Illinois (4-1) earned its first road win of the season, beating Florida State (3-4) in a must-win matchup. Its win came behind career nights from both junior guard Gretchen Dolan and redshirt sophomore center Lety Vasconcelos. A second-quarter surge from the Illini flipped the game in their favor, and it was a decisive victory from there.
“We wanted to come out here today and prove ourselves right,” Dolan said. “We know we can do this. We wanted to come back and bounce back with this one.”
Illinois outshot, outrebounded and scored over five times as many points off turnovers as Florida State. Illinois was significantly more efficient from deep, and its bench outplayed Florida State. All of this combined into a 23-point victory for the Illini.
Sharing the ball, stretching the floor
The Illini put together one of their most cohesive games yet. The Seminoles held sophomore forward Berry Wallace to just 10 points. In prior games, her quiet night might have been enough to write the Illini off entirely, but in Tallahassee, four of her teammates hit double digits to push the team ahead.
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Dolan was one of those four. She had a career night with 25 points, which she managed with only one 3-pointer and two free throws. Her triple made a big splash, as it was a buzzer-beater to keep Illinois within two to end the first quarter. Dolan picked up her other 20 points with aggressive drives to the basket mixed with a few pull-up jumpers.
“Our offense comes from us getting stops, so we knew we had to tighten up our ball screen coverage and get rebounds so we could start running,” Dolan said. “We just needed more energy, and we came together as a collective.”
The Illini started off slowly but dominated the second quarter. Once Illinois’ defense tightened, its transition offense quickly followed. The Illini outpaced the Seminoles, and their tenacity on both ends of the floor kept them in the game even when being outscored.
Junior guard Maddie Webber also proved instrumental to the win. She had her second-best game of the season, adding 13 points and connecting on three triples. She hit back-to-back threes in the opening period to pull the Illini within single digits. Webber is an intelligent shooter, and it seems like she will continue to come off the bench, so being able to fill the gaps the team needs will be crucial for extra minutes.
Stifling defense stops Seminoles
Vasconcelos had her most complete performance since returning from her ACL tear in 2024. She had a career high of eight points, nine rebounds, five blocks and two steals. In other circumstances, her early foul trouble may have gotten her benched. However, her rim protection was too important. She was crucial in keeping Florida State to one-and-done possessions, and her defensive stops kept Illinois’ momentum alive. Being left in allowed her to learn to adjust and clean up her game until the final whistle.
Junior guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger showed a spark of her old self tonight. She had two big steals and was turning on the jets to score coast-to-coast layups. Brown-Hagger also contributed to one of Illinois’ nine 3-pointers. She was huge on defense as well, taking two charges early in the game to give her team extra possessions when the game was still tight.
Both Webber and Brown-Hagger were the team’s strongest-looking defenders. They were able to consistently keep their target in front of them and contested seemingly every jumper. Their effort reaffirmed their roles on the team and showed what they will bring as they settle into the season.
Florida State fades away
The Seminoles started the game pushing in transition and building up to their largest lead (12) in the first quarter. They were aggressive when driving, moved the ball quickly and got vital early foul calls. The Seminoles wanted fast breaks, and they got them easily. However, they struggled to make in-game adjustments once the Illini’s defense settled in.
Once Florida State’s lanes closed and its lead slipped away, its pace died out, and the whole team looked fatigued. Its fouling also got sloppier, committing six to Illinois’ two in the final quarter.
Starting junior guard Solé Williams was the only Seminole to hit double digits, scoring 18 points. She was the only player to hit multiple 3-pointers, but most came in the last quarter when the lead was too much to overcome. None of her teammates could back up her performance, though junior center Pania Davis and senior guard Sydney Bowles tried, combining for 18 points and eight rebounds.
@briedirl
