IOWA CITY, IA (Chambana Today) — Illinois Fighting Illini women’s basketball caught fire from beyond the arc Thursday night, but Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball delivered the final surge in an 82-78 heartbreaker at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Illinois (19-9, 9-8 Big Ten) buried its final nine 3-point attempts and finished 11-for-19 from long range, yet ninth-ranked Iowa used a 24-14 run over the final 7:53 to protect its home court.
Berry Wallace led the Illini with 21 points, pouring in 12 in the fourth quarter. She connected on her final three shots from distance and added four rebounds in 39 minutes. Cearah Parchment recorded her 12th double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds, continuing a standout freshman campaign. Jasmine Brown-Hagger added 15 points on a perfect 3-for-3 night from deep, and Aaliyah Guyton scored 11 points in her return to Iowa City.
Illinois shook off an early 10-0 deficit with a 9-0 run midway through the first quarter, capped by a Guyton 3-pointer, and trailed just 20-17 after one. The Illini kept within striking distance in the second quarter before using a 7-0 burst to take a 30-26 lead. Iowa responded to send the teams into halftime tied at 35.
After the break, the game turned into a back-and-forth battle. Wallace drilled a 3-pointer to punctuate a 6-0 run and give Illinois a 45-41 edge midway through the third. The Illini knocked down all four of their 3-point attempts in the quarter, accounting for 12 of their 21 points, but Iowa rallied to tie it at 56 entering the fourth.
Parchment’s 3-pointer highlighted an 8-0 Illinois run early in the final period, pushing the Illini ahead 64-58 with 7:53 remaining. From there, however, Iowa seized momentum. The Hawkeyes attacked the paint and converted at the free-throw line down the stretch, edging ahead in the final minutes and holding off Illinois’ late push.