No. 25 Illinois Women's Basketball Secures In-State Victory Over Northwestern

71 Northwestern NU 8-11,2-6 Big Ten 74 Winner Illinois Illini 15-4,5-3 Big Ten Northwestern NU 8-11,2-6 Big Ten 71 Final 74 Illinois Illini 15-4,5-3 Big Ten Winner Score By Periods Team 1 2 3 4 F Northwestern NU 17 16 18 20 71 Illinois Illini 21 19 18 16 74 Game Recap: Women's Basketball | January 18, 2026 Late Defensive Stops Help #25 Illinois Secure In-State Win Over Northwestern RECAP CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 25 Illinois used multiple big stops down the stretch to take down Northwestern in a gritty 74-71 win on Sunday afternoon at State Farm Center. Berry Wallace secured a career-high 29 points, scoring 12 of her team's 16 points in the fourth quarter, to help lead the Fighting Illini improve to 15-4 overall and 5-3 in conference play. The Orange and Blue had three players score in double figures, led by Wallace's career-high 29 points and nine rebounds. Aaliyah Guyton tied her season-best mark with 13 points while making her first start of the campaign, while Cearah Parchment registered a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Illini capitalized on their dominance on the offensive glass, turning 18 offensive rebounds into 23 second-chance points. Parchment pulled down five offensive rebounds of her own, while Wallace and Lety Vasconcelos each tallied four offensive boards. How It Happened After playing to an 11-11 tie early in the game, Illinois went on a 6-0 run with 2:54 left in the first quarter, culminating in a 3-pointer from Maddie Webber, to take a 17-11 lead. Illinois eventually held a 21-17 advantage through the opening 10 minutes of play, with Wallace posting nine points in the frame. Northwestern rallied to take a 33-28 lead in the second quarter before Illinois went on a 12-0 run over the final four-and-a-half minutes of the half to take a 40-33 edge into the break. Illinois dominated in the paint during the period, scoring 14 of its 19 points close to the basket. Illinois lengthened its lead early in the third quarter before going on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a 3-pointer from Guyton, to expand its lead further to 54-41 with 3:38 to go in the third. The Illini advantage grew as large as 15 points in the quarter, though a 7-0 stretch from the Wildcats cut Illinois' lead to seven heading into the final frame. Wallace accounted for the Illini's first eight points of the quarter, though the visitors reduced their deficit to a single point with just over seven minutes remaining. Despite a late Northwestern push, the Orange and Blue never trailed in the final period, holding the Wildcats without a field goal for the final 2:15 en route to victory. Next up, No. 25 Illinois hits the road for another ranked matchup, taking on No. 24 Nebraska on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network. GAME HIGHLIGHTS POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE POSTGAME NOTES Player Notes: Berry Wallace turned in 29 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Her 29 points marked a new career-best total. Secured her 11th 20-point effort of the season/of her career. Has notched 20+ points in six of the seven games and in seven of the last nine contests. Posted her 17th outing with double-digit points this season and the 28th such game of her career. Has scored in double figures in each of the last nine games. Registered 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting in the first half. Scored 12 of the Illini's 16 points in the fourth quarter. Made double-digit field goals for the third time this season. Played all 40 minutes for the fourth time this season. Has played the full 40 minutes in four of the last five games. Jasmine Brown-Hagger totaled four points, four rebounds, and four assists. Grabbed at least four rebounds for the fourth time this season. Has back-to-back games with 4+ boards for the first time this year. Tied her season-high with four assists. Dished out at least three assists for the fourth straight game and for the eighth time overall this season. Cearah Parchment posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Recorded the fifth double-double of the season/of her career. Grabbed double-digit rebounds for the fourth time this season. Tallied 10+ points for the 11th time this season/in her career. Extended her streak to 18 straight games with 5+ total rebounds. Has at least three offensive rebounds in each of the last seven games. Grabbed at least five o boards for the second time. Aaliyah Guyton finished with 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists Made her first start at Illinois and the second start of his collegiate career. Tied her season-best total with 13 points. Scored in double figures for the fifth time this season and for the eighth time in her career. Lety Vasconcelos amassed eight points, five rebounds, two assists, and a block. Tied her season/career-high with eight points. Has eight points in one other game this season (Nov. 23 at Florida State). Four of her five offensive rebounds came on the offensive glass. Has at least four offensive boards in two games this season. Equaled her season/career-high with two assists. Has multiple assists in three games this season. Team Notes: Northwestern won the opening tip and scored on its opening possession. Maddie Webber and Lety Vasconcelos were the first Illini off the bench, checking in at 5:19 in the first quarter. Illinois put together a 12-3 over the span of 3:19 in the first quarter to give the Illini a 17-11 lead. The Illini closed the first half on a 12-0 run across the final 4:24 to take a 40-33 into halftime. That stretch eventually became a 17-0 run after the Illini scored the first five points of the second half. The Illini held the Wildcats scoreless for seven-and-a-half minutes while forcing them to miss 12 straight shots. Illinois went on an 11-2 run from 5:00 to 3:38 in the third quarter to establish a 58-43 advantage. Three Illini scored in double digits (Guyton [13], Parchment [10], Wallace [29]). The Illini posted a 42-27 rebounding margin. Illinois scored 23 second-chance points on 18 offensive rebounds. The Illini had 20+ second-chance points for the third time this season. Illinois' 18 offensive rebounds marked a new season-best in Big Ten play. All eight players who saw the court grabbed at least one offensive board. The Illini had 16 second-chance points on 12 offensive boards in the first half. Illinois' bench outscored its Northwestern counterparts, 11-0. The Illini went 19-for-22 from the free throw line (86.4%). Illinois made at least 19 free throws for the seventh time this season. Misc. Notes: Starters: Destiny Jackson, Aaliyah Guyton, Jasmine Brown-Hagger, Berry Wallace, Cearah Parchment This lineup is now 1-0 this season. Shauna Green is now: 49-12 in home games 35-27 in Big Ten play 78-39 at Illinois 205-89 as a Division I head coach 234-114 across her career Illinois vs. Northwestern: 41-49 Shauna Green's coaching record vs. Northwestern: 7-0 Illinois is 22-22 when playing Northwestern in Champaign. The Illini's seven-game winning streak against the Wildcats is the program's longest since winning 21 straight games from 2000-10. The Fighting Illini improved to 5-3 in Big Ten play this season, their best eight-game start since 2022-23. Illinois improved to 15-4 this season, tied for the second-best 19-game start in program history (along with 2022-23, 1996-97, and 1980-81 teams). Illinois is now 11-1 when wearing white uniforms this season and are now 48-13 when doing so under Green. The Illini are 10-1 in day games (before 5 p.m.) this season and 40-23 under Green. Illinois is 6-1 in games played on Sundays this season and 26-15 under Green. Illinois is 3-3 in the month of January this season and 17-12 under Green when playing in January. Illinois is now 11-1 in home games this season and 49-12 under Shauna Green. Illinois is 3-3 during the 2026 calendar year. Illinois is now 1-1 when playing as an AP-ranked team this season and 11-9 overall under Green.