EVANSTON, Ill. (January 17, 2026) – Fresh off back-to-back wins at home, Northwestern (8-10, 2-5 B1G) ventures back out on the road on Sunday for a 2 p.m. CT matchup with No. 25 Illinois inside State Farm Center. Sunday's clash with the Fighting Illini begins a stretch that sees the 'Cats play three of their next four games away from Welsh-Ryan Arena.
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LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern rallied back from a 10-point first-half deficit to defeat visiting Wisconsin, 66-61, this past Thursday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats were bolstered by a balanced effort that saw a quartet of starters score in double figures.
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For the 13th time this season, Grace Sullivan paced Northwestern, leading all scorers with 19 points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block. Caroline Lau cracked the 10-point mark for the second time in as many games, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds, and a game-high nine assists.
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Tayla Thomas was a force inside, posting 13 points and 10 rebounds en route to her fifth career double-double. Over the past two games, Thomas is averaging 13.0 rebounds. Fresh off a career-best 21-point performance in a win over Rutgers, Casey Harter added 10 points and a season-best four assists.
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SCOUTING ILLINOIS
Currently slotted at No. 25 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, Illinois (14-4, 4-3 B1G) has dropped three of its last four games, most recently falling to No. 8 Michigan, 85-69, last Thursday at the Crisler Center. The Fighting Illini are led by fourth-year head coach Shauna Green, who served as an assistant coach on Joe McKeown's staff during the 2015-16 campaign.
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Green's team has protected its home floor this season, going 10-1 (.909) on the State Farm Center hardwood. Back on January 1, the Fighting Illini picked up one of the signature wins of Green's tenure, knocking off No. 7 Maryland, 73-70, behind a game-high 22 points from Berry Wallace.
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Wallace has served as the focal point of the Illinois offense, putting up 19.1 points per game to lead a quartet of Fighting Illini who average in double figures. The sophomore standout has 10 games of 20-plus points to her name this season. Cearah Parchment has quickly established herself as one of the conference's top rebounders as a freshman, pulling down 7.7 caroms per game, a mark that ranks sixth in the Big Ten. Parchment, who has notched a trio of double-doubles, put up a season-high 20 points against No. 19 Ohio State on January 7.
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SERIES STUFF
Winners of six straight against the 'Cats, Illinois has trimmed Northwestern's lead in the all-time series between the two in-state rivals to 49-40 (.551). In 39 road tilts with Illinois, Northwestern holds a narrow 20-19 (.513) advantage. Prior to an 85-79 Fighting Illini win on January 5, 2023, Northwestern had previously rattled off 14 straight victories against Illinois.
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When the two teams met last season at State Farm Center, Northwestern chipped a 21-point deficit down to single digits late in the fourth quarter, but saw time run out on its comeback hopes as it dropped a 73-60 decision to Illinois on February 6, 2025. Caileigh Walsh led the 'Cats in the defeat with 17 points.
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UP NEXT
Northwestern will be idle until Sunday, January 25 when it welcomes No. 3 UCLA to Welsh-Ryan Arena for a 3 p.m. CT tip-off that will air on Big Ten Network.
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LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern rallied back from a 10-point first-half deficit to defeat visiting Wisconsin, 66-61, this past Thursday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats were bolstered by a balanced effort that saw a quartet of starters score in double figures.
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For the 13th time this season, Grace Sullivan paced Northwestern, leading all scorers with 19 points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block. Caroline Lau cracked the 10-point mark for the second time in as many games, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds, and a game-high nine assists.
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Tayla Thomas was a force inside, posting 13 points and 10 rebounds en route to her fifth career double-double. Over the past two games, Thomas is averaging 13.0 rebounds. Fresh off a career-best 21-point performance in a win over Rutgers, Casey Harter added 10 points and a season-best four assists.
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SCOUTING ILLINOIS
Currently slotted at No. 25 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, Illinois (14-4, 4-3 B1G) has dropped three of its last four games, most recently falling to No. 8 Michigan, 85-69, last Thursday at the Crisler Center. The Fighting Illini are led by fourth-year head coach Shauna Green, who served as an assistant coach on Joe McKeown's staff during the 2015-16 campaign.
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Green's team has protected its home floor this season, going 10-1 (.909) on the State Farm Center hardwood. Back on January 1, the Fighting Illini picked up one of the signature wins of Green's tenure, knocking off No. 7 Maryland, 73-70, behind a game-high 22 points from Berry Wallace.
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Wallace has served as the focal point of the Illinois offense, putting up 19.1 points per game to lead a quartet of Fighting Illini who average in double figures. The sophomore standout has 10 games of 20-plus points to her name this season. Cearah Parchment has quickly established herself as one of the conference's top rebounders as a freshman, pulling down 7.7 caroms per game, a mark that ranks sixth in the Big Ten. Parchment, who has notched a trio of double-doubles, put up a season-high 20 points against No. 19 Ohio State on January 7.
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SERIES STUFF
Winners of six straight against the 'Cats, Illinois has trimmed Northwestern's lead in the all-time series between the two in-state rivals to 49-40 (.551). In 39 road tilts with Illinois, Northwestern holds a narrow 20-19 (.513) advantage. Prior to an 85-79 Fighting Illini win on January 5, 2023, Northwestern had previously rattled off 14 straight victories against Illinois.
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When the two teams met last season at State Farm Center, Northwestern chipped a 21-point deficit down to single digits late in the fourth quarter, but saw time run out on its comeback hopes as it dropped a 73-60 decision to Illinois on February 6, 2025. Caileigh Walsh led the 'Cats in the defeat with 17 points.
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UP NEXT
Northwestern will be idle until Sunday, January 25 when it welcomes No. 3 UCLA to Welsh-Ryan Arena for a 3 p.m. CT tip-off that will air on Big Ten Network.