Guyton Leads Illinois to Commanding Victory Over Wisconsin
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Interstat) — The Illinois women’s basketball team delivered an offensive clinic Wednesday night, overwhelming Wisconsin from the opening tip and cruising to a 92-60 victory in a Big Ten Conference matchup at State Farm Center.
The Fighting Illini, improving to 17-8 overall, left little doubt about the outcome early, building a 24-16 lead after the first quarter and extending it to 42-26 by halftime. The third quarter proved decisive, as Illinois outscored the Badgers 26-18 to put the game fully out of reach before a crowd of 4,458.
Illinois’s efficiency was staggering. The team shot 58.1% from the field, including a remarkable 64.7% from three-point range, connecting on 11 of 17 attempts. They scored 92 points on just 68 possessions, translating to an offensive rating of 135.9, a mark of elite offensive execution. Wisconsin, by contrast, managed only 60 points on 71 possessions, an offensive rating of 84.9, and shot just 36.9% from the floor.
The Illini’s offensive firepower was distributed among a deep and talented roster. Sophomore guard Aaliyah Guyton, from Peoria, led all scorers with 22 points in 29 minutes, adding six assists. She was a catalyst from beyond the arc, hitting multiple three-pointers as part of Illinois’s long-range assault. Freshman guard Maddie Webber provided 15 points off the bench, while graduate forward Berry Wallace of Pickerington, Ohio, contributed 13 points and three assists.
The interior was commanded by graduate forward Cearah Parchment of Whitby, Canada, who posted 12 points, four assists, and was a force on the glass with multiple offensive and defensive rebounds that fueled Illinois’s transition game and second-chance opportunities. Guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger of Shorewood, Illinois, added 13 points, and guard Destiny Jackson of Chicago chipped in 10 points and six assists.
For Wisconsin, which fell to 13-12, the offensive struggles were pronounced. The Badgers managed only three assists against 11 turnovers, highlighting a stagnant offensive night against a disruptive Illinois defense that recorded six steals. Forward Dorja Iva Zaja of Zagreb, Croatia, provided a bright spot with a team-high 16 points in just 19 minutes, and forward Gift Uchenna of Ebonyi State, Nigeria, added 13 points. But the Badgers’ 5-for-23 shooting from three-point range and an inability to generate consistent ball movement proved insurmountable.
The most important part of the game was Illinois’s immediate and sustained establishment of offensive dominance in the first half, particularly from three-point range. The Illini set the tone from the opening quarter, with Guyton and Jackson finding early success from deep, while Parchment controlled the paint on both ends. This combination of inside-out efficiency and defensive pressure, which converted eight Wisconsin turnovers into 12 points by halftime, built a lead that Wisconsin never threatened. The Badgers, coming off a series of close recent losses, had no answer for the Illini’s pace, shooting, and ball movement, which saw Illinois assist on six of its 11 three-pointers and score 40 points in the paint.
The victory keeps Illinois in the upper tier of the Big Ten standings as the regular season enters its final weeks. Wisconsin, meanwhile, will look to regroup before hosting Minnesota on Sunday.
Interstat’s ELO system had projected Illinois with a 90.80 percent probability to win.