Illinois’ (19-8, 9-7) dominant 92-65 win over Northwestern (8-19, 2-14) marks a three-game stretch of 20-plus point victories.

“We were really locked in, we were moving, we were connected on both ends of the floor,” said head coach Shauna Green. “We did a good job of coming out strong and staying strong throughout the 40 minutes.”

Playing a full 40 has been difficult for Illinois, especially since redshirt sophomore guard Gretchen Dolan has been missing from the lineup for about three weeks now. However, the team played one of its most connected games yet against the Wildcats. Their 57 points at halftime are the most the Illini have scored in a single half all season. Additionally, the team had an 18-assist game, following back-to-back 24-assist games.

Before this game, we made some predictions about player and team performances to compare between expectations and what actually happened. 

Not predicted: Jackson sets freshman assist record

This is Illinois’ best three-game stretch of team assists since before conference play, when it had three straight 20-assist games. The ball movement as a team has been quality as of late, and freshman point guard Destiny Jackson is a major reason for that. 

“We keep having high assist games,” Jackson said. “So just swinging the ball, my teammates knocking it down, I’m hitting my shots. That was just amazing to happen.”

She contributed seven assists, earning her the top spot in program history for freshman assists with 142. She averages 5.3 assists per game, so with two more regular-season games plus the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments around the corner, she is primed to finish the season well above the previous record (140). 

“They always say you want to be playing your best basketball around this time, so I’m happy that’s starting to happen for me,” Jackson said. 

Along with her assists, Jackson had a top-tier statline with a new career best 19 points with seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals. The Illini have played with their best confidence and communication in these last three games since before losing Dolan. 

Prediction: Vasconcelos gets double-digits

What happened: Vasconcelos struggled on court

Redshirt sophomore center Lety Vasconcelos struggled to grab rebounds and played generally sloppy defense. She had two unnecessary fouls in the first quarter, which limited her minutes and took away needed height. Sophomore forward Tayla Thomas and senior forward Grace Sullivan are gifted shooters who can get to their spots and make difficult shots look easy. A taller defender goes a long way at throwing them off. 

Vasconcelos had a slight redemption in the second half when she muscled her way under the basket to get her first and only points. Defensively, she played with four fouls in the last quarter, and did it while assigned to a tired Thomas. She managed to alter shots from both Thomas and Sullivan and defend without picking up her fifth foul. 

Prediction: Webber drops 20

What happened: Webber hits 1000 career points, four other Illini finished in double digits 

Junior guard Maddie Webber is always a spark off the bench for Illinois. In the first quarter, she scored 5 points, putting her on pace to hit our predicted 20. But that was her best shooting quarter and ended with 13 points. Her efficient shooting means she passed the 1000 point marker with 1007 career points.

Instead, four other Illini had near-20-point efforts. The freshmen, Jackson and freshman forward Cearah Parchment, both netted 19 points. Junior guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger followed with a season-best 18 points, and sophomore forward Berry Wallace rounded it out with 17 points.

The spreading of the offensive effort was missing in the Illini’s first game against the Wildcats in January. Now, there is an entirely different feel to the team. 

“Last time we played them, I thought we were still trying to figure everything out,” Green said. “When Gretchen just went out, and Berry had 29, and we had to go to her, like on everything. Now they take away one person, and you have to pick your poison now. That balanced attack is what we need as we head into March.”

Illinois scored at every level and beat Northwestern’s defense repeatedly. The Illini shot over 60% from the floor in both the first and second quarters. Brown-Hagger and Jackson were two players who could pick apart the paint with ease.

“There’s a lot of times I wasn’t even having to call things,” Green said. “We were just able to play and organically let things happen.”

Prediction: Parchment stays active on both ends

What happened: Parchment had her 11th double-double

Parchment is the definition of a difference maker. Whether or not all of her efforts show up on the stat sheet, her presence on the floor draws defenders and her off-ball movement allows the team to get open looks. She has good court vision, which helped in the Illini’s ball movement. She can post up but also create her own shots when needed. 

“She’s such a special player,” Webber said. “She does moves like you weren’t even like expecting at all from someone like her.”

For all of her 32 minutes on the court, Parchment was her usual aggressive self on both ends. Her high motor around the glass resulted in her 11th double-double of the season, and her fourth consecutive double-double.

Other teammates followed in Parchment’s high activity rebounding. Green set a goal of 14 offensive rebounds for the team, and this was achieved. Parchment and Brown-Hagger led the charge, grabbing team-leading four and five oboards. Brown-Hagger’s additional defensive rebound marked her season best in rebounding and matches her career best of six boards. 

Prediction: Free throws are crucial again

What happened: Three-pointers made more of a difference

At the start, it looked like free throws might be the difference maker again, since both teams were playing so physically. Thirteen personal fouls were called, and 11 free throws were shot. At the end of the opener, the Illini were up by 10 and had shot a perfect 6 for 6 from the stripe, while the Wildcats sat at 4 for 5. 

On the other hand, both teams finished the quarter with three made three-pointers. It wasn’t until the second quarter, when Illinois outscored Northwestern 30 to 16, that the efficiency from deep really seemed like it was going to be the deciding factor. Only three fouls were called and five free throws shot, but the Illini went a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the arc to the Wildcats’ 0-for-1. By halftime, the Illini were up 24. By game’s end, Illinois had hit 12 while the Wildcats only made five triples.

“The game looks really good when you’re hitting shots,” Green said. “When one person starts hitting, it’s kinda contagious, and it feeds off, and everyone gets confident in their shooting.”

The confident three-point shooting was certainly contagious. Five Illini hit three-pointers, and three of them scored on every attempt. Those perfect shooters were Parchment and Webber, both with three makes, while Jackson hit her single attempt. Wallace made four of her six shots, matching her career best in three-pointers made.

But free throws weren’t a non-factor. The Illini have been struggling at the line, despite still shooting over 80% and leading both the conference and nation in free-throw percentage. While they ended up at the line well below their average of 15.1 attempts, they shot efficiently and had their best performance at the stripe (83.3%) since falling to Oregon at the beginning of the month. 

“We knew these were ones we had to have, and we got ’em done,” said Green. “And I thought we got them done playing the right way, and playing well. I think we’re feeling good now.”

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