Chambana Sun

The University of Illinois Fighting Illini women's basketball team will begin their 2025-26 season with an exhibition game against Maryville on Thursday, October 30, at the State Farm Center in Champaign. The match is scheduled for 6 p.m. Central Time.

Fans can attend the event in person or watch via a live stream on B1G+, a subscription-based streaming service operated by the Big Ten Network and its member schools. The service offers both monthly and annual subscription options and provides access to live streams of non-televised games, on-demand archives, and a library of previous Illinois games.

This exhibition marks the start of head coach Shauna Green’s fourth season at Illinois. Green has compiled a record of 63-35 with the Illini and holds an overall Division I coaching record of 190-85 over ten seasons. Under her leadership, Illinois has matched its program record for wins over three years and set several attendance records at home games.

Illinois’ most recent exhibition performance was an 80-53 win over Lewis last year, where twelve players saw action and nine contributed points. "Green used the preseason game to give playing time to 12 different student-athletes, nine of them contributing in the scoring column led by Kendall Bostic's 22," according to the release.

Attendance figures have risen steadily under Green’s tenure. During the 2024-25 season opener against Florida State, more than 3,700 fans attended—an increase from previous years—and total home attendance reached over 84,000 across seventeen regular-season contests.

This year’s roster features eight newcomers alongside seven returning players. However, returning athletes accounted for less than a quarter of last season’s scoring output as key contributors graduated or completed their eligibility. To address this turnover, Illinois added several transfers including Aaliyah Guyton from Iowa and Maddie Webber from Villanova. Graduate student Gisela Segura also joined after playing at LIU.

The squad includes five players from Illinois and six international athletes representing Brazil, Spain, Australia, and Canada. With an average age just under twenty years old, this is among the youngest teams in Power Five women’s basketball conferences.

New staff appointments include Jackie Alexander as assistant coach following her stint at Toledo and Zachary Choo as assistant director of scouting and video after working at Wisconsin.

Director of Recruiting Operations Emily Durr was recently inducted into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame for her achievements as a player at Notre Dame High School in Utica before competing collegiately at Iowa State.

Tickets are available for both single games and full season packages. Promotions for Thursday’s exhibition include free admission for children aged twelve or younger who arrive in costume due to Halloween festivities.