By IlliniGuys Staff

January 15, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Illinois women's team stepped onto the court Thursday night as a ranked team for the first time this season.

Michigan responded by showing why they have been considered one of the top ten teams in the country all year.

Olivia Olson hit 4-of-6 from three-point range on her way to a team-high 21 points as 8th ranked Michigan drubbed the visiting No. 25 Illini 85-69.

Michigan (15-2, 6-1 in Big Ten conference) took advantage of 15 Illinois turnovers, turning them into 21 points as they led from the opening tip.

Illinois (14-4, 4-3 in Big Ten) committed six turnovers in the first quarter and watched the Wolverines close the period on a 10-0 run to trail 27-13 after the opening period.

The Illini made their best run coming out of the halftime locker room, opening the 3rd quarter on a 15-5 run to close within 52-47, but Michigan answered with a 13-0 spurt and Illinois never got within single digits the rest of the game as the Wolverines' 85 points is the most scored on Illinois this season.

Berry Wallace poured in a game-high 26 points, her 10th 20-point game this season. Jasmine Brown-Hagger added a season-high 16 points, but Illinois shot just 39.7 percent from the field. The Illini are 1-3 this season when they fail to shoot at least 40 percent. The usually sure-handed Destiny Jackson set a career-high in turnovers for the second straight outing, committing seven after turning the ball over six times in Sunday's win at Penn State.

Illinois returns to action on Sunday when they host Northwestern (2pm CT, BTN Plus).