Illinois (15-6, 5-5) put up a fight against No. 2 UCLA (20-1, 10-0), but it wasn’t enough for the upset. The Illini suffered a 13-point loss against the Bruins, 67-80.
“Obviously, UCLA, (I) give them a ton of credit,” said head coach Shauna Green. “They’re veterans. Six seniors, just an unbelievable team across the board that presents a lot of problems and tries to stop them. I really think we did a great job in a lot of areas that we were focused on, and showed a lot of fight.”
With such a tough opponent in front of them, the Illini did everything they could to try to stop the Bruins. While some players fell short in front of a top opponent, others carried their team offensively and defensively.
*Cearah Parchment: (A)
Freshman forward Cearah Parchment was doing a little bit of everything against UCLA. She was active on the offensive and the defensive and grabbed as many rebounds as possible. She had high energy on the court and was visibly fighting for each and every possession.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“I was just kind of giving or taking what the defense was giving me, whether it’s mid-range or getting to the basket,” Parchment said. “I mean, I don’t really know what to say, because it was just one of those games where everything would just kind of go.”
Despite fouling out with seconds to go in the game, her performance was nothing short of excellent. The Canadian went 10 for 13 on her field goals and 3 for 4 from beyond the arc, showing her accurate and smart shot selection.
Parchment was also very active on the glass on both ends of the court. She was able to grab four offensive rebounds and three defensive rebounds. In her 39 minutes on the court, Parchment was the most efficient Illini in terms of scoring and rebounds. Her performance in the second half was also the reason the Illini were able to stay closely behind the Bruins.
*Destiny Jackson: (A-)
Freshman point guard Destiny Jackson may be small, but she is a fighter. Jackson’s visible height difference may have been a disadvantage to some, but she took it and worked around it. She was able to outsmart the Bruins with her shots and got lots of height in the air due to her
athleticism.
Jackson went 5 for 13 from the field and 5 for 6 from the free-throw line. All of this resulted in 15 points, making her the Illini with the second most points behind Parchment. Jackson was also able to minimize her turnovers after a rough patch with high numbers of turnovers. Jackson also had the most assists among the Illini in the loss (6).
The point guard is the prime example of a dependable and smart player on the court. Those attributes are why Jackson is so crucial in any game during the season, but especially when the conditions are tough, like against UCLA.
*Lety Vasconcelos: (B+)
“You stay there, Lety,” Illinois assistant coach DeAntoine Beasley said during the game.
When Illinois had a substitution early on in the game, redshirt sophomore center Lety Vasconcelos immediately assumed she would be leaving the court. Vasconcelos doesn’t normally see the most minutes on the court, let alone play as a starter. However, Wednesday night was a different story. Vasconcelos saw her first-ever career start and made the most of it.
The Brazilian played with a newfound sense of energy and played effective defense. She was able to use her height as an advantage that the Illini desperately needed against a tall Bruins team.
While she did foul out as well; in her 22 minutes she was incredibly active on the defense. Vasconcelos was also super active on the glass, constantly striving for rebounds. Her presence on the court was crucial in order to combat the taller and older Bruins.
*Berry Wallace: (C)
While sophomore forward Berry Wallace is usually the Illini’s best player, she fell short and blended in against the Bruins. Wallace had her worst game by far in terms of field goal percentage. She went for a shocking 17.6% from the field. UCLA somehow got the best of Wallace and caused her to not stand out amongst all the talent at State Farm Center.
Other than her field goal percentage, Wallace still had three assists, 3 points from free throws and a steal. Despite all of that, Wallace still did her best at attempting to defend UCLA, and Green kept her on the court for the full 40 minutes.
“Just knowing that we can get in games where, particularly, it’s just not her day, that we can just come out and help her and contribute in any way we can,” Jackson said of Wallace.
Despite Wallace not showing up as she usually does, she has the support of her teammates around her who know to step up when it is not her best day.
*Jasmine Brown Hagger: (D+)
Illinois desperately needed its veteran talent against an older UCLA team. Junior guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger did not deliver. Her only point came from a free throw, and she too blended in on the court.
Brown-Hagger’s most memorable moment wasn’t even something she did; it was when UCLA senior center Lauren Betts earned a technical foul after fouling Brown-Hagger.
Other than an assist and a steal, Brown-Hagger didn’t do much on the court. She lacked a powerful defensive presence, let alone an offensive performance. She only attempted one shot in the paint and missed, and also racked up two player fouls.
Maddie Webber: (B+)
Despite junior guard Maddie Webber not being the sixth-woman against UCLA, her spark off the bench was nothing short of electric. Her defense was clean and she played smartly.
Webber managed to be the only Illini to not rack up a single player foul. This accomplishment truly showcases how precise her defensive efforts are. Webber also went 4 for 11 for field goals and 2 for 2 from the charity stripe.
“Moments like that just give me confidence,” Webber said about her corner threes. “I just remember I’m playing for everyone around me as well. It just feels good doing what I can to get everyone hyped.”
One of Webber’s most memorable moments were her two corner threes that got the crowd filled with energy. On top of that, Webber also got two assists and two steals to end the game. Webber’s performance was one of the best from the Illini against the Bruins.
Hayven Smith: (C-)
Sophomore center Hayven Smith was needed on the court due to her height, which was on par with UCLA. However, Smith lacked the confidence she needed to have an excellent game. In nearly nine minutes of play, Smith had no points, rebounds, steals or anything noteworthy.
Aaliyah Guyton: (D)
After starting two games earlier this season, sophomore guard Aaliyah Guyton was nowhere to be found against UCLA. She simply played for two minutes and didn’t do much with those except getting two fouls.
Naomi Benson: (D-)
Freshman forward Naomi Benson was another Illini who didn’t do much good with her time on the court against the Bruins. In three minutes, her only notable stats were a turnover and four fouls. She had a chance to guard Betts and didn’t do much with that opportunity.
@lauram0131
