Fighting Illini Women Down Northwestern, 92-65 Sunday 

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BY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

EVANSTON, Ill. — Led by a season-best 12-for-18 (66.7%) shooting performance from 3-point range, the Fighting Illini took down Northwestern 92-65 on the road Sunday. Illinois has now won its last three games and has been victorious over the Wildcats in the last eight meetings.

The Fighting Illini (19-8, 9-7) had five players score in double figures, led by rookies Cearah Parchment and Destiny Jackson who scored 19 apiece. Parchment added 10 rebounds for her Big Ten-leading 11th double-double of the season. Jackson tacked on seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals with no turnovers. With her sixth assist of the game, Jackson broke Illinois’ freshman season assist record. Jasmine Brown-Hagger added 18 points and six rebounds while Maddie Webber’s 13 points pushed her past the 1,000 career points milestone.

Led by Brown-Hagger’s five offensive rebounds, Illinois crashed the offensive glass hard, pulling down 14 boards that resulted in 16 second chance points.

The Illinois defense caused its share of trouble in Sunday’s game, forcing 16 Northwestern turnovers while committing 10. Those takeaways turned into 27 points on the offensive end of the floor, the most Illinois has scored in a Big Ten game this season. Parchment’s three steals led the way individually for the Fighting Illini.

How It Happened

After jumping out to a 14-9 advantage, Illinois went on an 8-0 run with 3:26 left in the first quarter, culminating in a 3-pointer from Berry Wallace, to increase its lead to 22-9. The Fighting Illini entered the quarter break with a 27-17 advantage. Illinois capitalized on five Northwestern turnovers in the period, turning them into 10 points on the other end of the floor.

Illinois scored 30 points in the second frame, the most in that quarter this season and enjoyed a 57-33 advantage heading into halftime. Illinois’ 57 points in the first 20 minutes was the most the squad has scored in either half this season. Illinois was strong from deep in the period, going 5-for-5 to bring its first half reading from deep to 8-for-9.

Illinois continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on an 8-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Lety Vasconcelos, to expand its lead to 72-41 with 2:20 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the frame, the Wildcats had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Fighting Illini still entered the fourth quarter with a 77-47 edge. Illinois scored 12 of its 20 points in the paint out of the halftime break.

Illinois cruised the rest of the way for the 92-65 win. The Fighting Illini added two more made 3-pointers in the final stanza for a season-high 12 makes. Five different Illini sank a triple in the win.

POSTGAME NOTES

Player Notes:

• Berry Wallace turned in 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal.
  • Started the game 4-for-4 from 3-point range to match her career high.
  • Posted her 25th outing with double-digit points this season and the 37th such game of her career.
    • Has scored in double figures in each of the last 17 games.
  • With 508 points on the season to date, Wallace sits at No. 22 on Illinois’ single-season scoring list.
• Cearah Parchment posted her Big Ten-leading 11th double-double of the season, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
  • Secured the 11th double-doubles of her season/of her career.
    • Parchment’s 11 double-doubles this season are tied for the third-most among all NCAA rookies and lead the Big Ten.
  • Tallied 10+ points for the 20th time this season/in her career.
  • Has scored in double figures in 10 straight games and in 12 of the last 13.
    • Tied for 7th place on the program’s freshman season scoring list (366).
  • Grabbed 10+ rebounds for the 10th time.
    • Has double-digit boards in seven of the last nine contests.
    • Moved into third place on the program’s freshman season rebounding list (231).
    • Extended her streak to 26 straight games with 5+ total rebounds.
  • Connected on all three of her 3-pointer attempts, marking back-to-back games with three 3-pointers and five total times this season.

• Destiny Jackson delivered a season-high 19 points along with 7 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 0 turnovers in the first game of her career back home in Chicago.

  • Totaled double-digit points for the 11th time.
  • Finished the day shooting an efficient 8-for-12 from the field, 1-for-1 from deep, and 2-for-2 from the free throw line.
  • Dished out 6+ assists for fifth straight game and for the sixth time in the last seven games.
  • With her sixth assist of the game, she broke the program’s freshman season assist record (previously 140).
  • With 142 assists on the season, Jackson now sits in ninth place on Illinois’ overall single-season assists list.

1. 173 – Michele Vossen – 1983-84
2. 170 – Cindy Stein – 1982-83
3. 163 – Alexis Smith – 2012-13
4. 154 – Jill Estey – 1990-91
5. 153 – Cindy Stein – 1981-82
6. 150 – Jill Estey – 1992-93
7. 149 – Jill Estey – 1991-92
8. 146 – Brandi Beasley – 2018-19
9. 142 – Destiny Jackson – 2025-26

• Jasmine Brown-Hagger scored a season-high 18 points.

  • Fourth double-digit scoring game of the season, 16th of her career.
  • Tied her career high with 6 rebounds – 5 on the offensive glass

• Maddie Webber surpassed 1,000 career points in Sunday’s win and sits at 1,007 total.

  • 17th double-digit scoring game of the season, 57th of her career.
  • Finished shooting 5-for-7 from the field including 3-for-3 from 3-point range.
  • Connected on 3+ 3-pointers for the eighth time this season.
  • Webber is currently the only Fighting Illini on the roster with 1,000+ career points.

Team Notes:

Northwestern won the opening tip, but Illinois scored first on its opening possession off a Destiny Jackson layup.

• Illinois opened the game on a 7-0 scoring run while forcing 2 Northwestern turnovers and holding the Wildcats to 0-for-2 from the field. NU scored its first points 2:21 into the game.
• The first Illini off the bench were Maddie Webber and Lety Vasconcelos, who checked in at 5:40 in the first quarter.
• Leading into the first media timeout (3:26), Illinois made its last 6-of-7 field goal attempts.
• Illinois went on an 8-0 run (1:41) and 12-2 (2:40) in the midst of the second quarter, pushing its lead to 43-27.
• The Illini’s 57 first half points came on 63.6% shooting from the field (21-for-33), 88.9% execution from 3-point range (8-for-9), and 7-for-8 shooting from the free throw line.
• Illinois finished with a season-high 12 made 3-pointers on 12-for-18 shooting for a season-best 66.7% rate.
• Five Illini scored in double figures (Destiny Jackson [19], Berry Wallace [17], Cearah Parchment [19], Jasmine Brown-Hagger [18], Maddie Webber [13]).
• Illinois improved to 15-1 this season when holding opponents below 70 points. The Illini are now 69-11 when doing so under Shauna Green.
• Illinois committed just 10 turnovers while forcing 16 by the Wildcats. The Illini scored 27 points off turnovers – their most against a Big Ten opponent this season.
• The Illini crashed the offensive glass hard, winning the battle, 14-2, and out scoring the Wildcats 16-0 on second chance points.
• Illinois surpassed the 90-point margin for the sixth time this season and third game vs. a Big Ten opponent.

Misc. Notes:

• Starters: Destiny Jackson, Aaliyah Guyton, Jasmine Brown-Hagger, Berry Wallace, and Cearah Parchment.

  • This lineup is now 5-3 this season.

• Shauna Green is now:

  • 24-21 in road games
  • 39-31 in Big Ten play
  • 82-43 at Illinois
  • 209-93 as a Division I head coach
  • 238-118 across her career

• Illinois vs. Northwestern: 42-49

  • Shauna Green‘s career record vs. Northwestern: 8-1
  • Illinois under Shauna Green vs. Northwestern: 8-0
  • Illinois’ current eight-game stretch is the longest winning streak vs. Northwestern since winning 21-straight games from 1/23/2000 to 2/28/2010.
• Illinois is now 3-2 when wearing blue uniforms this season and are now 20-15 when doing so under Green.
• The Illini are 12-3 in day games (before 5 p.m. local) this season and 42-25 under Green.
• Illinois is 8-2 in games played on Sunday this season and 27-16 under Green.
• Illinois is 4-2 in the month of February this season and 16-11 under Green when playing in February.
• Illinois is now 6-5 in road games this season and 24-21 under Shauna Green.
• Illinois is 7-7 during the 2026 calendar year.

Score after 1st Quarter: 27-17
Score at Halftime: 57-33 (30-16 2Q)

• Illinois’ 30 points in the second quarter were the squad’s most in that period this season.
• Illinois’ 57 first half points are the team’s most in either half of a game this season.

Score after 3rd Quarter:  77-47 (20-14 3Q)
Score after 4th Quarter: 92-65 (15-18 4Q)