The Illinois women's basketball team opened conference play in dominating fashion on Saturday, taking down the visiting Indiana Hoosiers by a score of 78-57.
It was a one-sided affair from the opening tip to the final buzzer, with Indiana only leading in this game for a total of 37 seconds. But once freshman forward Cearah Parchment hit her first three-pointer of the night with 8:38 left in the first quarter, it was all over. The Illini were off to the races and never looked back.
Illinois took control of this contest early and made sure not to let it go. But what are some of the biggest moments from this contest that really stick out?
1. Cearah Parchment continues her dominating double-double streak
The freshman forward from Whitby, Ontario, has been putting on a show in her last three games. Parchment's performance against the Hoosiers (15 pts/13 rebs) marks her third double-double in a row, and her fourth of the season.
Parchment is making a name for herself early in her collegiate career and is truly becoming the perfect partner in crime to Berry Wallace in the frontcourt. Parchment is an all-around player who, in my opinion, may have a shot at making the All-Freshman team at the end of the season. But even if she doesn't, the future looks bright for her at the University of Illinois.
2. Illinois' lock-down defense was too much for the Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers have a bona fide star on their team named Shay Ciezki. She is one of the best players in the country right now, averaging the sixth-most points in the NCAA at 24.4 points per game. Where she goes, Indiana goes; which was made prevalent yesterday by her 23 points on 42% shooting against Illinois.
But when you look at the rest of her team, you can see that they did not fare as well against Illinois' 26th-ranked defense. If you take Ciezki away from Indiana's roster, the rest of the team scored 34 points on 32% shooting from the field.
Sure, the Hoosiers' star continued her rise to stardom at the State Farm Center. But thanks to Illinois' stout defense, she didn't really have much help around her. They made her try to be superwoman, instead of having the rest of the team try to beat them.
3. Spreading the ball around will help Illinois in the long run
There is not one main scorer, or one "star," on this team like some of the other programs in the country. Sure, Wallace is leading the team in scoring with 18.3 points per game. But when you look at what transpired against Indiana, you can see it doesn't have to be her all of the time.
In just this game alone, Shauna Green's bunch had four separate players score in double digits. They were all floating around that 14-16 point range, with juniors Gretchen Dolan and Maddie Webber leading the team with 16 points apiece.
This squad is showing that it doesn't have to depend on one person on a daily basis. It can be a multitude of players. They can spread the ball around with confidence, knowing that anyone on the floor can take charge. It doesn't have to be like the Hoosiers, where one person is racking up the points while the others are struggling to keep up.