Illinois women’s basketball secured an 86-43 win over Jackson State on Friday in Champaign, marking their best season start in more than four decades. The team improved to 11-1 for the 2025-26 campaign, matching the program’s record set during the 1981-82 season. Illinois also maintained a perfect 9-0 record at home in the State Farm Center.
Aaliyah Guyton led Illinois with 13 points off the bench, returning to play for the first time since December 2. Maddie Webber contributed 12 points and four assists, while Berry Wallace added another 12 points and seven rebounds. Webber has made multiple three-pointers in eight of her last nine games.
Illinois out-rebounded Jackson State by a margin of 41-27 and forced their opponents into committing 14 turnovers, converting those into 24 points. Cearah Parchment led with three steals and also grabbed seven rebounds.
The Illini opened the game with a strong defensive performance, starting on a 14-0 run and holding Jackson State scoreless for nearly six minutes. By halftime, Illinois had built a commanding lead of 47-10—the lowest first-half total allowed by Illinois this season.
In the second half, Illinois continued to control play near the basket and finished with a late surge that expanded their advantage to over forty points before closing out the victory.
All twelve available players saw court time during the game. Five players scored in double digits: Berry Wallace (12), Gretchen Dolan (12), Aaliyah Guyton (13), Cearah Parchment (11), and Maddie Webber (12). No Jackson State player reached double figures.
Head coach Shauna Green achieved her third-highest win total in program history with her seventy-fourth victory at Illinois across four seasons. She is now third behind Theresa Grentz and Laura Golden among winningest coaches for Illinois women’s basketball.
With this win, Illinois extended its current streak to nine consecutive victories—their longest since recording eleven straight from March through November of last year. The team will travel next to West Lafayette, Indiana for a Big Ten matchup against Purdue on Sunday, December 28 at 11 a.m., which will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
