Illinois Women’s Basketball Triumphs Over Northwestern
In an intense showdown on Sunday, the No. 25 Illinois women’s basketball team narrowly defeated Northwestern with a score of 74-71, thanks to an impressive performance from Berry Wallace. Wallace set a personal best by scoring 29 points, with 12 crucial points coming in the final quarter.
Game Highlights
The Illini began to pull away late in the second quarter, establishing their lead with just two and a half minutes left, and entered the final quarter ahead 58-51.
Despite Illinois maintaining a lead, Northwestern made a strong push in the fourth quarter. They managed to close the gap to just one point after Xamiya Walton drained a three-pointer with seven minutes left, followed by a layup from Casey Harter that brought the score to 73-71 in the final minutes. Wallace responded decisively, scoring in the paint to extend Illinois’ lead, followed by a free throw from Tayla Thomas for Northwestern that made it 73-71.
In the closing moments, the teams failed to convert on their next possessions before Cearah Parchment converted a free throw, solidifying a three-point edge for Illinois.
Northwestern had a chance to tie the game with a last-second three-pointer by Caroline Lau, but her attempt was unsuccessful as time expired.
Player Contributions
On the stat sheet, Parchment contributed significantly to the win with 10 points and 11 rebounds, marking her fourth double-double of the season. Aaliyah Guyton also added 13 points for the victorious Illini, who improved their season record to 15 wins against 4 losses and 5-3 in the Big Ten Conference.
For Northwestern, Grace Sullivan led the scoring with 21 points, while Walton and Harter contributed 19 and 13 points, respectively. Despite their efforts, which included another 12 points from Lau, the Wildcats fell to 8-11 overall and 2-6 in conference play.
Game Dynamics
The first half of the game was marked by a competitive back-and-forth, featuring four ties and seven lead changes. Illinois ended the second quarter on a strong note, scoring 12 unanswered points to take a 40-33 lead at halftime. Both teams maintained discipline throughout the game with a total of just 13 turnovers—five by Northwestern and eight by Illinois.
Looking Ahead
With this victory, Illinois extended their winning streak to seven games in their rivalry with Northwestern, after previously losing 14 consecutive matchups. Next up for Illinois is a challenging away game against No. 24 Nebraska on Saturday, while Northwestern will prepare to host No. 3 UCLA next Sunday.
