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Three Observations From Illinois Women's Basketball's 80-67 Loss to UCLA

The Illini came up a little short (and a touch slow) – until they didn't. A loss, in this case, may be a chance to level up over the long haul.
Jason Langendorf|
Illinois guard Destiny Jackson (2) goes hard to the rim against UCLA in the Illini's 80-67 loss to the Bruins on Wednesday at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois.
Illinois guard Destiny Jackson (2) goes hard to the rim against UCLA in the Illini's 80-67 loss to the Bruins on Wednesday at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. | University of Illinois

Nobody likes a loss. Moral victories ring hollow for anyone who pulls on a uniform. But even after Illinois' 80-67 loss to No. 2 UCLA on Wednesday in Champaign, there's one word that leaps to mind to best describe the objective feeling surrounding the program: excitement.

The Bruins (20-1, 10-0 Big Ten) in recent years have developed into one of the titans of women's college basketball – an outfit that not only rates as the class of the conference but also is knocking on the door of UConn and South Carolina in the velvet-roped VIP room of the women's game. UCLA coach Cori Close, in her 15th year in Westwood, routinely draws some of the best talent and steers the Bruins into the second weekend of March Madness (seven Sweet 16 appearances in the past 10 years) and beyond.

That's what the young Illini (15-6, 5-5 Big Ten) were up against Wednesday – and without injured sophomore guard and second-leading scorer Gretchen Dolan, by the way – yet they didn't flinch. After nearly letting the game spin away in the fourth quarter, Illinois was a Maddie Webber three-point attempt away from cutting a 14-point deficit to four inside the final two minutes. Shauna Green's players may not want to hear about it after an "L," but for the Illini, there were a pile of positives to be pulled out of going toe-to-toe with a heavyweight and giving as good as they got.

1. Size (still) matters

The men's game may have become all but position-less over time, but for the women, going small typically means coming up short. 6-foot-7 UCLA center and All-American Lauren Betts is one of the most dominant low-post forces in women's hoops, and even after she exited Wednesday's game in the first half because of foul trouble, the Bruins still had waves of size to throw at the Illini – starting with Betts' 6-foot-4 freshman sister Sienna. The younger Betts gave UCLA the jolt it needed in the second quarter with six points and five rebounds to push a five-point lead to 14 by halftime. (Not for nothing, older sis Lauren still finished with 23 and nine.

Even the Bruins' guards have good size – but, more importantly, know how to use it. UCLA routinely dinged Illinois under and around the rim, hitting textbooks post moves, outrebounding the Illini 39-25 and doubling up their points in the paint (48-24). Green has more functional size on her current roster than Illinois has seen in some time, but eventually the Illini are going to need more interior muscle in order to match up with the very best.

2. And yet ... the Illini are catching up

Matching UCLA's brute force wasn't Illinois' only issue Wednesday. The Illini also struggled with speed, which was never more obvious than when the Bruins caught them on their heels with runs of 17-5 in the first quarter and 15-3 in the second.

Almost in real time, though, you could watch Illinois recalibrate and begin to match the physicality and burst demonstrated by the other side. The Illini had only so much in terms of personnel to match the Bruins power blow for power blow, but they didn't wilt. And they adjusted their RPMs when UCLA picked up the pace – and even torched the Bruins on coast-to-coast finishes by Webber and forward Cearah Parchment in the second half. Having mixed it up with the game's best, the Illini now know exactly what it takes to compete at that level. Let's see how they apply that knowledge Sunday in Seattle against No. 25 Washington (5 p.m. CT, FS1).

3. Cearah Parchment has arrived

On a night when the Illini were missing Dolan and, in a different sense, leading scorer Berry Wallace (who struggled mightily to muster 11 points), it was Parchment – an 18-year-old freshman – who stepped into the breach.

Parchment, a 6-foot-3 do-it-all forward, proved almost unguardable as she rang up a career-high scoring total for the second game in a row: 26 points, on 10-for-13 shooting (including 3-for-4 on threes). Wallace is an ace, but even she can't conjure points from thin air against a UCLA defense set against her. Parchment's big night is proof that opponents can't load up against Illinois' leading scorer without paying the price elsewhere.

After Dolan returns, as Destiny Jackson hones her jump shot and with the continued development of Parchment, the Illini can become the kind of pick-your-poison offense that becomes virtually bullet-proof in March.

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Jason Langendorf
JASON LANGENDORF

Jason Langendorf has covered Illinois basketball, football and more for Illinois on SI since October 2024, and has covered Illini sports – among other subjects – for 30 years. A veteran of ESPN and Sporting News, he has published work in The Guardian, Vice, Chicago Sun-Times and many other outlets. He is currently also the U.S. editor at BoxingScene and a judge for the annual BWAA writing awards. He can be followed and reached on X and Bluesky @JasonLangendorf.

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