Illinois’ efficient three-point shooting helps crush Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. — Shooting clinic.

The Illinois Fighting Illini came into Welsh-Ryan looking to complete the sweep against in-state rival Northwestern, and they did absolutely just that in very convincing fashion, as they pummeled the Wildcats 92-65 to improve to 19-8 on the season.

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In a game that started very foul-heavy, which played in the Illini’s favor as they lead the conference in free throw percentage at 81.52%, it quickly opened up as soon as they started letting it fly from beyond the arc. And that was the name of the game Sunday afternoon.

In arguably the best performance of the season, the three-ball felt like it was automatic. It didn’t matter where they were on the court; it seemed like every time they shot from behind the arc, it would connect. And the numbers definitely seem to showcase that.

12-of-18. That’s 67%. At one point in the game, they were at 90% from three. It was an absolute shooting masterclass from the orange and blue from the very start of the game, all the way til the final whistle.

Efficient was the word that perfectly described the Illini today. When you shoot the ball like today, you’re bound to have four of your five starters all putting up 17+ points each. True-freshman duo Cearah Parchment and Destiny Jackson led the game in scoring for the group, with 19 points each, with Jackson setting a new career-high in that department. Jasmine Brown-Hagger set a new season-high 18 points, shooting 6-11 from the field. Berry Wallace yet again continued to dominate by doing what she does best, but this time, shooting 4-6 from downtown, leading her to a 17-point performance.

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Add on to that Maddie Webber’s 13 points from the bench, where she was 5-of-7 from the field, and a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the arc, and you complete an impressive shooting display.

With these kinds of numbers, it was evident that this would be a blowout. It’s hard for any team to compete against this.

But in reality, these kinds of games won’t happen consistently.

While it’ll be hard to replicate this kind of display, head coach Shauna Green will be encouraged to see the balance in scoring within the rotation, which is exactly what is needed approaching March.

The Illini look to be playing some of their basketball to end the regular season. This group, while being mostly a young and new group to the Green system, has all the ingredients to make some noise heading into the postseason.

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Should be a very interesting month for this group.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Wallace all the way to the cup. Count it!