COLUMBIA, Mis. — What a game. What a finish. And what a team. The Illini have the Braggin’ Rights.
Illinois won its annual rivalry game over Missouri 70-62 Wednesday night in Columbia. After some early foul trouble from star sophomore Berry Wallace, a senior and a freshman took over the game for the Illini.
With the win, the Illini are off to a 9-1 start this season — the program’s best 10-game start in a year in more than four decades since 1981-82.
After an ecstatic start to Big Ten play on Saturday
with a blowout win over Indiana, the question was how the Illini would respond on the road Wednesday. That answer was clear early on in the game, when the Tigers missed their first 12 shots of the day.
Gretchen Dolan showed her veteran skills after a rocky start to the season. The junior had the first six points of the game, connecting on her first two shots behind the arc.
But when Wallace picked up some early fouls, Shauna Green knew just who to trust 100% of her offense to. Freshman Destiny Jackson went on a tear in the second half.
The five-star prospect would finish the game with nine assists and only two turnovers. For a young player thrust into the spotlight, she has not shown any anxiety.
It wasn’t all easy for the Illini, though. The eight-point score difference probably should have been closer than it turned out to be.
The Tigers vastly outrebounded the Illini in the second half, after the orange and blue showed dominance down low in the first half. Every time it looked like Illinois would pull away, Mizzou would crawl right back.
At the end of the third quarter, the momentum was completely on Mizzou’s side, after their star player, Grace Slaughter, drained a couple of three-pointers.
With 2 ½ minutes remaining, the Illini had just a two-point lead. That’s when Jackson took over. The freshman hit five out of six clutch-time free throws and had an assist in the game’s final minutes.
Between Jackson and freshman Cearah Parchment, the Illini are in good hands for a while.
Stat Stuffers
- Destiny Jackson (ILL)- 9 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists
- Gretchen Dolan (ILL)- 21 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
- Cearah Parchment (ILL)- 9 points, 8 rebounds
- Grace Slaughter (MIZ)- 19 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists
Moments that Mattered
This game really could have gone either way.
Gretchen set the tone early.
Slaughter was a problem for the Illini.
What’s Next?
The Illini have the Braggin’ Rights, but are more importantly 9-1.
The team will have a chance to reach double digits this Sunday, as North Texas comes to an energized State Farm Center.
