Last updated on Dec. 3, 2025 at 04:17 p.m.

Illinois (6-1) obliterated Le Moyne (1-6) 100-28 on Sunday afternoon, scoring in the triple-digits which it hasn’t accomplished since 2023.

“The last two games we haven’t had a strong start,” said head coach Shauna Green. “So I was really, really happy with how these guys came out and really took it to them right away and never looked back.” 

As Green said, the Illini started off strong and continued on that trajectory. Sunday featured impressive performances from freshman forward Cearah Parchment and sophomore forward Berry Wallace, who each put up 17 points. Junior guard Maddie Webber followed closely behind with 15 points. 

A trio of Illini guards also racked up points in the double digits. Freshman guard Destiny Jackson, sophomore guard Aaliyah Guyton and junior guard Gretchen Dolan all scored 10, 10 and 11 points, respectively.

Illinois has its final game against Bellarmine (2-7) on Tuesday before starting its conference play for the season. 

It is important that after such strong performances from the starters and the bench, the Illini keep this momentum moving forward against the Knights. 

However, there are some aspects from the team that could be improved or changed moving forward and also things they need to keep doing.

Keep: Parchment’s momentum and growth 

If Parchment can continue to play as she did on Sunday, she has the potential to be unstoppable. 

“I wasn’t going into the game thinking I’m going to be really active in the gap,” Parchment said. “I just did what I usually did.”

Parchment’s double-double of 17 points and 10 steals was the first points-steals double-double since 1999. If that was her performance of doing her normal routine, it will be interesting to see how she performs against higher-ranked competitors once conference play starts.

“I think it’s just important to know just do what you’re best at,” Parchment said. “Whether it’s getting rebounds, whether it’s getting steals (or) scoring, it doesn’t really matter. Just doing what your role is is really important.”

Parchment’s role seems to be a little bit of everything. She can score, defend and rebound at high levels in each game. One thing Green noted in her press conference is that Parchment stayed out of foul trouble this game. Parchment’s stats show that she is learning from her mistakes and trying to keep her fouls to a minimum.

Parchment fouled out during her very first game against SEMO. Since then, she has improved her defensive play without fouling as much.

Keep: Allowing bench players to play high minutes 

“(I’m) happy with how everyone played and got everyone minutes,” Green said. 

Green has made it clear she likes to utilize her bench and get them out on the court whenever possible.

On Sunday’s game the bench accounted for 38 points, six assists and 12 rebounds. In comparison, the Dolphins only scored 10 bench points.

The Illini’s bench has profound depth and talent, which is an asset to the team. Webber and Guyton led the bench with 15 and 10 points, respectively. 

That duo of guards is also Green’s most-used bench players. Both Webber and Guyton played for 23 minutes off of the bench. Having them both play a high number of minutes is important as they continue to grow and develop their skills. 

Webber and Guyton even played more minutes than Dolan and junior guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger, who each played 20 minutes as starters. 

Sophomore forward Irene Noya Catoira continues to show her growth and improvement on the court. She had 5 points, three steals, one rebound and one assist in only nine minutes of play on Sunday.

Noya Catoira is the kind of player who is going to take whatever minutes they are given and make the most out of it. Her three steals on Sunday made up just over 13% of the Illini’s total steals against the Dolphins.

Utilizing the talents of the bench is something that the Illini need to keep. It allows them to maximize their potential. It also shows the preparedness to step up and be ready.

Change: Starting lineup 

If there’s a time to play around with the starting lineup, it’s during non-conference play against teams you know you can beat. 

Green, however, has used the same starting five for over a month. Wallace, Parchment, Dolan, Jackson and Brown-Hagger have been the consistent starting five since the exhibition game. 

Tuesday’s game against Bellarmine is the perfect opportunity for Green to play around with her starting five. Webber and Guyton would be excellent considerations for the team’s next starting player. 

The duo of guards has shown their dependability to put up points in the double digits when given the opportunity. Not only that, but they’ve also shown the ability to perform better than some of the guards on the starting lineup. 

Change: Player performance needs to be more consistent

Consistency is key, and Illinois needs more consistency in player performance sooner rather than later. Both Brown-Hagger and Dolan have been Green’s two most inconsistent starters. 

Dolan needs to improve her shot percentage. She’s averaging 38.9% for field goals and only 12% for her 3-pointers. Webber, on the other hand, is averaging 50% for field goals and 48.1% of her 3-point shots. Webber is playing more consistently despite seeing fewer minutes. 

Brown-Hagger is a little lackluster in her performances this season. She’s averaging 39.4% for field goals and 20% for her 3-point percentage. The biggest thing Brown-Hagger needs to work on is putting up more points. She’s had only one game in the double digits, but she’s also played games where she scored 0 points. 

Improving the consistency of Dolan and Brown-Hagger is important as the season progresses. The opponents are only getting more challenging, and everyone needs to be on their A-game.

“I want to be elite every possession,” Green said. “It drives me crazy when we’re not. I’m never going to change our standard.”

Green said it best that her team needs to be elite all the time. By working towards her standards, player performance and the team overall will only get better. 

Illinois faces Bellarmine at 6 p.m. CDT in State Farm Center for Youth Basketball Day.

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