Illinois couldn’t finish off a six-point, fourth-quarter lead for what would have been the Illini’s first road win over a Top 10 opponent since 1997.

February 26, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Illinois did nearly everything it needed to do in Iowa City, Iowa to pull off its third victory of the season against a ranked opponent in what would have been its most impressive win of the season.

However, Shauna Green’s Illini program needed to just one or two more defensive stops of Iowa’s high-low action of Ava Heiden and Hannah Stuelke. The Iowa frontcourt duo combined for 17 of the Hawkeyes 26 fourth-quarter points as Illinois left a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena with a 82-78 loss.

The one person who knows how difficult it is to earn an upset win in that building in Iowa City, Iowa is the Illini fourth-year head coach who grew up in nearby Clinton, Iowa and saw her first head coaching opportunity at Loras College, a Division III program in Dubuque, Iowa. After Thursday night, the Hawkeyes are now are 140-21 overall in their home building since Nov. 11, 2016.

After starting the game by missing each of its first eight field goal attempts and finding themselves down 10-0 in the first four minutes of the contest, Illinois (19-9, 9-8 in Big Ten Conference) immediately got itself back tied before the end of the first quarter and rode a hot shooting streak nearly to what would have been the program’s first road win over a Top 10 opponent since 1997.

Illinois had a 64-58 lead with seven minutes and 53 seconds left after Cearah Parchment with a three-pointer that would turn out to be her final basket of the game. Parchment finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, which is her 12th double-double of the season and sixth 20-point performance since the calendar flipped to 2026.

Berry Wallace had a dozen of her team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter as the sophomore hit all three shots from beyond the three-point arc in the second half. Wallace had the final eight points of the Illini including a three-pointer with just over two minutes left to give Illinois a 73-72 lead.

Illinois connected on nine consecutive three-point field goals to end the game, marking the third time in the last four games that the Illini have posted a double-digit number of triples.

Iowa was led by sophomore center Ava Heiden’s career-high 28 points just four days after she recorded 24 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals in a home victory over then-No. 6 Michigan. Heiden has reached double figures in 16 straight games and against all 16 Big Ten opponents. However, Heiden was on the bench for the final five minutes of the third quarter and a three-minute stretch late in the fourth quarter where Illinois had leads. With 25 seconds left, Heiden took a pass at the free throw elbow and took it straight to the basket for her final basket of the night to give the Hawkeyes (23-5, 14-3 in Big Ten) a critical four-point lead.

In her final regular season home game, Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke finished with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes.

Aaliyah Guyton had 11 points in her return to Iowa City after transferring to the Illini following her freshman season with the Hawkeyes. Guyton’s entry pass, with 47 seconds left and Illinois down 75-73, was easily intercepted by Stuelke in a rare defensive stop in the fourth quarter by the home squad.

Since 2018-19, the Hawkeyes are 109-7 when recording at least 80 points and at least 20 assists in a game.

Illinois, which arrived at Carver-Hawkeye Arena with a NET ranking of 32, can still earn its 20th regular season victory for the three time under Green in the regular season finale contest against No. 22 Minnesota on Sunday (1 p.m. CST, Big Ten Network). Illinois hasn’t lost to the Gophers, which will be fighting for the final of the four triple bye spots of the league tournament, inside State Farm Center. The Illini currently sit in a three-way tie for eighth in the conference standings but spots 1-9 in the league tournament, which starts on March 4, to avoid having to play on the first night of the event.