[10] Illinois Earns Berth in Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals With Win Over [7] #18 Michigan State

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INDIANAPOLIS – [10] Illinois secured its spot in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals with a 71-69 win over [7] No. 18 Michigan State at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday evening.

Behind five scorers in double figures, the Fighting Illini advanced to the quarterfinals for the second time under head coach Shauna Green while earning their third ranked victory of the campaign. The Orange and Blue have now won multiple games at the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2010-11.

Destiny Jackson filled the stat sheet with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, one block, and one steal. She tallied nine of her 14 points in the second half, including six in the final period of play. 

Cearah Parchment scored a team-high 15 points, all of which came in the first half. She also corralled six rebounds and added a block.

Berry Wallace logged her 21st straight outing in double figures, finishing with 11 points, two assists, and a block.

Jasmine Brown-Hagger tacked on 12 points while dishing out four assists, while Maddie Webber totaled 13 points, three rebounds, and two steals off the bench.

Illinois overcame seven first-quarter turnovers to grab a 20-17 lead through the first 10 minutes. The Orange and Blue closed the frame on an 8-0 run across the final 1:15, making their final three field goal attempts during that stretch. MSU went scoreless for over two minutes to end the frame, while Parchment scored eight points through the first 10 minutes of play.

The Fighting Illini added to their lead in the second quarter, winning the frame 16-12 to own a 36-29 lead at the half. Parchment added seven more points in the quarter, while the defense blocked four Spartan shots.

The Spartans began the second half with a 13-5 run to briefly go in front, but the Illini weathered the storm and responded with a 7-2 stretch to retake the lead. Holding MSU to only one field goal over the last four minutes of the quarter, Illinois entered the final frame with a 53-48 advantage.

Accounting for the first two field goals of the fourth quarter, the Illini soon established its largest edge of the night, 57-48. Holding the lead for the entirety of the final period, the Orange and Blue used a late stop on a potential game-tying Spartan possession to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals.

[10] Illinois continues its Big Ten Tournament run on Friday night, when the Illini take on [2] No. 9 Iowa. The opening tip from Indianapolis is slated for 5:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

POSTGAME NOTES

Player Notes:

Berry Wallace turned in 11 points, two assists, a rebound, and a block. 

Posted her 29th outing with double-digit points this season and the 41st such game of her career.

Has scored in double figures in each of the last 21 games.

With 577 points on the season to date, Wallace sits at No. 10 on Illinois’ single-season scoring list, climbing from 16th.
Connected on a 3-pointer for the ninth-straight game.
Wallace was a perfect 6-for-6 from the line, her fifth consecutive game without missing a free throw.

Cearah Parchment posted 15 points, six rebounds, an assist, and a block.

Tallied 10+ points for the 23rd time this season/in her career.          

Has scored in double figures in 13 straight games and in 15 of the last 16.
Sits in second place on the program’s freshman season scoring list (428), behind only Chatrice White, who scored 448 points during the 2014-15 season.
Grabbed 5+ rebounds for her 30th consecutive game.
Continued to add to the Illinois freshman season rebounds record, which now sits at 258.

Destiny Jackson delivered 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, and a block.

Scored in double figures for the 14th time of the season.
Continued to add to the Illinois freshman season assist record, which now sits at 161.

With 161 assists on the season, Jackson is now three assists away from sole possession of third on Illinois’ overall single-season assists list. 

173 – Michele Vossen – 1983-84
170 – Cindy Stein – 1982-83
163 – Alexis Smith – 2012-13
161 – Destiny Jackson – 2025-26
154 – Jill Estey – 1990-91
153 – Cindy Stein – 1981-82

Maddie Webber notched 13 points and three rebounds.

Team Notes:

Illinois won the opening tip, but the Spartans opened the scoring.
After a cold start to the game, Illinois made 5-of-7 field goal attempts to pull within three at 15-12 at the first quarter media timeout (2:40).
The first Illini off the bench was Maddie Webber, who checked in at 8:11 in the first quarter.
Five Illini scored in double figures (Cearah Parchment [15], Destiny Jackson [14], Maddie Webber [13], Jasmine Brown-Hagger [12], and Berry Wallace [11].
The Illini turned 14 forced turnovers into 15 points off those takeaways.
Illinois’ bench outscored its MSU counterparts, 13-2.
The Illini recorded an assist on 13 of its 25 made field goals.
Illinois led for a total of 28:29 during the win.

Misc. Notes:

Starters: Destiny Jackson, Aaliyah Guyton, Jasmine Brown-Hagger, Berry Wallace, and Cearah Parchment.

This lineup is now 7-5 this season.

Shauna Green is now:

9-9 in neutral games
42-37 vs. Big Ten teams
3-3 in the Big Ten Tournament
84-45 at Illinois
211-95 as a Division I head coach
240-120 across her career

Thursday’s win over Michigan State moved Shauna Green into sole possession of second place on Illinois’ all-time win list by a head coach with her 84th win in the Orange and Blue.

Theresa Grentz – 210 wins – 12 seasons – 1995-2007
Shauna Green – 84 – 4 seasons – 2022-Present
Laura Golden – 83 – 6 seasons – 1984-90
Jane Schroeder – 73 – 5 seasons – 1979-84

Illinois vs. Michigan State: 29-48

Illinois has now won multiple games at a single Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2010-11.

The Illini won multiple BTT games for just the seventh time in program history (1981-82, 1996-97, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2007-08, 2010-11, 2025-26).

The Illini secured their third ranked win of the season and the ninth such victory under Coach Green.

Ranked wins this season:

Jan. 1, 2026 vs. No. 7 Maryland, W 73-70
Feb. 1, 2026 at No. 25 Washington, W 75-66
March 5, 2026, vs. No. 18 Michigan State, W, 71-69

The Illini became the seventh No. 10 seed to defeat the No. 7 seed in Big Ten Tournament history.

Illinois was previously 0-4 as the No. 10 seed in the 7-10 game.

Illinois is now 2-0 in neutral games this season and 9-9 under Shauna Green.
Illinois is now 4-3 when wearing blue uniforms this season and are now 21-16 when doing so under Green.
The Illini are 14-4 in night games (after 5 p.m. local) this season and 44-26 under Green.
Illinois is 2-2 in games played on Thursdays this season and 20-10 under Green.
Illinois is 2-1 in the month of March this season and 8-7 under Green when playing in March.
Illinois is 9-9 during the 2026 calendar year.

Score after 1st Quarter: 20-17Score at Halftime: 36-29 (16-12 2Q)Score after 3rd Quarter: 53-48 (17-19 3Q)Score after 4th Quarter: 71-69 (18-21 4Q)