[7] Fighting Illini Advance to NCAA Tournament Second Round With Win Over [10] Colorado – University of Illinois Athletics

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – [7] Illinois opened its NCAA Tournament run with a 66-57 first-round win over [10] Colorado on Saturday night at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium.

Never trailing over the final three quarters, the Fighting Illini have now earned an NCAA Tournament win in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 campaigns.

In their NCAA Tournament debuts, the Illini freshmen rose to the occasion once again. Cearah Parchment posted a game-high 21 points while going 8-for-10 from the field, while Destiny Jackson tallied a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Parchment also added five rebounds, a steal, and a block, while Jackson dished out six assists and made one steal.

Berry Wallace totaled 18 points, while four of her six rebounds came on the offensive glass. Jasmine Brown-Hagger made her presence felt on the defensive end of the floor all night, tying her career-high with four steals, while Maddie Webber tacked on nine points and two steals off the bench.

Parchment tallied nine first-quarter points to help put Illinois up 11-10 at the media timeout. Wallace registered six points and four rebounds in the period, while Webber hit a 3-point buzzer beater to give the Illini a 20-18 lead after 10 minutes of action. 

Early in the second period, Parchment pushed the Illini lead to 23-18 with her second 3-pointer of the night. Illinois held Colorado scoreless for over two minutes in the midst of the second quarter before two free throws by the Buffs pulled them within four. 

After withstanding a 5-0 Colorado run, Illinois got the final say with layups from Aaliyah Guyton and Wallace to push the Illini advantage back to five at the midway point in the frame. Illinois’ defense locked in during the second quarter, limiting the Buffs to just four made field goals on 13 attempts, as the Illini entered halftime with a 34-29 edge.

Wallace opened the scoring in the second half, moving into double digits for the game while surpassing 600 points scored on the season. A few plays later, Parchment made a layup to move into first place on Illinois’ freshman single-season scoring list. The Orange and Blue’s defense held Colorado scoreless for nearly half of the frame (4:53) as the Buffs missed six straight field goals and Illinois went on a 7-0 run to take a nine-point advantage, 45-36. Colorado followed with a 6-0 run to pull within three before Webber hit a midrange floater to end the stretch.

In the final frame, Jackson collected seven points before the final media timeout of the night arrived, which gave Illinois a 56-50 edge. Colorado scored out of the break to pull within four, but Wallace answered with a layup. Illinois withstood a 2:25 scoring drought before Parchment ended it with a jumper with 1:37 left to push the Illini’s lead to 60-54. Jackson ultimately accounted for the team’s final four points of the night from the free-throw line to close out the victory.

[7] Illinois returns to action with its second-round matchup against [2] No. 6 Vanderbilt on Monday. Game time and TV information has yet to be announced.

POSTGAME NOTES

Player Notes:

• Berry Wallace turned in 18 points, six rebounds, and a steal.

  • Posted her 31st outing with double-digit points this season and the 43rd such game of her career.

    • Has scored in double figures in each of the last 23 games.

  • With 608 points on the season to date, Wallace sits at No. 8 on Illinois’ single-season scoring list, climbing from 10th.

    • Wallace became just the eighth player in program history to score 600+ points in a single season.

  • Wallace was a perfect 2-for-2 from the line, her seventh consecutive game without missing a free throw.

• Cearah Parchment tallied 21 points, five rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal.

  • Scored 21 points to earn the program’s freshman single-season record (451 points and counting), surpassing Chatrice White, who scored 448 points during the 2014-15 season.

    • Her 21 points are tied for the sixth-most by an Illini in an NCAA Tournament game in program history.

  • Grabbed 5+ rebounds for her 32nd consecutive game.

    • Continued to add to the Illinois freshman season rebounds record, which now sits at 277.

• Destiny Jackson delivered 16 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists.

  • Logged the first double-double of her career.

    • Scored in double figures for the 16th time this season.
    • Grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds.

      • Tallied 10+ rebounds for the third time.

  • Continued to add to the Illinois freshman season assist record, which now sits at 173.

    • With 173 assists on the season, Jackson has now tied Michele Vossen for first on Illinois’ overall single-season assists list.

      • T1. 173 – Destiny Jackson – 2025-26
      • T1. 173 – Michele Vossen – 1983-84
      • 3. 170 – Cindy Stein – 1982-83
      • 4. 163 – Alexis Smith – 2012-13

    • Her six assists are the second-most by an Illini in an NCAA Tournament game in program history.

• Jasmine Brown-Hagger totaled four steals, two assists, and a rebound.

  • Tied her career-high with four steals.

    • Made multiple steals for the eighth time this season.
    • Her four steals are tied for the second-most by an Illini in an NCAA Tournament game in program history.

Team Notes:

• Colorado won the opening tip and the Buffaloes opened the scoring on their first possession of the game.
• The first Illini off the bench was Maddie Webber, who checked in at 7:10 in the first quarter. 
• Three Illini scored in double figures (Cearah Parchment [21], Berry Wallace [18], Destiny Jackson [16]).
• Four Illini played in their first NCAA Tournament game, Destiny Jackson, Cearah Parchment, Maddie Webber, and Lety Vasconcelos.
• The Illini forced 14 Colorado turnovers while committing just eight.

  • Illinois’ eight turnovers tied the team’s season-low.
  • The Illini turned 14 forced turnovers into 14 points off those takeaways.

• Illinois and Colorado both grabbed nine offensive rebounds and added eight second-chance points.
• The Illini led for a total of 34:28 in the contest while never trailing across the final three quarters.

Misc. Notes:

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

  • This lineup is now 8-6 this season.

• Shauna Green is now:

  • 10-10 in neutral games
  • 2-2 in the NCAA Tournament at Illinois
  • 3-5 career NCAA Tournament record
  • 85-46 at Illinois
  • 212-96 as a Division I head coach
  • 241-121 across her career

• Illinois all-time vs. Colorado: 3-4

  • Shauna Green‘s career record vs. Colorado: 1-0
  • Illinois’ record vs. Colorado in neutral games: 1-0

• Illinois is now 10-10 all-time in NCAA Tournament games.
• The Fighting Illini have secured back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since making four consecutive trips from 1996-2000.

  • Illinois secured an NCAA Tournament win in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 campaigns – a stretch that extended four seasons back through 1996-97.

• Illinois secured wins from teams in all four power conferences away from home this season.

  • ACC – Florida State
  • Big 12 – Colorado
  • B1G – 11 wins (regular season & tournament)
  • SEC – Missouri

• Illinois is the only school in the nation to win a bowl game and NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament games in each of the last two seasons. 
• Illinois is now 3-1 in neutral games this season and 10-10 under Shauna Green.
• Illinois is now 15-2 when wearing white uniforms this season and are now 52-14 when doing so under Green.
• The Illini are 15-5 in night games (after 5 p.m. local) this season and 45-27 under Green.
• Illinois is 2-1 in games played on Saturdays this season and 5-5 under Green.
• Illinois is 3-2 in the month of March this season and 9-8 under Green when playing in March.
• Illinois is 10-10 during the 2026 calendar year.

Score after 1st Quarter: 20-18

Score at Halftime: 34-29 (14-11 2Q)

Score after 3rd Quarter: 47-44 (13-15 3Q)

Score after 4th Quarter: 66-57 (19-13 4Q)