the Terps pay in the middle quarters.

Guard Blair Watson — who contributed a team-high 11 points and made 3-of-6 three-pointers in the opening half — was held scoreless after the break. And forward Stephanie Jones backed up a nine-point opening half with just two points after halftime.

Maryland bounced back and extended its edge to 14 points, but the Illini wouldn’t go away. Illinois ended the third quarter on a 7-0 run to trail the Terps, 61-54 — the closest it had been since facing a six-point deficit with 1:46 remaining in the opening period.

Despite the Illini momentum, Maryland eventually settled in. And after making just 5-of-18 shots in the third frame, which allowed Illinois to win the period 17-13, the Terps found their footing on offense to close out the game.

With an improved 50 percent fourth-quarter shooting and 7-for-10 from the line, Maryland finally pulled away, 80-66, to secure its fifth-consecutive double-digit victory and move into a tie with No. 20 Rutgers for first in the Big Ten standings.

“Credit to [Illinois]. A credit to our league,” Frese said. “On any given night anyone can beat anyone, and I thought they competed extremely hard.”