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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.
