Blackburn held by Wigan in Maloney's first game as Latics boss
The visitors, who were looking to complete a first-ever league double over their Lancashire rivals, remain bottom of the Championship but secured their first league clean sheet since beating Rovers 16 games ago.
The hosts should have got off to the perfect start, but Ben Brereton Díaz spurned a golden chance to end his 11-game goal drought by firing straight at Ben Amos when through one-on-one.
The Latics fought back however, and debutant Danel Sinani then saw his low strike saved by Aynsley Pears, before Joe Rankin-Costello failed to hit the target at the other end, despite finding space in the area.
Clear cut opportunities were few and far between in a competitive but tight first half, with both sides looking solid at the back.
Callum Lang had one further opening for Wigan before the break, a low drive that was tipped around the post, while Sorba Thomas, making his first appearance for Blackburn since a January move from Huddersfield, was denied by Amos.
The second half continued in a similar vein, with each side enjoying spells of pressure, but struggling to find a defining end product.
The visitors did have the ball in the back of the net at one point, although it was correctly ruled out for a foul on Pears by Lang, while Blackburn came close when Lewis Travis’ deflected cross nearly crept in.
Both teams made a string of substitutions as they desperately searched for a winner to boost their respective promotion and relegation battles, though the changes had little effect on the contest.
Amos had to be alert to come off his line to clear a number of dangerous passes in the final half an hour, but that was as lively as it got for either side as, having gone 38 matches without a draw until last month, Blackburn had to settle for their third stalemate in four outings.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ben Amos (Wigan)
