TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Fighting Illini women's basketball shot 52.9 percent from beyond the arc on the way to an 86-63 victory over Florida State on the road in Tallahassee, Fla., on Sunday.
The Fighting Illini (4-1) had four players score in double figures, led by Gretchen Dolan, who had 25 points. Maddie Webber added 13 points off of the bench, Jasmine Brown-Hagger chipped in as well with 12 points and two steals, and Berry Wallace tallied 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
Illinois shared the ball well in Sunday's game, racking up 15 assists on 32 made field goals. Individually, Destiny Jackson led the way for the Fighting Illini with five assists and Berry Wallace also chipped in with four assists of her own.
Illinois did a great job disrupting Florida State shots in the contest, coming away with five blocks. Lety Vasconcelos' five rejections led the way individually for the Fighting Illini and were the most by an Illini player since Kendall Bostic's five blocks at Butler on Dec. 11, 2022.
How It Happened
After falling behind 21-9, Illinois went on an 8-0 run with 2:31 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Jackson, to narrow its deficit to 21-17. The Fighting Illini continued to close the gap, cutting the Florida State lead to 24-22 by the end of the first period thanks to a long 3-point buzzer-beater by Dolan.
Florida State adding back to that lead, building a 31-25 advantage before Illinois went on a 12-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Webber, to take a 37-31 lead. The Fighting Illini proceeded to tack on two points to that lead and enjoyed a 42-34 advantage heading into halftime. Illinois was strong from deep in the period, knocking down three 3-pointers to account for nine of its 20 points.
Illinois continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 5-0 run to expand its lead further to 55-44 with 2:20 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Fighting Illini added one point to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 61-49 edge. Illinois played well near the basket, scoring 14 of its 19 points in the paint.
Illinois kept widening that lead, expanding it to 63-50 before going on a 9-0 run to grow the lead to 72-50 with 6:48 to go in the contest. The Fighting Illini kept pushing the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 86-63 win.
POSTGAME RADIO INTERVIEWS
POSTGAME NOTES
Player Notes:
- Gretchen Dolan exploded for a career-high 25 points in 27 minutes of action.
- Fourth double-digit scoring game of the season, 11th of career.
- First 20-point game of her Illinois career.
- Shot 11-for-19 from the field, 1-for-3 from deep, and 2-for-2 from the free throw line.
- Tallied 3 rebounds and 1 assist.
- Scored 16 second-half points
- Lety Vasconcelos had a career day, recording new bests in 5 different categories.
- Made her first four field goals, finishing 4-for-5 from the field.
- Career-high 2 steals.
- Career-high 5 blocks.
- Career-high 8 points.
- Career-high 9 rebounds.
- Career-high 24 minutes.
- Maddie Webber registered 13 point, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists
- Made her first 2 3-point attempts before the first media break.
- First Illini into double figures, notching 10 first half points.
- Second double-digit scoring game as an Illini, 42nd of her career.
- Went 4-for-8 from the field, 3-for-5 from 3-point range, and 2-for-2 from the free throw line.
- Berry Wallace finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in 34 minutes.
- Fifth-straight double-digit scoring game.
- Shot 3-for-7 overall, 2-for-2 from 3-point range, and 2-for-2 from the line.
- Cearah Parchment tallied 8 points and 6 rebounds in the win.
- Shot 2-for-2 from 3-point range.
- Aaliyah Guyton finished with 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal in 16 minutes of work.
- First Illini off the bench, checking in with 6:12 left in the opening quarter
Team Notes:
- Florida State won the opening tip and scored a layup on its opening possession. Illinois responded with a Berry Wallace 3-pointer on the next possession.
- FSU responded to the Illini's opening bucket with a 12-0 run.
- Illinois closed the first quarter on a 13-3 run over the last 2:31, pulling within two thanks to a Gretchen Dolan buzzer-beater.
- Illinois took a 32-31 lead with a Gretchen Dolan layup with 5:11 remaining in the second quarter. Illinois' first lead since 3-2. The Illini would never trail again.
- The Illini used a 12-0 run over a 3:28 span in the midst of the second quarter, pushing out to a 37-32 Illinois lead.
- 17-3 Illinois run over the last 6:52 of the second quarter for a 42-34 halftime lead.
- A Gretchen Dolan and-1 opened the second half scoring and pushed Illinois to its largest lead (at the time) of the game at 11 (45-34).
- Illinois used a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter to push ahead to a 22-point lead.
- Illinois forced 15 FSU turnovers while committing just 8. The Illini converted those into a 22-4 points off turnover advantage.
- Four Illini scored in double digits (Maddie Webber [13], Gretchen Dolan [25], Jasmine Brown-Hagger [12], Berry Wallace [10]).
- Five different Illini connected on a 3-pointer as the Illini shot 9-for-17 (53%) from deep on the game including a 7-for-11 first-half showing.
- Illinois overcame a 21-9 deficit, trailing by 12 as late as 2:31 remaining in the first quarter.
- Ties the largest deficit overcome by a Shauna Green-coached team.
- Won, 72-64 at Nebraska (2/9/23) after trailing by as many as 12 as late as :44 left in the second quarter.
Misc. Notes:
- Starters: Destiny Jackson, Jasmine Brown-Hagger, Gretchen Dolan, Berry Wallace, Cearah Parchment
- This lineup is now 4-1 this season
- Shauna Green is now:
- 67-36 at Illinois
- 194-86 as a Division I head coach
- 223-111 overall
- Illinois vs. Florida State: 2-2
- Illinois is now 1-1 when wearing orange uniforms this season and are now 8-8Â when doing so under Green.
- The Illini are 3-0 in day games (before 5 p.m.) this season.
- Illinois is 2-0 in games played on Sundays this season.
- Illinois is 15-8 during the 2025 calendar year.
- Illinois is 1-1 in road games this season.
Score after 1st Quarter: 22-24
Score at Halftime: 42-34 (20-10)
Score after 3rd Quarter: 61-49 (19-15)
Score after 4th Quarter: 86-63 (25-14)
