UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Behind 20-point efforts from Berry Wallace and Maddie Webber, the Illini secured a 92-76 road victory over Penn State at Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday afternoon.
Leading by as many as 21 in the contest, Illinois equaled its best 17-game start in program history and is now 14-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play.
The Fighting Illini had four players score in double figures, led by Wallace, who tied her career-best scoring night with 28 points and eight rebounds. In her return to her home state, Webber set a new season-high with 26 points off the bench.
Destiny Jackson chipped in as well with 15 points and tied her career-high with nine assists. Cearah Parchment posted 11 points and seven rebounds before fouling out late in the contest.
Illinois shot 50% from 3-point range, going 11-for-22 as a team with Webber leading the way with five triples. The Illini also took advantage of their strong effort on the offensive glass, turning in 20 second-chance points on 10 offensive rebounds.
How It Happened
After falling behind 15-10 at the media timeout in the first quarter, Illinois went on a 6-0 run, culminating in a bucket from Jackson, to take a 16-15 edge, their first lead of the day. The Fighting Illini then maintained that advantage and entered the quarter break with a 21-20 lead. Wallace scored the Orange and Blue's first 12 points of the game, making her first five shots en route to Illinois' one-point lead through the opening 10 minutes.
Penn State rallied to take a 29-25 lead before Illinois went on a 10-0 run starting at the 5:37 mark in the second period to take a 35-29 lead. The Fighting Illini proceeded to tack on five points to that lead and enjoyed a 43-32 advantage heading into halftime. Illinois scored 10 of its 22 total points in the period on second-chance opportunities created by pulling down four offensive rebounds.
Wallace led all scorers at the break with 17 first-half points at an efficient 7-for-9 clip.
Illinois continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Jackson, to expand its lead further to 64-53 with 52 seconds to go in the third. The Fighting Illini held onto that lead for the rest of the frame and entered the fourth quarter with a 66-55 edge.
The Orange and Blue kept widening that lead, expanding it to 85-70 before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Gretchen Dolan's layup, to grow the lead to 90-70 with 2:27 to go in the contest. The Lady Lions narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Illini still cruised the rest of the way for the 92-76 win.
The Fighting Illini remain on the road for a ranked test away from home on Thursday night. Illinois will travel north to take on No. 9 Michigan at 6 p.m. CT on Peacock.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
POSTGAME RADIO INTERVIEWS
POSTGAME NOTES
Player Notes:
- Berry Wallace turned in a team-high 28 points along with eight rebounds, three assists, and a block.
- Tied her career-high with 28 points.
- Secured her ninth 20-point effort of the season/of her career.
- Posted her 15th outing with double-digit points this season and 26th of her career.
- Reached double figures within the first four minutes of play.
- Scored the Illini's first 12 points of the afternoon.
- Made her first five shots from the field.
- Scored 17 first-half points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field.
- Finished with a career-high 11 made field goals.
- Shot an efficient 11-for-13 from the field.
- Went 3-for-4 from 3-point range.
- Fifth consecutive game with multiple 3-pointers.
- Maddie Webber scored a season-high 26 points while also adding three rebounds and an assist.
- Logged her second 20-point outing of the season and the fifth such game of her career.
- Set a new season-best scoring output.
- Has 20+ points in back-to-back road games.
- Marked her 11th game scoring double digits this season, 51st of her career.
- Scored 18 of her 26 points in the second half, including 13 in the fourth quarter.
- Set a new career-high with 10 made field goals.
- Finished with a 10-for-15 margin from the field.
- Went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc.
- Tied her career-best tally with five 3-pointers.
- Set a new season-high total.
- Knocked down multiple 3-pointers for the ninth time this season.
- Her five 3-pointers are the most by an Illini since Feb. 23, 2025, when Genesis Bryant also had five at USC.
- Cearah Parchment posted 11 points, seven rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
- Marked her 10th game of the season scoring in double digits.
- Has 10+ points in back-to-back games and in five of her last six appearances.
- Extended her streak to 16 straight games with 5+ total rebounds.
- Three of her seven rebounds came on the offensive glass.
- Has at least three offensive rebounds in each of the last five games.
- Went 4-for-4 from the line, her ninth game this season without a missed free throw
- Destiny Jackson finished with 15 points, nine assists, and four rebounds.
- Scored in double figures for the fourth time this season/in her career.
- Marked her most points in a road game.
- Tallied 10+ points in Big Ten play for the first time in her career.
- Equaled her career-high with nine assists.
- Has nine assists in two games this season/in her career.
- Hayven Smith made her first appearance since Dec. 19 vs. Jackson State.
Team Notes:
- Penn State won the opening tip and scored on the opening possession.
- Lety Vasconcelos was the first Illini off the bench, checking in at 4:45 in the first quarter.
- Illinois went on a 6-0 run out of the first quarter media timeout, taking its first lead of the game at 16-15.
- Illinois went on a 10-0 run over 4:07 in the second quarter while holding Penn State scoreless for 4:29. That offensive run extended to an 18-3 margin over the final 5:37 of the first half.
- The Illini closed the third quarter on a 10-2 run over the final 2:02 of the frame to take a 66-55 into the fourth quarter.
- Four Illini scored in double digits (Jackson [15], Parchment [11], Wallace [28], Webber [26]).
- Most players in double digits since Dec. 28, at Purdue when four Illini scored in double figures.
- The Illini had two players with 10+ field goals for the first time since Nov. 21, 2015, when Chatrice White (12) and Alex Wittinger (10) did so against UT-Martin.
- The Illini had two 20-point scorers for the first time since Jan. 4 at Michigan State – the lone other occurrence.
- The Illini shot 59.6% from the field (34-for-57), their most efficient shooting performance since recording an identical line against Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament on March 2, 2023.
- This marks their best field goal percentage in a regular-season game since Dec. 5, 2018, and their best percentage in a Big Ten game since at least 2002-03.
- Illinois shot 50% from 3-point range (11-for-22), with five different players making at least one triple.
- Hit 10+ 3-pointers for the third time this season.
- Shot at least 50% from beyond the arc for the third time this season.
- The Illini scored 14 points on 11 forced turnovers.
- Illinois outrebounded Penn State by a 37-25 margin.
- The Illini scored 20 second-chance points on 10 offensive rebounds.
- The Illini bench outscored their Lady Lion counterparts, 30-12.
- Illinois registered an assist on 25 of its 34 made field goals.
- Tied their season-best tally as a team, which they set on Dec. 2 against Bellarmine.
- The Illini scored 26 points in the fourth quarter, their most in a fourth quarter this season.
Misc. Notes:
- Starters: Destiny Jackson, Jasmine Brown-Hagger, Gretchen Dolan, Berry Wallace, Cearah Parchment
- This lineup is now 14-3 this season.
- Shauna Green is now:
- 22-18 in road games
- 34-26 in Big Ten play
- 77-38 at Illinois
- 204-88 as a Division I head coach
- 233-113 across her career
- Illinois vs. Penn State: 20-39
- Shauna Green's coaching record vs. Penn State: 4-0
- The Illini have now won their last four games against the Lady Lions.
- Four straight wins matches the longest streak for the Illini in series history (1996-98).
- Illinois is 6-21 when playing in University Park.
- Illinois has won consecutive games in University Park for the first time since 1996-98.
- With a 14-3 start to the 2025-26 campaign, Illinois has equaled the best 17-game start in program history, which is also held by the 2022-23, 1986-87, 1981-82, and 1980-81 teams.
- The Illini's 92 points are their most in a road game at Penn State in series history.
- Illinois is now 3-1 when wearing orange uniforms this season and are now 10-8 when doing so under Green.
- The Illini are 9-1 in day games (before 5 p.m.) this season and 39-23 under Green.
- Illinois is 5-1 in games played on Sundays this season and 25-15 under Green.
- Illinois is 2-2 in the month of January this season and 16-11 under Green when playing in January.
- Illinois is now 4-2 in road games this season and 22-18 under Shauna Green.
- Illinois is 2-2 during the 2026 calendar year.
- Illinois is 5-1 when the game is on TV this season and 20-19 under Shauna Green.
