The women's Illinois basketball team walked into Evanston to take on their in-state rivals, and they walked out with a 92-65 rout of the Northwestern Wildcats.
This was a one-sided affair from the opening tip to the final whistle. The Illini walked into the Welsh-Ryan Arena as a heavy 15.5-point favorite against Northwestern, and they lived up to that prediction with a dominating 27-point win.
Illinois, led by freshmen Cearah Parchment and Destiny Jackson, continues to build a ton of confidence as they make their way into March. But what are some key takeaways from this game that we should be examining as we make our way towards the NCAA tournament?
1. The Illini played the first half with a purpose
For weeks, we have been talking about Illinois' rough stretch of starting games slowly. This unit has been putting themselves in deep holes against teams like Oregon and USC, which has led to them digging themselves out in the second half.
It has been a weird trend that they've been trying to shake off, and it looks like they did just that on Sunday against Northwestern. The Illini dominated the first half against the Wildcats, outscoring their opposition 57-33.
Illinois took a commanding lead and didn't look back. Granted, they were playing a team that's as down in the dumps as a team can be, and they were playing a team that only has two wins in their last twenty games. But after the stretch Shauna Green's squad has had, it was a big win in my book to see their groove start early in this one.
2. Destiny Jackson now owns Illinois' all-time freshman assist record
We already know this, but I'm going to say it again: Destiny Jackson is special. There's a reason she was a five-star point guard coming out of high school, and she has certainly proven that in her first season with the Illini.
Jackson has turned into one of the fastest-rising stars in such a short amount of time. She has been one of the best distributors in the entire country, to the point where her seven assists in Sunday's game helped her set Illinois' all-time freshman assists record.
With her sixth assist today and 141st of the season, Destiny Jackson now owns our freshman season assist record 🤝 pic.twitter.com/GI92NXaiSg
— Illinois Women's Basketball (@IlliniWBB) February 22, 2026
Jackson has continued to be a pivotal part of Illinois' success all season long. She has been the floor general and a stellar point guard for the program. If the Orange and Blue would like to make a deep run in March, then they will need "Destiny Dimes" to keep playing at this elite level.
3. Can we just give Cearah Parchment another Big-Ten Freshman of the Week award?
The 'Canadian Icon,' Cearah Parchment, has been raking in the accolades in her first year with the Illini. The four-star recruit out of Whitby, Ontario, has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on three separate occasions, averaging 13.3 points and 8.5 rebounds through 26 games this season.
Parchment's elite style of play was certainly brought up a notch in her last four games, where she averaged a double-double in 30+ minutes per game. This has been her longest streak of the season, bringing her double-double total to 10 on the year.
The young forward has been putting on a clinic this week, to the point where I would be surprised if she's not named the Freshman of the Week yet again. Give Parchment what she deserves. There's not a shot in the world that someone has outperformed her.