NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Chambana Today) — The Illinois Fighting Illini women’s basketball continued their postseason resurgence Saturday night, defeating the Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball 66-57 in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
The seventh-seeded Illini built a five-point lead by halftime and withstood multiple second-half runs from 10th-seeded Colorado to secure the victory and advance to the Round of 32.
Freshman center Cearah Parchment led Illinois with 21 points, continuing her standout debut season. Berry Wallace added 18 points, while Destiny Jackson contributed 16 in a balanced offensive effort.
Under head coach Shauna Green, Illinois has now won NCAA Tournament games in back-to-back seasons — a significant milestone for a program that had not recorded a tournament victory between 2001 and 2024. It marks the first time the Illini have achieved consecutive tournament wins since the 1999-2000 seasons.
Despite being the youngest team in the tournament field, Illinois showed composure down the stretch, making key plays to fend off Colorado’s comeback attempts.
The Illini will now face second-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores women’s basketball on Monday.