Illini Women Fall to Minnesota, 78-73 

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BY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Five Fighting Illini scored in double figures but Illinois women’s basketball fell to No. 22/22 Minnesota, 78-73, in State Farm Center on Sunday to conclude the regular season.

Berry Wallace led the Illini with 15 points, Maddie Webber and Aaliyah Guyton each added 14, while Cearah Parchment and Destiny Jackson tabbed 13 apiece.

Illinois continued its sharp shooting from beyond the 3-point line, connecting on 10-for-19 treys, a 52.6% clip. Illinois has made 10 or more 3-pointers in its last three game and in four of the last five outings.

Jasmine Brown-Hagger led the way for the Fighting Illini with five assists.

The Illinois defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Sunday’s game, forcing 15 Minnesota turnovers while committing 13. Those takeaways turned into 15 points on the other end of the floor.

How It Happened

The Golden Gophers jumped ahead 22-14 through the first 10 minutes of play.

Minnesota kept adding to that lead in the second quarter, building a 36-21 advantage before Illinois went on an 8-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Destiny Jackson, to narrow its deficit to 36-29 heading into halftime..

Minnesota continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 48-37 advantage before Illinois went on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a three from Webber, to trim the Illini deficit to 48-44 with 3:35 to go in the third. Minnesota countered and stretched its lead to 58-50 heading into the fourth.

Illinois narrowed its deficit to 70-65 before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Cearah Parchment’s layup, to even the score at 70 all with 1:01 to go in the contest. Illinois was outscored 8-3 the rest of the way, ultimately falling 78-73.

POSTGAME NOTES

Player Notes:

• Berry Wallace turned in 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists
  • Posted her 27th outing with double-digit points this season and the 39th such game of her career.
    • Has scored in double figures in each of the last 19 games.
  • With 544 points on the season to date, Wallace sits at No. 16 on Illinois’ single-season scoring list, climbing from 19th.
  • Connected on a 3-pointer for the seventh-straight game.
    • Made multiple 3-pointers for the 16th time this season.
• Cearah Parchment posted 13 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
  • Tallied 10+ points for the 21st time this season/in her career.
    • Has scored in double figures in 11 straight games and in 13 of the last 14.
    • Sits in fourth place on the program’s freshman season scoring list (399). One point away from moving into a tie for third place.
    • Grabbed 5+ rebounds for her 28th consecutive game.
    • Tied for first place on the program’s freshman season rebounding list (251) and is one board away from owning the new record.
  • Finished the game 1-for-3 from behind the arc.
    • Has made a 3-pointer in six-straight games
• Destiny Jackson delivered 13 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
  • Scored in double figures for the 12th time of the season.
  • Recorded multiple steals for the third time in the last four games and 13th time this season.
  • Continued to add to the Illinois freshman season assist record.
    • With 151 assists on the season, Jackson is now in sixth 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. 151 – Destiny Jackson – 2025-26
• Jasmine Brown-Hagger scored four points, dished out five assists with two steals
  • Recorded at least one steal for the fourth time in the last five games.
  • Five assists ties her season high set previously vs. Rutgers on Feb. 17.
• Aaliyah Guyton scored 14 points to go along with 2 steals, 1 rebound, and 1 assist.
  • Eighth double-digit scoring game of the season and 11th of her career.
  • Has made multiple 3-pointers in 4 of the last 5 games.
• Maddie Webber added 14 points on perfect 6-for-6 shooting.
  • Registered her 18th double-digit scoring outing of the season and 58th of her career.
  • Had made a 3-pointer in five-straight games, shooting 10-for-11 from deep over that stretch.
    • 12 games this season with multiple made 3-pointers.

Team Notes:

• Minnesota won the opening tip, but Illinois scored first with an Aaliyah Guyton 3-pointer on the Illini’s first possession of the game.
• The first Illini off the bench was Lety Vasconcelos, who checked in at 8:31 in the first quarter.
• The Orange and Blue’s first four makes of the night came from three-point range.
• Illinois closed the first half on an 8-0 run to pull within seven at 36-29.
• UI carried out a 7-0 run midway through the third quarter to narrow the deficit to four, 48-44.
• Illinois entered Sunday’s game having made its last nine 3-pointer attempts and added two more makes before missing.
  • Cearah Parchment made halftime buzzer-beater 3-pointer at Iowa
  • Went 4-for-4 in the third quarter at Iowa
  • Went 4-for-4 in the fourth quarter at Iowa
  • Started the game vs. Minnesota with back-to-back made 3-pointers.
• Five Illini scored in double figures (Berry Wallace [15], Aaliyah Guyton [14], Maddie Webber [14], Destiny Jackson [13], Cearah Parchment [13]).
• Nine student-athletes saw the floor versus Minnesota.

Misc. Notes:

• Starters: Destiny Jackson, Aaliyah Guyton, Jasmine Brown-Hagger, Berry Wallace, and Cearah Parchment.
  • This lineup is now 5-5 this season.
• Shauna Green is now:
  • 51-15 in home games
  • 39-33 in Big Ten play
  • 82-45 at Illinois
  • 209-95 as a Division I head coach
  • 238-120 across her career