With Illinois’ (10-1, 1-0) win over North Texas (6-3), the program is off to its best 11-game start since the 1981-82 season.
Despite losing several standout players from last year, sophomore forward Berry Wallace always believed this team was special.
“I expected great things out of this year, even though we were losing a lot of players,” Wallace said. “I saw the potential of our young players. We could see glimpses in practice of how good we could be once we got more and more connected.”
The Mean Green made scoring difficult. They forced 20 turnovers and limited the Illini’s ability to drive downhill. After scoring 42 and 58 points in the paint, respectively, against its last two Power Four opponents, Missouri (10-3) and Indiana (10-2), North Texas held Illinois to just 20.
Instead, the team adjusted in the most efficient way possible: hitting their three-pointers. Illinois had 11 conversions on 64.7% efficiency, blowing past its previous season-high of nine and 52.9% against Florida State.
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“We shot lights out from three,” said head coach Shauna Green. “I’ve been telling these guys the past two days, ‘shoot it’. Don’t hesitate if you’re open.”
The Illini entered this matchup averaging only 30.6% from distance, so this performance is a welcome turnaround. With the Illini already receiving votes towards the AP Poll Top 25, this perimeter efficiency needs to continue as they face stronger teams.
Dolan-Webber connection continues to raise the bar
In our pre-game predictions, we anticipated that junior guard Gretchen Dolan would finally start racking up threes again. She showed up big, going 4 for 6 beyond the arc and setting a new career high.
Her 19 points continue her five-game double-digit streak. After failing to hit more than one three-pointer in any November game, Dolan now has back-to-back outings with at least three makes.
Dolan and junior guard Maddie Webber combined for 35 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Their chemistry stood out on multiple sequences where Dolan drove into the lane before kicking the ball out to Webber for open three-point looks.
“It was just natural,” Webber said. “In practice, we work together all the time, but it’s just basketball instincts.”
It’s Wallace’s world
Wallace led the team’s scoring in the best game of her career. She had 28 points on 8 for 14 shooting and was perfect through her first four attempts. She also hit three three-pointers and was 9 for 11 on free throws. Finally, she added nine rebounds, just missing a double-double in her record afternoon.
This marks Wallace’s fifth 20-point game, and it couldn’t have come at a more needed time. The Illini are preparing to close non-conference play and are entering the point in the season where Wallace became the team’s primary sub in the 2024-25 season.
Now, she is an established starter and team leader, averaging 17.8 points per game, putting her in the top 10 of Big Ten scorers. With Dolan, Webber and freshman forward Cearah Parchment also dominating on the stat sheets, it’s hard for teams to choose just one to shut down.
Fouls, clock issues create choppy gameplay
The game had frequent stopping, and a combined 48 free throws were attempted. Illinois committed 20 fouls, its third-highest all season, allowing North Texas to remain on its heels even after going up 19 with one quarter left.
“I thought we learned a lot (from Missouri), but we’ve gotta be more disciplined,” Green said at halftime. “This is a team that likes to play chaotic and drives it hard. We can’t fall for that.”
Illinois adjusted better than North Texas in the second half, committing only seven fouls to the Mean Green’s 14. Still, the constant whistles and clock malfunctions meant long reviews that constantly disrupted any momentum and frustrated both sides.
Despite the issues, Illinois closed out the win. North Texas also found its footing with the officiating and scored the most points Illinois has allowed yet. A cleaner Illinois performance likely would have ended with a larger margin of victory.
“It’s tough playing aggressive teams,” Wallace said. “But we did a good job keeping our composure, still attacking the rim even though it was a tightly called game and taking advantage of those calls.”
Hot and cold defense
Defending the perimeter was the coldest part of the Illini’s defense. Junior guard Andi Schlisser and senior guard Tiffany Hammond scored 16 and 13 points, respectively, largely due to defensive breakdowns that left strong shooters open, even when Illinois went man coverage.
“We need to continue to play more connected overall,” Wallace said. “We’ve done a really good job of that these past couple of games.”
But when the defense clicked, the potential was high. Freshman forward Naomi Benson had a block during the last play before halftime to prevent a walk-off basket, and freshman guard Destiny Jackson was altering shots despite the Mean Green’s size over her.
But sloppiness led to foul trouble, which limited minutes and consistency. Jackson picked up four fouls, while junior guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger fouled out in the final quarter. Their fouls alone accounted for eight of North Texas’ points. The Mean Green’s inability to knock down their free throws prevented what maybe should have been a two-possession game.
Illinois returns to State Farm Center on Dec. 19 to face Jackson State (2-7) before kicking off conference play in West Lafayette.
@briedirl
