For the first time since Nov. 14 and only second time this season, Illinois women’s basketball suffers a loss after a trip to Michigan State.

January 4, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The 11-game winning streak for the Illinois women’s basketball came to an end inside the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan.

Just a few days after defeating No. 7 Maryland inside the State Farm Center, Illinois attempted to make it back-to-back victories over a ranked opponent but No. 24 Michigan State dominated the paint offensively and were able to withstand a three-point barrage by the Illini.

Michigan State continued its season streak of consistently defeating the Illini in the Breslin Center, a run that dates back nearly 11 years, with an 81-75 win over Shauna Green’s program on Sunday afternoon.

Illinois (13-2, 3-1 in Big Ten Conference) led for only 19 seconds in this contest but had several runs throughout the game to keep the deficit within single digits. Berry Wallace and Maddie Webber each provided 22 points and a combined eight three-point shots on a day where the Illini, which isn’t typically known for their outside shooting, went 10 of 23 from beyond the arc.

Michigan State (14-1, 3-1 in Big Ten) relied on the inside presences of a high-low combination of guard Kennedy Blair and forward Grace VanSlooten. Blair nearly had a triple double on Sunday as she used her dribble penetration to guide her toward a team-high 19 points with 11 of them coming from the free throw line but also managed to get physical in the paint with nine rebounds and seven assists in a 33-minute effort.

VanSlooten had 15 points and nine rebounds in a first half that saw the Spartans take a 44-32 lead at the halftime break thanks to a late 12-4 run to give the home team momentum. However, the 6-foot-3 forward appeared to be dealing with an injury issue that caused her to miss all but three unproductive minutes of the second half.

Wallace, who came into this contest tied for seventh in the Big Ten in scoring (17.9 points per game), was held scoreless in the fourth quarter despite leading all scorers with 22 points in a game where the sophomore never came off the floor.

After having a quiet three quarters of offense in her sixth-man role off Green’s bench, Webber provided a much-needed offensive spark in the fourth quarter with 17 points in the 10-minute segment including all four of her three-pointers.

While down 75-68 with 41 seconds remaining, Illinois managed to get two free throws from Gretchen Dolan and a steal followed by a three-pointer from Webber to get the deficit to just one possession in a matter of six seconds. However, MSU maintained its reliability from the free throw line (21 of 25 for the day) to hold on to a lead they maintained for nearly all but two minutes of action.

Illinois' 13-1 start through 14 games was the best start in program history as Green's squad is the only Illini crew to earn a 13-1 (or 14-0) since Illinois started playing women’s basketball. This 15-game start still ties the 1980-81 squad for the best run as the Illini were looking for their eighth victory over a ranked opponent in the Shauna Green era.

The run of ranked opponents continues for Illinois as they’ll host No. 19 Ohio State at State Farm Center, a place where the Illini are 10-0 in this 2025-26 season, on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. CST. The new Associated Press Top 25 poll is slated to be released on Monday and despite this most recent close road loss, Illinois is still expected to have a number by its name for the first time since Feb. 2025.