Illinois (14-3, 4-2) managed to walk away victorious in Pennsylvania after a 92-76 victory against Penn State (7-10, 0-6). After the first quarter ended 21-20, it was unclear whether or not the Illini were going to be able to escape the Lady Lions. However, the Illini improved with each and every quarter and attacked for the full 40 minutes. 

Sunday’s victory was a team effort, but certain players stood out more than others. Other players were quiet, messy or overall causing more issues than scoring points. 

*Berry Wallace (A)

Sophomore forward Berry Wallace is the sole reason the Illini were able to end the first quarter in the lead. She scored 12 of the Illini’s 21 points. Her 12 points also made up Illinois’ first 12 points of the contest. While Wallace slowed down in terms of scoring as the quarters went on, her constant presence on the court was crucial to Illinois’ victory. 

She matched her career-best with 28 points and went 11 for 13 overall. Wallace showed her ability to score from all three levels against the Lady Lions. She put up points at the free-throw line, in the paint and from the 3-point line. 

Another impressive aspect from her performance was that in her 40 minutes of play, she committed zero fouls and zero turnovers. Every other player on the court for the Illini that played for more than a minute committed either a turnover or foul. Wallace on the other hand delivered a dependable and accurate performance. 

Wallace also contributed the team victory in other aspects. She had eight rebounds, three assists and one block. Her contributions offensively and defensively is what made her a key player in Sunday’s contest. 

*Gretchen Dolan (C-)

Redshirt sophomore guard Gretchen Dolan had the support family and friends cheering her on during Sunday’s game. However, Dolan remained quiet for the majority of the contest. 

In addition to her issues when it came to scoring, Dolan also struggled on the court with turnovers. She committed four of the Illini’s 21 turnovers.

Dolan had a redeeming moment in the fourth quarter though when she made her first points of the day with a three-point shot. However, she ended the game with five total points. Despite not putting up the most points on the board, Dolan still showcased her talents in other ways. She grabbed four defensive rebounds, four assists and two steals. 

*Jasmine Brown-Hagger (D+)

Junior guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger is another player who disappeared against the Lady Lions. Similarly to Dolan, Brown-Hagger struggled to show her veteran status on the court. Her only points came during the second quarter. Brown-Hagger’s main issue was fouls since she managed to get four fouls in 19 minutes of play.

After the half, she only played for a combined total of seven minutes. With a lack of minutes on the court, it was hard for Brown-Hagger to showcase her playmaking that fans have seen in the past. 

*Cearah Parchment (C+)

Freshman forward Cearah Parchement was yet another starter who struggled when it came to fouls. Parchment is not a stranger when it comes to fouling out of games. Unfortunately against Penn State, she happened to foul out after playing her best quarter. 

In the third quarter, Parchment had an electric three-point shot that gave her the energy she needed to keep scoring. However, she ended up fouling out in the fourth quarter before she was able to finish the contest strong. 

If fouling wasn’t enough, Parchment also had five turnovers that highlighted her messy game play on Sunday. Still, Parchment managed to score 11 points, grab seven rebounds and record one assist and steal.

While she played a messy game and fouled out, Parchment still put up impressive numbers that helped the Illini in her 24 minutes of play. 

*Destiny Jackson (B+)

Despite having six turnovers, freshman point guard Destiny Jackson was hyper dependable on the court against the Lady Lions. 

Jackson managed to record nine assists and four rebounds in addition to her 15 points. Jackson is the kind of player who knows her role and does it well. As the Illini’s starting point guard, she has shown just how smart her playmaking is as a freshman. 

Numerous times against Penn State, Jackson very carefully thought through her moves and would take the ball farther out to give her teammates time to readjust before she could pass. If Jackson had less turnovers, she would have had a better game, however she still showed up in other ways to help out her team. 

Maddie Webber (A)

Junior guard Maddie Webber had another explosive fourth quarter against Penn State. Half of her points and over half of her rebounds all came from the final ten minutes of the game. 

Webber didn’t let her slow start get to her. She kept her energy up and ended the contest with a career-best of 26 points. Webber has been the Illini’s sixth-woman and is known for her spark off of the bench. Lately, her fourth quarter spark has also been showcased. 

Webber played for 27 minutes and managed to score 26 points. Part of this is because of how well she shoots from beyond the arc. Against Penn State, she went 5 for 8 from the three, which is a season-high for her. Webber also had a season-high in her field goals made, going 10 for 15 overall. 

After Sunday’s contest, Webber brings her field goal percentage to 51.6% and her three-point percentage to 47.8%. Webber is having her breakthrough moment at the right time and this was clear against the Lady Lions. 

Lety Vasconcelos (C-)

After putting up four points in the first quarter, redshirt sophomore center Lety Vasconcelos’ performance went down from there. Vasconcelos’ height should have been a huge advantage against Penn State, however Vasconcelos wasn’t able to get in the groove. 

She committed three fouls in nine minutes of play and was not at her best defensively. Despite having one layup made and going 2 for 2 at the free throw line, Vasconcelos blended in and didn’t provide much energy on the court. 

Aaliyah Guyton (D)

Sophomore guard Aaliyah Guyton was another one of the Illini’s players who blended in and failed to put up numbers with her minutes. 

In her 11 minutes her only positive stat was dishing out four assists. To contrast that, she also had three turnovers and one foul. 

Hayven Smith (C)

Sophomore center Hayven Smith didn’t play a lot, but she did a lot of work defensively and used her size to her advantage. Smith’s amazing energy while on the bench, always celebrating her team, always being the first one out of her seat shows that players don’t have to be on the court to be making an impact. 

Smith didn’t have any points today, but she did have the energy and dedication to her team to give it 100% on the court and on the bench. 

Illinois continues its road trip to face No. 6 Michigan (14-2, 5-1) on Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. CDT.

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