By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 8, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Another slow start out of the gates plagued the Illini on Sunday in front of a packed State Farm Center as they fell to USC 70-62 in the Play4Kay Pink Game in front of what was announced as a sell-out crowd. The loss drops Illinois (16-8, 6-7 B1G), to 11th in the crowded middle pack of the conference, falling below the Trojans (15-9, 7-6).

The Illini were paced by true freshman point guard Destiny Jackson, who had a team-high 17 points in the loss. 12 of those points came in the second half, when the Illini tried to mount a late comeback, but with time dwindling, a regrettable first half made the rally too little, too late.

Freshman forward Cearah Parchment had her sixth career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, bouncing back after a cold stretch in the first half.

While Illinois’ offensive struggles were one thing, it would have been a tall task for any team in the Big Ten to stop the Trojan offense. Star freshman Jazzy Davidson thrived early, scoring 27 points in the first half. Kennedy Smith and leading scorer Kara Dunn were also critical, finishing with 20 and 14 points, respectively.

The loss is Illinois’ fourth in its last five games, a stretch that has been marred by slow starts. Over the last five games, the Illini have averaged just 23.5 points in the first half. While the Illini have responded in each of those second halves to average 72.5 in that stretch, the same could not be said of Sunday’s bout.

A defensive approach to shut down entry passes into the paint opened up early opportunities for the visitors to shoot from outside, resulting in open looks from mid-range and beyond the arc for the Trojans. The early struggles were partially remedied by a more aggressive defensive approach to start the second half.

The pressure started paying dividends in the fourth quarter, where the Illini outscored the Trojans 25-19 and chipped down what was once a 19-point lead to six points, but there was just not enough time on the clock for a proper comeback to materialize.