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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Four Illini scored in double figures to lead Illinois past Purdue, 83-73, on the road Sunday. Illinois’ 10th-consecutive win pushed the Orange and Blue to their first 2-0 start in Big Ten play since 2007-08.
The Fighting Illini (12-1, 2-0) were led by Berry Wallace, who had 21 points and seven rebounds. Gretchen Dolan tacked on 19 points and two steals and Cearah Parchment helped out with 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Maddie Webbie added 12 points.
Led by Parchment’s four offensive rebounds, Illinois pulled down 10 boards that resulted in 12 second chance points.
The Illinois defense caused its share of mistakes in Sunday’s game, forcing 16 Purdue turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 23 points on the offensive end of the floor. Parchment’s three steals led the way individually for the Fighting Illini.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 17-14 advantage, Illinois went on an 8-0 run with 2:56 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Lety Vasconcelos, to increase its lead to 25-14. The Fighting Illini then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 28-18 advantage. Illinois relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down four shots to account for 12 of its 28 points.
The Fighting Illini maintained their lead in the game’s second frame and entered halftime with a 40-38 edge. Wallace connected on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer heading into the break.
Following intermission, Illinois continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 59-53 before going on an 8-0 run, punctuated by a three from Wallace, to expand its lead further to 67-53. Illinois took advantage of five Purdue turnovers in the quarter, scoring 10 points off of takeaways.
Illinois would never trail in the second half, going on a 6-0 run to grow the lead to 81-69 with 32 seconds to go in the contest. The Boilermakers narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Fighting Illini still cruised the rest of the way for the 83-73 win.
POSTGAME NOTES
Player Notes:
Gretchen Dolan finished with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field and a 5-for-5 effort from the free throw line.
Added 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 rebound in 33 minutes of work.
Owned a team-best 14 +/-
Scored 15 second-half points.
Posted her 11th double-digit scoring outing of the campaign and the 18th such game of her career.
19 points are Dolan’s most in a Big Ten game of her career.
Maddie Webber added 12 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist.
First Illini off the bench, checking in at 5:12 in the first quarter.
Tallied 11 first quarter points on 4-for-4 (3-for-3 from 3-point range).
Scored in double digits for the ninth time this season and for the eighth time in the last nine games. Up to 49 career games with double-digit points.
Knocked down multiple 3-pointers for the seventh time this season.
Has made at least one 3-pointer in nine of the last 10 games.
Berry Wallace turned in a game-high 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 assist in 36 minutes of action.
Shot 7-for-12 from the field including 2-for-5 from 3-point range and 5-for-6 from the free throw line.
Scored 12 second-half points, including 8 in the third quarter.
Her 11th outing with double-digit points this season and 23rd of her career.
Seventh game of the campaign with 7+ rebounds.
Sixth 20-point game of the season and her career.
21 points are Wallace’s most in a Big Ten game of her career.
Cearah Parchment posted 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists.
Shot 2-for-3 from the field and 10-for-11 from the free throw line.
Seventh double-digit scoring outing of the campaign.
Has multiple steals in four consecutive games.
Grabbed multiple offensive rebounds for the sixth time this season.
Team Notes:
The Illini won the opening tip and got on the board first with a Berry Wallace layup on the opening possession.
Illinois opened the game on a 6-0 run before Purdue got on the board.
The Illini started the game 3-for-3 from the field.
Out of the first quarter media timeout, Illinois went on an 8-0 run over a 1:40 span.
Coming out of halftime, Illinois went on an 8-1 and 11-3 run.
Illinois closed the third quarter on an 8-0 run over the last 2:15 while holding Purdue scoreless for the final 2:36 of the frame for a 14-point lead, the Illini’s largest of the game.
Four Illini scored in double digits (Maddie Webber [12], Berry Wallace [21], Gretchen Dolan [19], Cearah Parchment [14]).
Illinois held Purdue to 4 second-chance points while scoring 12 of its own, winning the offensive rebounding battle, 10-6.
The Illini outrebounded Purdue, 35-26, including a 21-11 margin in the second half.
Misc. Notes:
Starters: Destiny Jackson, Jasmine Brown-Hagger, Gretchen Dolan, Berry Wallace, Cearah Parchment
This lineup is now 12-1 this season
Shauna Green is now:
21-17 in road games
Green’s 14 Big Ten road wins are the second-most all-time of Illinois head coaches.
32-24 in Big Ten play
Third-most Big Ten wins by a head coach in program history.
75-36 at Illinois
202-86 as a Division I head coach
Shauna Green is the third-winningest coach in Illinois Women’s Basketball history with 75 wins across four seasons.
210 wins – Theresa Grentz (1995-2007, 12 seasons)
83 wins – Laura Golden (1984-90, 6 seasons)
75 wins – Shauna Green (2022-present, 4 seasons)
73 wins – Jane Schroeder (1979-84, 5 seasons)
69 wins – Jolette Law (2007-12, 5 seasons)
Illinois vs. Purdue: 21-66
Shauna Green’s coaching record vs. Purdue: 2-2
The victory was Illinois’ first in West Lafayette since 2/21/2015.
With its 12-1 start to the 2025-26 campaign, Illinois is off to the best 13-game start in program history.
Illinois is off to a 2-0 start in Big Ten play for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
Illinois extended its winning streak to a season-high 10 games, its longest such streak since racking up 11 straight wins from March 21, 2024 – Nov. 26, 2024.
The 10-game streak matches the second-longest winning streak in program history.
Illinois is now 1-0 when wearing blue uniforms this season and are now 18-13 when doing so under Green.
The Illini are 7-0 in day games (before 5 p.m.) this season and 37-22 under Green.
Illinois is 4-0 in games played on Sundays this season and 23-14 under Green.
Illinois is 6-0 in the month of December this season and 18-7 under Green when playing in December.
Illinois is now 3-1 in road games this season – winning the last three – and 21-17 under Shauna Green.
Illinois is 23-8 during the 2025 calendar year.
Score after 1st Quarter: 28-18Score at Halftime: 40-38 (12-20 2Q)Score after 3rd Quarter: 67-53 (27-15 3Q)Score after 4th Quarter: 83-73 (16-20 4Q)
