CHAMPAIGN, Ill. --The Illinois women's basketball team held Western Kentucky to just 12.5% from deep in a 2-for-16 shooting performance, and recorded a season-high 13 steals on the way to a 70-41 win against the Lady Toppers at State Farm Center on Wednesday evening.
The Fighting Illini (5-1) had two players - junior Maddie Webber and sophomore Berry Wallace - reach double-figures scoring, each pouring in a game-high 16 in the victory. Webber's 16, which tied a a season high set in the Illini's opener vs. SEMO on Nov. 4, came in 29 minutes off the bench.
Junior Jasmine Brown-Hagger and sophomore Aaliyah Guyton each added eight points, while freshman Cearah Parchment chipped in with seven points and a game-high eight rebounds. Parchment also pulled down four of the Illini's 11 offensive rebounds.
Illinois' defense held Western Kentucky to just 2-for-16 (.125) shooting from 3-point range 16-for-45 (.356) from the field, overall, leading to a season-low point total.
The Illini turned their 25 takeaway into a 25-11 edge in points off turnovers. The Orange and Blue also posted big advantages in the paint (28-22), in fast-break scoring (11-2) and outscored WKU 28-12 off the bench.
How It Happened
After WKU jumped out to an early lead, 7-3, Illinois went on a 5-0 run with 4:42 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Destiny Jackson, to take an 8-7 lead. The Toppers rallied, however, to regain a 12-10 lead after the first quarter.
Webber's layup to close the first period sparked a longer 9-0 Illinois run, capped by a Gretchen Dolan jumper, to take a 17-12 lead with 8:12 left in the half. The Lady Toppers cut into that lead, but the Fighting Illini still enjoyed a 27-23 advantage heading into halftime. Illinois dominated in the paint, scoring 10 of its 17 points close to the basket.
Following intermission, Illinois continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 39-34 before going on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a 3-pointer from Wallace, to close out the third quarter with a double-digit lead, 46-34. Illinois took advantage of nine Western Kentucky turnovers in the quarter, scoring nine points off of takeaways.
Illinois' run continued with the first five points of the fourth quarter as the lead reached 51-34 with 8 minutes to play. Staking to a 53-39 lead with just more than 7 minutes to play, the Illini went on a season-best 17-0 scoring run to put the game out of reach and push the lead to 31 points, 70-39, before a final bucket from WKU in the last 30 seconds of the contest. Illinois fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down four shots to account for 12 of its 24 points.
PRESS CONFERENCE
HIGHLIGHTS
POSTGAME NOTES
Player Notes
- Maddie Webber tallied 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
- 16 points matched her season high.
- Hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the last :27 of the first half to give the Illini a lead at the break.
- Went 4-for-6 from 3-point range, a season-high made treys
- Combined 6-for-11 (.636) from 3-point range over the last two games
- Went 6-for-9 from the field, tying her season high for made field goals
- Berry Wallace turned in 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal in 34 minutes of action.
- Six straight double-digit scoring games to open the season.
- Connected on at least 1 3-point in four straight games.
- Went 5-for-5 from the free throw line, fourth straight game of making all her free throws.
- Destiny Jackson delivered 5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in 21 minutes of work.
- Six straight games with at least five points to begin her college career
- Second game of her career with multiple steals (4 vs. Illinois State on Nov. 9)
- Cearah Parchment chipped in with 7 points and a game-high eight rebounds, including four offensive boards.
- Five straight games with at least 6 rebounds
- First career game with multiple offensive rebounds
- Has recorded at least 1 offensive board in every game this season
- Recorded season highs for free-throws made (5) and attempted (7)
- Jasmine Brown-Hagger tallied 8 points, 1 rebound, 4 steals in the win.
- 4 steals is a new career-high mark.
- Back-to-back games with 8+ points.
- Gretchen Dolan finished with 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals
- 3 steals tied her season and career highs.
- Irene Noya-Catoira scored a career-high 4 points while adding 2 rebounds and a steal.
- First steal of the season, second of her career.
- Career-high 2 made field goals.
- Aaliyah Guyton tallied 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists.
- Season-high 2 rebounds.
- Season and game-high four assists.
- Connected on a season-high 2 3-pointers.
- Maddie Webber and Aaliyah Guyton were the first Illini off the bench, checking in with 3:51 left in the first quarter.
Team Notes
- WKU won the opening tip but the Illini got on the board first with a Jasmine Brown-Hagger free throw.
- Illinois trailed after the first quarter (12-10) for just the second time this season.
- The Illini are 2-0 on the season when trailing after the first quarter and improve to 14-22 under Shauna Green.
- Also trailed 25-23 at Florida State (Nov. 23) before coming back to defeat the Seminoles, 86-63.
- Illinois scored the final bucket of the first quarter, then opened the second on a 7-0 run to take a 17-12 lead with 8:12 to play in the half.
- With the Illini trailing 22-21 in the second quarter Maddie Webber hit two 3-pointers in the final 27 seconds to give the Orange and Blue a 27-23 halftime lead.
- Illinois' 17-0 scoring run between the 7:06 mark and the 0:53 mark of the fourth quarter is the team's longest of the season.
- Illinois forced 25 WKU turnovers and recorded 13 steals, both season highs.
- Illinois' 13 steals are the most since recording 14 takeaways vs. Miami (OH) on Nov. 14, 2021
- Illinois forced 25+ opponent turnovers for the first time since Nov. 9, 2021 vs. North Carolina Central (27), and just the second time since Jan. 10, 2016 at Nebraska (25).
- The Illinois bench outscored WKU's reserves, 28-12.
- Three straight games with a scoring advantage off the bench
- +12.3 edge in bench scoring over the last three games
- Two Illini scored in double digits (Wallace [16] and Webber [16]).
- Illinois connected on 7 3-pointers in the win, making a combined 16 treys over the last two games. Six different Illinois players have made a 3-pointer in that span.
Misc. Notes
- Starters: Destiny Jackson, Jasmine Brown-Hagger, Gretchen Dolan, Berry Wallace, Cearah Parchment
- This lineup is now 5-1 this season
- Shauna Green is now:
- 68-36 at Illinois
- 42-11 in State Farm Center
- 195-86 as a Division I head coach
- 224-111 overall
- Illinois vs. WKU: 3-2
- Illinois has won three-straight games for the first time this season and first time since winning eight straight from Jan. 23, 2025-Feb. 16, 2025.
- Illinois is now 4-0 when wearing white uniforms this season and are now 41-12 when doing so under Green.
- The Illini are 2-1 in night games (after 5 p.m.) this season and 35-14 under Green.
- Illinois is 1-0 in games played on Wednesdays this season and 12-5 under Green.
- Illinois is 16-8 during the 2025 calendar year.
- Illinois is 4-0 in home games this season.
