WBB: Wallace leads Illinois past SEMO in season opener
Illinois women’s basketball wins opener as the Fighting Illini kicked off the 2025-26 season with a dominant 91-67 victory over Southeast Missouri State at the State Farm Center.
CHAMPAIGN — Illinois women’s basketball opened the new season in convincing fashion Tuesday night, rolling past Southeast Missouri State 91-67 at State Farm Center.
Berry Wallace powered the Illini with a career-best 27 points and 11 rebounds — her first double-double in orange and blue. The sophomore forward shot 10-for-18 from the field and added three assists in a breakout performance.
The Illini (1-0) showed depth and balance behind her. Gretchen Dolan matched her own career-high with 16 points while also handing out seven assists and grabbing five boards. Transfer guard Maddie Webber made an immediate impact off the bench, scoring 16 points in her Illinois debut.
Illinois controlled the game from the start, never trailing after Dolan opened the scoring on the team’s first possession. The Illini led by four after the first quarter, stretched the margin to 12 at halftime, and blew it open in the third with a 29-12 frame that put the game out of reach.
Ball movement was a strength all night — Illinois piled up 19 assists on 31 field goals and turned 17 SEMO turnovers into 21 points. The Illini also dominated the paint, outscoring the Redhawks 44-24 inside and winning the rebounding battle with 11 offensive boards that led to 13 second-chance points.
Freshman point guard Destiny Jackson made a strong first impression with six assists, the most by an Illinois freshman in a season opener since 2021. Fellow rookie Cearah Parchment added eight points in her starting debut, while Lety Vasconcelos — back on the floor after more than 600 days away due to injury — chipped in seven points and six rebounds.
In all, nine Illini players scored in the win. Head coach Shauna Green, now 9-1 in season openers as a Division I head coach, praised her young team’s energy and unselfish play as Illinois started its season on the right note.
Illinois returns to action Sunday afternoon, hosting Illinois State at noon in an in-state matchup at State Farm Center.
