Illini Come Up Short to No. 9 Iowa in Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals

INDIANAPOLIS – The Fighting Illini’s Big Ten Tournament run came to a close in a six-point loss to No. 9/9 Iowa in the quarterfinals from Indianapolis. 

Jasmine Brown-Hagger led the Fighting Illini (21-11) with a season-high 22 points. Berry Wallace tacked on 13 points and Destiny Jackson helped out with 10 points and six assists.

Brown-Hagger pulled down three offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Illinois, grabbing 11 boards and turning them into 11 second chance points.

Illinois forced 16 Iowa turnovers while committing 11 themselves in Friday’s game. The Fighting Illini turned those takeaways into 17 points on the offensive end of the floor. Cearah Parchment led the way individually with three steals.

Iowa held a 37-23 lead at halftime and grew that advantage to as many as 22 points before Illinois gained some traction. The Fighting Illini closed the game on a 15-0 and 17-2 run, outscoring the Hawkeyes 27-11 in the final 10 minutes.

The Fighting Illini now await their fate in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show will take place at 7 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 15.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE

POSTGAME NOTES

Player Notes:

Berry Wallace turned in 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.

Posted her 30th outing with double-digit points this season and the 42nd such game of her career.

Has scored in double figures in each of the last 22 games.

With 590 points on the season to date, Wallace sits at No. 9 on Illinois’ single-season scoring list, climbing from 10th.

o   Connected on a 3-pointer for the 10th-straight game.

Wallace was a perfect 2-for-2 from the line, her sixth consecutive game without missing a free throw.
Cearah Parchment remains in second place on the program’s freshman season scoring list (430), behind only Chatrice White, who scored 448 points during the 2014-15 season.

-Grabbed 5+ rebounds for her 31st consecutive game.

-Continued to add to the Illinois freshman season rebounds record, which now sits at 267.

Destiny Jackson delivered 10 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and a block.

Scored in double figures for the 15th time of the season.
Continued to add to the Illinois freshman season assist record, which now sits at 167.

With 167 assists on the season, Jackson is now four assists away from sole possession of second on Illinois’ overall single-season assists list. 

173 – Michele Vossen – 1983-84
170 – Cindy Stein – 1982-83
167 – Destiny Jackson – 2025-26
163 – Alexis Smith – 2012-13

Jasmine Brown-Hagger scored in double figures for the seventh time this season and 19th of her career.

The junior’s 22 points marked her first 20-point game of the season and the third of her career.
Brown-Hagger has scored in double digits in back-to-back games for the second time this season.

Team Notes:

Iowa won the opening tip and the Hawkeyes opened the scoring on their second possession of the game.
The first Illini off the bench was Lety Vasconcelos, who checked in at 6:37 in the first quarter. 
Three Illini scored in double figures (Jasmine Brown-Hagger [22], Berry Wallace [13], Destiny Jackson [10]).
Illinois went on a 15-0 run over 3:43 and 17-2 run over the final 4:22 while holding Iowa scoreless for 3:59.

This run pulled Illinois within single digits for the final margin of six points at 64-58.

Illinois outscored the Hawkeyes 27-11 in the final quarter.
The Illini forced 16 Iowa turnovers while committing just 11.
Illinois grabbed 11 offensive rebounds to Iowa’s 7 and won the second-chance points battle, 11-5.

Misc. Notes:

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

This lineup is now 7-6 this season.

Shauna Green is now:

9-10 in neutral games
42-38 vs. Big Ten teams
3-4 in the Big Ten Tournament
84-46 at Illinois
211-96 as a Division I head coach
240-121 across her career

Illinois vs. Iowa: 21-63

Illinois is now 2-1 in neutral games this season and 9-10 under Shauna Green.
Illinois is now 4-4 when wearing blue uniforms this season and are now 21-17 when doing so under Green.
The Illini are 14-5 in night games (after 5 p.m. local) this season and 44-27 under Green.
Illinois is 1-2 in games played on Fridays this season and 4-3 under Green.
Illinois is 2-2 in the month of March this season and 8-8 under Green when playing in March.
Illinois is 9-10 during the 2026 calendar year.

Score after 1st Quarter: 11-21Score at Halftime: 23-37 (12-16 2Q)Score after 3rd Quarter: 31-53 (8-16 3Q)Score after 4th Quarter: 58-64 (27-11 4Q)