Shauna Green is building something special in Champaign with the Illinois basketball team, and she has the perfect star to build around in Berry Wallace.
The Pickerington, Ohio, product has been the key cog in the wheel that is the Illini. She has been the face of the entire program, leading the team in scoring on multiple occasions this season.
Wallace has been an absolute threat in all facets of the game, and the Big Ten continues to take notice. The five-star recruit out of high school has been putting on a show, averaging 19.6 points per game on 52.4% shooting from the field.
The second-year phenom has been on another level, and Wallace's performance this past week has led to her being named to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll for a third time this season.
Berry Wallace is on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll for the 3rd time this season!
— Illinois Women's Basketball (@IlliniWBB) January 19, 2026
🔶 27.5 PPG / 7.0 RPG / 2.0 APG
🔷 2 complete 40-minute games
🔶 18-for-37 FG (48.6%) / 17-for-19 FT (89.5%) / 2 3FG
🔷 20+ points in 6 of last 7 games pic.twitter.com/2fAioh2I0C
It was an intense week of games for the McDonald's High School All-American as she and the Illini faced off against No. 8 Michigan and Northwestern. The Illini were walking into two intense conference matchups, and they needed a leader to take the reins and help navigate.
That is exactly what Wallace did in an astounding 80 minutes of play across both contests. The 'Iron-Woman' left it all on the court for her squad, posting 20+ points in both of Illinois' road games. It basically became a "you go, we go" kind of situation, with Wallace outscoring Illinois' second-leading scorers by a total of 26 points.
What's next for the face of the women's Illinois basketball team?
Wallace, the No. 20 overall high school recruit via ESPN HoopGurlz, has been a dynamic presence for Green this season. Her 19.6 points per game leads the Illini by a wide margin and ranks Wallace No. 22 in the nation.
Wallace will be put to the test in this next stretch of games, as she and the Illini will take on another gauntlet of ranked opponents. They will first head to Nebraska to face the No. 24 Cornhuskers on January 24 before coming back to Champaign to play No. 3 UCLA on January 28. The Illini then round things out by visiting No. 25 Washington on February 1.
It will be another tough road for this program, but we can always be confident in this team when Wallace is on the floor. To win, though, Illinois will need a healthy contribution from the rest of the roster. They can't leave all of the scoring up to Wallace, especially when they face UCLA next week.