CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Trailing for only 37 seconds, Illinois cruised to a 78-57 win over Indiana to open Big Ten play at State Farm Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Fighting Illini (8-1, 1-0 B1G) had four players score in double figures, led by a 16-point effort from Gretchen Dolan, who also dished out four assists. Maddie Webber posted 16 points off the bench while shooting at an efficient 8-for-11 clip.
Cearah Parchment posted her fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Berry Wallace poured in 14 points and corralled eight rebounds.
Leading by as many as 36 in the contest, Illinois did an excellent job taking care of the basketball, dishing out 23 assists while forcing 20 Indiana turnovers. Destiny Jackson's six assists paced the Fighting Illini, while three other Illini logged at least four. Jackson added 10 rebounds as well.
Illinois' defense held Indiana to only 35.8% shooting from the field, while the Illini scored 19 points off turnovers while turning in 14 second-chance points on 11 offensive rebounds. The Orange and Blue dominated in the paint, outscoring the Hoosiers 58-18 in the lane.
How It Happened
After Indiana opened the scoring, Illinois went on a 10-0 run with 8:38 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Jackson, to take a 12-4 lead. The Fighting Illini then added eight points to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter break with a 28-12 advantage. Illinois did most of its first-quarter damage in the paint, scoring 22 of its 28 points close to the basket.
Illinois built that first quarter lead to 36-19 before going on a 7-0 run starting at the 3:53 mark in the second period to increase its advantage to 43-19. The Hoosiers cut into that lead, but the Fighting Illini held a 45-23 advantage heading into halftime.
Out of halftime, Illinois went on a 9-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Parchment, to expand its lead further to 54-23 with 4:58 to go in the third. Before the frame was over, the Fighting Illini added five points to that edge and entered the fourth quarter with a 68-32 advantage.
Despite a late push from the Hoosiers, the Fighting Illini closed out the victory to clinch their first Big Ten-opening victory under head coach Shauna Green.
Illinois returns to action on Wednesday night for their annual McBride Home Braggin' Rights rivalry game at Missouri. The opening tip between the Fighting Illini and the Tigers is set for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
HIGHLIGHTS
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
POSTGAME NOTES
Player Notes:
- Maddie Webber contributed 16 points, four assists, one steal, and one rebound off the bench in her first Big Ten action.
- Equaled her season-best scoring mark, scoring 16 points for the third time.
- Scored in double digits for the fifth time this season.
- Shot 5-for-6 from the field in the first half.
- Made a season-high eight field goals while shooting at a season-best 72.7% clip from the field.
- Was the first Illini off the bench, checking in at 5:42 in the first quarter.
- Berry Wallace turned in 14 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and an assist.
- Scored in double-digits for the eighth time this season.
- Had at least eight rebounds for the third time this season.
- Equaled her career-best mark with two steals.
- Grabbed multiple steals for the second time this season.
- Seven straight games of not missing a free throw (24-24).
- Destiny Jackson recorded four points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals in her first Big Ten game.
- Grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds.
- Finished with double-digit boards for the first time in her career.
- Equaled her career-high with eight assists.
- Now has eight assists in two outings this season.
- Has 7+ assists in each of the last three games.
- Cearah Parchment posted a double-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, and a steal in her first Big Ten game.
- Tallied her fourth-career double-double.
- Registered her fifth game this season with 10+ points.
- Grabbed double-digit rebounds for the third time this season.
- Gretchen Dolan finished with 16 points, four assists, one rebound, and one block.
- Posted her seventh double-digit scoring outing of the campaign.
- Dished out at least four assists for the fifth time this season.
- Jasmine Brown-Hagger tallied nine points, three rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
- Her four assists marked a new season-best mark.
- Had multiple steals for the fifth time this season and for the fourth time in the last five games.
Team Notes:
- Indiana won the opening tip and got on the board first with a jumper from Shay Ciezki on the opening possession.
- After Indiana went up 4-2, Illinois went on a 10-0 run over the next 2:47.
- Illinois jumped out to an 18-6 lead forcing an Indiana timeout at 4:46 in the first quarter.
- The Illini used a stretch of six consecutive makes to establish a 22-8 edge in the opening frame.
- The Illini ended the first quarter on a 6-0 run and opened the second quarter on an identical 6-0 scoring stretch.Â
- A 7-0 run from 3:53 to 3:09 in the second quarter pushed the Illinois lead to 24, 43-19.
- The Illini led by as many as 36 points in the victory.
- Illinois held Indiana to a season-low 23 first-half points.
- The Illini held the Hoosiers to 7-for-25 from the field and 1-for-6 on 3-point attempts across the opening 20 minutes of play.
- Four Illini scored in double digits (Dolan [16], Parchment [15], Wallace [14], Webber [16]).
- Dolan, Wallace, and Webber all reached double figures in the first half
- Illinois is now 62-11 under Shauna Green when holding opponents to 70 points or less.
- The Illini scored 14 second-chance points on 11 offensive rebounds.
- Illinois forced 20 turnovers and scored 19 points off those takeaways.
- The Illini outrebounded the Hoosiers at a 39-30 margin.
- Illinois won the battle on the offensive glass, 11-6.
- Illinois outscored Indiana in the paint, 58-18.
- The Illini have outscored opponents by at least 40 points in each of the last three games.Â
- The Illini bench outscored their Hoosier counterparts, 20-3.
- Illinois' 21-point win marked its largest margin of victory in a Big Ten opener in program history.
Misc. Notes:
- Starters: Destiny Jackson, Jasmine Brown-Hagger, Gretchen Dolan, Berry Wallace, Cearah Parchment
- This lineup is now 8-1 this season
- Shauna Green is now:
- 71-36 at Illinois
- 45-11 in State Farm Center
- 198-86 as a Division I head coach
- 227-111 overall
- Shauna Green is the fourth winningest coach in Illinois Women's Basketball history with 71 wins across four seasons.
- 210 wins - Theresa Grentz (1995-2007, 12 seasons)
- 83 wins - Laura Golden (1984-90, 6 seasons)
- 73 wins - Jane Schroeder (1979-84, 5 seasons)
- 71 wins - Shauna Green (2022-present, 4 seasons)
- 69 wins - Jolette Law (2007-12, 5 seasons)
- Illinois vs. Indiana: 33-49
- Shauna Green's coaching record vs. Indiana: 3-3
- Illinois has won the last three meetings.
- The Illini now own their longest winning streak against the Hoosiers since 2008-09.
- The Illini are now 19-19 when playing Indiana in Champaign.
- Illinois won its Big Ten opener for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
- The Illini won their first Big Ten opener under Coach Green.
- Saturday's victory marked the third win in their Big Ten home opener under Green.
- Illinois extended its winning streak to a season-high six games, their longest such streak since winning eight straight from Jan. 23, 2025-Feb. 16, 2025.
- Illinois is now 7-0 when wearing white uniforms this season and are now 43-12Â when doing so under Green.
- The Illini are 5-0 in day games (before 5 p.m.) this season and 35-22 under Green.
- Illinois is 1-0 in games played on Saturdays this season and 4-4 under Green.
- Illinois is 2-0 in the month of December this season and 14-7 under Green when playing in December.
- The Illini improved to 18-10 in Big Ten home games under Coach Green.
- Illinois is 19-8 during the 2025 calendar year.
- The Illini are now 1-0 when playing on TV this season and 16-18 under Green in those games.
- Illinois is 7-0 in home games this season.
- Illinois has won seven straight home games for the first time since stringing together 13 wins in State Farm Center from Feb. 19, 2024-Dec. 31, 2024.
