| Illinois Starters Last Game (at Florida State) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
BPG |
Season Note |
| G |
2 |
Destiny Jackson |
5-6 |
Fr. |
8.4 |
3.4 |
4.0 |
1.2 |
0.2 |
Career-high 18 points vs Murray State |
| G |
4 |
Gretchen Dolan |
5-11 |
Jr. |
15.8 |
3.8 |
3.8 |
1.2 |
0.2 |
Career-high 25 points at Florida State |
| G |
8 |
Jasmine Brown-Hagger |
5-9 |
Jr. |
5.4 |
1.6 |
1.4 |
1.2 |
0.0 |
Season-high 12 pts, 3 rebs, 2 stls at FSU |
| F |
23 |
Berry Wallace |
6-1 |
So. |
21.0 |
7.6 |
2.0 |
0.4 |
0.2 |
Four straight 20-point games to start season |
| F |
30 |
Cearah Parchment |
6-3 |
Fr. |
9.8 |
7.0 |
1.0 |
0.8 |
0.2 |
First career double-double vs Murray State |
Career Record: 223-111 (.668), 12th season
Division I Record: 194-86 (.693), 10th season
At Illinois: 67-36 (.650), Fourth season
Big Ten Record: 30-24 (.556), Fourth season
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Western Kentucky is off to a 2-3 start on the 2025-26 season, suffering a loss at Longwood in its lone road game so far. The Hilltopper roster is a veteran one with six seniors or fifth years. While the roster is an older one, no player has been at WKU longer than two seasons.
HISTORY VS. WKU
Wednesday's game marks the fifth all-time meeting between the Fighting Illini and Hilltoppers and third from Champaign. The all-time series is tied at 2-2 with both sides owning a 1-1 record on the opposing sides' court. The most recent meeting took place in Bowling Green, Ky. on 3/19/2010, a 68-51 Illinois victory. The Illini have won the last two meetings.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: DESTINY JACKSON
Destiny Jackson was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week by the league office on Monday. Jackson continued her stellar rookie campaign in Week 3 as the Illini went 2-0 with a pair of 20-point wins.
Jackson averaged 11.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 0.5 steals per game across a combined 56:25 minutes of action. The rookie shot 53.3% (8-for-15) from the field, 60.0% (3-for-5) from 3-point range, and 80.0% (4-for-5) from the free throw line across the Illini's two wins.
In front of the third-largest attendance in Illinois women's basketball history on Field Trip Day, Jackson delivered a career-high 18 points to go along with five assists, four rebounds, and a steal in 32 minutes of action. Jackson shot 6-for-8 from the field (75%), 3-for-4 from deep (75%), and 3-for-3 from the free throw line (100%) in the 84-64 win over Murray State.
On Sunday, in Illinois' 23-point win at Florida State, Jackson tallied five points, five assists, and two rebounds in 24 minutes of work. Jackson's play helped the Illini to their largest road non-conference win since 2018 with Sunday's 86-63 win in Tallahassee over Florida State.
TAKING OVER TALLAHASSEE
An all-around team effort led Illinois to a 86-63 win at Florida State on Nov. 23. Four Illini scored double figures led by Gretchen Dolan's 25. Illinois shot 52.9% from 3-point range and 50% from the field while committing just eight turnovers.
Florida State got out to a 21-9 lead before Illinois closed the first half on a 17-3 run for a 42-34 halftime lead. The 12-point comeback ties the largest deficit overcome by a Shauna Green-coached team.
The Illini ultimately flipped the script with a 35-point swing for a 23-point victory. The margin was the program's largest non-conference road win since achieving the same margin at Cal Poly in 2018.
GO OFF GRETCHEN DOLAN
In Illinois' 23-point win at Florida State, Gretchen Dolan went off for a career-day, tallying a career-high 25 points (the first 20-point game of her career), 3 rebounds, and 1 assist in just 27 minutes of play, scoring nearly a point a minute. Dolan shot 11-for-19 (57.9%) from the field, 1-for-3 (33.3%) from deep, and 2-for-2 (100%) from the free throw line.
Twenty of Dolan's 25 points came in the second quarter on as the Fighting Illini turned that 12-point deficit (tied for the largest comeback under Shauna Green) into a 23-point win.
LETY VASCONCELOS' CAREER DAY
Lety Vasconcelos turned in a career day of her own at Florida State. The 6'7" center recorded new bests in six different categories including: field goals made (4), steals (2), blocks (5), points (8), rebounds (9), and minutes (24). Vasconcelos' five rejections were the most by an Illini since Kendall Bostic's five at Butler on Dec. 11, 2022. The redshirt-sophomore put on this performance in just her fifth game back after going 611 days between game action.
BERRY WALLACE'S SOPHOMORE SURGE
Through five games of the 2025-26 campaign, Fighting Illini sophomore Berry Wallace ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring at 21.0 points per game. That mark ranks 17th-best in the NCAA through Nov. 24 games.
Along with her 21.0 points, Wallace is averaging 7.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.2 blocks across 34.8 minutes per game. The Pickerington, Ohio, native opened the season with four consecutive 20-point outings, including the first double-double of her career in the Orange and Blue's season opener. Wallace is shooting a scorching 53.1% FG, 53.3% 3FG, and 87.9 FT% through five games.
Wallace's four straight 20-point games to open the season made her the only player in a P5 conference to do so. Additionally, she is the only player in the country with 4+ 20-point games against all D1 teams to start the season.
2025 FIELD TRIP DAY ATTENDANCE RECORDS
- Illinois hosted its annual Field Trip Day on Nov. 18, 2025, when the Illini downed Murray St., 84-64.
- Attendance was called at 14,361 - the 3rd largest crowd in program history and top mark since 2/21/99.
- The attendance mark is a new non-conference game record.
ALL-TIME FIELD TRIP DAY GAMES
The ninth rendition of Illinois Women's Basketball Field Trip Day game saw the Orange and Blue come out victorious over Murray State, 84-64 on Nov. 18. Illinois is 4-0 in Field Trip Day games under Shauna Green and 8-1 overall, winning each of the last eight occasions.
Illinois has hosted the promotional event every season besides the COVID year since 2016-17.
| DATE |
OPPONENT |
ATTENDANCE |
RESULT |
| 11-17-2016 |
Memphis |
2,358 |
L, 54-64 |
| 11-10-2017 |
IPFW |
1,148 |
W, 64-50 |
| 11-7-2018 |
Alabama A&M |
2,364 |
W, 88-60 |
| 11-5-2019 |
Chicago State |
4,189 |
W, 96-66 |
| 2020-21 |
Not Held |
--- |
--- |
| 11-9-2021 |
NC Central |
1,983 |
W, 73-56 |
| 11-16-2022 |
McNeese State |
8,141 |
W, 100-38 |
| 11-15-2023 |
Saint Peter's |
11,563 |
W, 103-33 |
| 11-18-2024 |
Le Moyne |
13,486 |
W, 94-25 |
| 11-18-2025 |
Murray State |
14,361 |
W, 84-64 |
VICTORY AT FIELD TRIP DAY
The Illini advanced to 3-1 on the season with a 84-64 victory over Murray State for their ninth annual Field Trip Day Game. The crowd of 14,361 elementary through high school students was the largest in the history of the event, and third consecutive year with over 10,000 in the crowd. The win advanced Illinois to 8-1 in the event's history and 4-0 in the Shauna Green era.
Berry Wallace led the Illini with 22 points while Destiny Jackson scored a career high 18. Cearah Parchment turned in a 10 point, 11 rebound double-double.
One of the biggest moments of the game came through Jackson's three-pointer to end the third quarter giving Illinois a 67-46 lead. The score advancing to 67 prompted the stadium to erupt in screams, following a nationwide trend of Field Trip Games celebrating the viral "six-seven" meme.
FANTASTIC FRESHMEN
Fighting Illini rookies Destiny Jackson and Cearah Parchment have started all five games for Illinois and are averaging a combined 18.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game. Parchment is one of two Big Ten freshman to record a double-double in the first three weeks of the season (Layla Hays, Iowa) while Jackson's six assists in her collegiate debut (SEMO) is a program record for a freshman in a season opener.
FRESHMAN STANDOUTS
Destiny Jackson is one of 7 freshmen averaging at least 8.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game in the NCAA and leads that group with the fewest turnovers per game (1.8). Jackson is averaging 30.4 minutes per game, the third-most minutes among the group of 7.
| POWER 4 + BIGEAST FRESHMEN |
| PLAYER |
TEAM |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
TO/GAME |
| D. Jackson |
Illinois |
8.4 |
3.4 |
4.0 |
1.8 |
| A. Chavez |
Oklahoma |
16.8 |
4.2 |
4.3 |
2.3 |
| A. Morris |
Cal |
8.5 |
3.3 |
5.0 |
2.7 |
| A. Galvan |
Vanderbilt |
9.8 |
3.2 |
4.2 |
3.8 |
TOP ILLINOIS TALENT
With the addition of Destiny Jackson and Aaliyah Guyton for the 2025-26 campaign, Illinois basketball now has the top-ranked Illinois recruits from the classes of 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Jasmine Brown-Hagger was the state's No. 1 player in the class of 2023, and the no. 54 prospect in the nation, according to espnW HoopGurlz. In her senior season at Example Academy, she averaged 19.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 3.2 steals. While she played her freshman season at Mississippi State, she came home to Illinois the following year.
Illinois' No. 1 in the class of 2024, Aaliyah Guyton is originally from Peoria, Illinois. She enters her first season at Illinois after transferring from Iowa over the offseason.
After earning the titles of Illinois Ms. Basketball and Illinois Gatorade Player of the year in 2025, Destiny Jackson comes from Chicago as a five-star recruit, ranked sixth nationally at her position. The top-ranked player in Illinois, Jackson played at Whitney Young Magnet H.S. while playing club for Example Sports GUAA.
YOUNGEST TEAM
Green's fourth Illini squad is by far her youngest, with an average age of 19.91 years as of the start of the 2025-26 campaign. This places Illinois in the top-five for youngest rosters in Power 5 Women's Basketball.
Only two players — Gretchan Dolan and Gisela Segura — are above the age of 21. Segura is the team's oldest, with her 23rd birthday approaching in December.
Meanwhile Cearah Parchment is the youngest player on the team, at 18 years and four months. She was born on July 4, 2007, just five days after the launch of the iPhone.
THE SHAUNA GREEN EFFECT
Illinois' 63 wins through Green's first three seasons match the program record in that span while also marking the most by a head coach in their first three years with the Orange and Blue. Across that period, Illinois is 38-11 at home under Green, and the program has secured double-digit wins in three straight seasons for the first time in program history. The Illini won 11 consecutive games from March 21-Nov. 26, 2024, a new program record and the longest active win streak in the country at the time. Additionally, Illinois strung together a program-record eight-game Big Ten winning streak en route to an 11-7 record in league play.
LAND OF LINCOLN
Entering the 2025-26 season, five Illini proudly representing the Orange and Blue hail from their home state of Illinois.
Native to Shorewood, Ill, junior Jasmine Brown-Hagger started her high school career with two years at Joliet Catholic Academy, followed by two seasons of prep ball at Example Academy, in Frankfort, Ill.
Aaliyah Guyton represented the Peoria Lions throughout her high school career and earned two Big-12 Player of the Year awards in the process. She was ranked as the top player in the state in 2024.
Chicago's Destiny Jackson comes to Illinois directly after being named Illinois Ms. Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year in her senior year at Whitney Young Magnet High School. Averaging 21.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.8 steals, in her senior season, Jackson was nationally-ranked No. 28 in her class by 247Sports.
6'6" Hayven Smith hails from Frankfort, Ill, where she represented Lincoln-Way East for four years. In her senior season, Smith led the school to its first regional championship in seven years.
Mokena, Ill. native Mia Zenere notched one year at Lincoln-Way Central before heading to Example Academy for her sophomore, junior, and senior seasons.
INTERNATIONAL TIES
Going into Green's fourth year at Illinois, the Illini have six international athletes listed on their roster.
6'3" forward Manuella Alves is home to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She played her freshman and sophomore high school seasons in Brazil before playing the other two at Florida's IMG Academy.
Irene Noya Catoira hails from Vilagarcía de Arousa, Pontevedra, Spain. She Played for Segle XXI in the Spain-LF2 league from 2022-24 helping the team win the Group B regular season championship both seasons.
Freshman Erica Finney journeys to Champaign from Sydney, Australia, where she played high school ball at Cammeraygal High School. Finney represented Australia in the FIBA U17 2024 World Cup.
Cearah Parchment is from Whitby, Ontario, Canada. She attended Fort Erie International Academy and represented her country twice in FIBA World Cups.
Graduate student Gisela Segura hails from Cervera, Spain, where she graduated from Institut Joaquim Blume. She comes to Illinois after three years at Division II Franklin Pierce and one season at LIU.
Despite playing four high school seasons in the United States, Lety Vasconcelos is native to Miguel Calmon, Bahia, Brazil. She was a three-time member of the Brazilian national team, winning the South American Championship in 2020.
A NEW ERA
Illinois enters the season with eight newcomers and seven returners on its 15-player roster. However, returning players accounted for 24.4% of last year's scoring. In total, 75.6% of the offensive production from 2024-25 departed with Kendall Bostic, Genesis Bryant, Adalia McKenzie, Makira Cook, and Brynn Shoup-Hill — all of whom concluded decorated collegiate careers.
Despite the turnover in scoring, the Illini bring in eight high-impact additions through recruiting and the portal. With elite size, athleticism, and skill across every position group, Shauna Green's squad steps into a new era of Illinois Women's Basketball, one defined by upside and opportunity.
TALLEST PLAYER IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Listed at 6'7", Lety Vasconcelos is the tallest player in program history. While the Illini have had various student-athletes at 6'6" in the past — including Aicha Ndour from 2022-2024 — the extra inch makes Vasconcelos the tallest Illini ever.
While she's the tallest Illini, Vasconcelos is tied for tallest in the conference, as Purdue's Avery Gordon and UCLA's Lauren Betts are also listed at the same height.
SWITCHING TEAMS
Illinois acquired Aaliyah Guyton and Maddie Webber from the transfer portal this summer, two players who had faced off with Illinois at their previous schools.
Guyton, the sophomore guard, played her freshman season at Iowa, where she averaged 4.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. She made 29 appearances throughout the season, and coincidentally, made her first career start at Illinois.
In two seasons at Villanova, Webber averaged 10.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. While Villanova faced off with Illinois in the 2023-24 WBIT Final, Webber didn't make an appearance in the contest. She was named to second-team All-BIG EAST Second Team in her sophomore season.
The Illini also added Gisela Segura in the summer of 2025. A graduate student, she comes to Champaign after one season at LIU. Previously, she played the 2020-24 seasons at Division II Franklin Pierce.
ADDING JACKIE ALEXANDER
Illinois hired Jackie Alexander as an assistant coach in the 2025 offseason. Alexander joins the program after one season as an assistant coach at Toledo.
Prior to Toledo, Alexander held positions at East Tennessee State (2021-24), Eastern Kentucky (2019-21), Albany (2018-19), and Air Force (2017-18).
A native of Broadhead, Kentucky, Alexander served as an Army officer for three years following her undergraduate career at Army West Point and the University of the Cumberlands. Reaching the rank of captain, she served at Fort Campbell in Kentucky and was deployed to Iraq while in the Army.
