How To Watch, Game Preview and Game Thread: #2 UCLA Bruins at Illinois Fighting Illini
The Bruins conclude their current road trip today when they take on Illinois.
This afternoon, the #2 UCLA women’s basketball team closes out their Illinois roadtrip with a game against the Illinois Fighting Illini. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 pm PT and the game will be streamed on BTN+.
Two weeks ago, the Illini had been ranked in the Top 25, but an 85-69 loss to then-#8 Michigan knocked them out of the Top 25. Last week, the Illini topped Northwestern, 74-71, and lost on the road to then-#24 Nebraska, 81-75.
Illinois is coached by Shauna Green, who is in her fourth season with the Fighting Illini. She has a 78-40 record at Illinois and 234-115 career record. Last season, she led the Illini to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32, and she has led her teams to the NCAA Tournament five times since 2016.
Illinois Fighting Illini Starting Five
Look for Green to start a lineup consisting of three guards and two forwards.
On the court, the Illini will be lead by sophomore forward Berri Wallace, who is averaging 19.8 ppg and 6.9 rpg. Her 36.4% three-point percentage is third on the team, though she is second in both three-point field goals and three-point attempts.
The other starting forward will be Canadian freshman Cearah Parchment. Parchment is third on the team in scoring behind Wallace and injured guard Gretchen Dolan who is out for tonight’s game. Parchment is averaging 12.0 ppg, and she leads Illinois in rebounds with an average of 8.1 rpg. She is also second in blocks with 11.
With Dolan out, sophomore Aaliyah Guyton will probably start in her place, even though it will cost Illinois a lot of production. Dolan averages 13.6 ppg while Guyton is averaging just 6.1 ppg.
The other two guards have started every game this season. Freshman Destiny Jackson is averaging 8.2 ppg and she leads the team in assists with 96. Junior Jasmine Brown-Hagger is averaging just 5.8 ppg.
Two bench players likely to see a lot of playing time today are junior guard Maddie Webber, who is averaging 11.3 ppg. Her 44.3% three-point percentage is the best on the team. Like Webber, redshirt sophomore Lety Vasconcelos has played in every game this season. Heck, the Baylor transfer may even start today. Like Lauren Betts, she’s a center who is listed at 6’7” tall. So, she could see more time in an attempt to matchup against Betts, even though she is averaging just 11.7 minutes per game and just 3.8 ppg. Vasconcelos does lead Illinois in blocks with 12.
Analysis
It will be interesting to see what Green does to try to compensate for Betts. Will she start Vasconcelos? Maybe, but it won’t matter. UCLA has been very good at working the ball to other players on the team when teams try to neutralize Betts.
Given that the Illini barely got past Northwestern, I don’t think the Bruins will have any problems today unless they fail to live up to the standard they set for themselves.
Last Time Out
Against Northwestern, UCLA led buzzer-to-buzzer. Just 19 seconds into the game, Gianna Kneepkens nailed a three on the first basket of the game. The closest the Wildcats got was after Grace Sullivan scored the next bucket to cut the Bruins’ lead to 3-2. From there, UCLA scored the next seven points on two layups from Gabriela Jaquez and a Kiki Rice three-pointer. The first quarter ended with the Bruins ahead, 21-14, and they finished the half up, 46-22.
In the third quarter, UCLA outscored the Wildcats, 24-16, to end the quarter ahead by a score of 70-38. In the final frame, they outscored Northwestern, 10-8, to seal the 80-46 victory.
Jaquez led UCLA with 19 points and Betts added 16. Kiki Rice had a double-double with 15 points along with 10 rebounds. Kneepkens was the final Bruin in double figures with 12 points.
Watch and Listen to the Game With TMB
Today’s game will be streamed on BigTenPlus.com with Scott Sudikoff, Cooper O’Kelly, and Ella Peterson on the call. Of course, you can opt to listen to Dave Marcus with the audio call which will be streamed on uclabruins.com. To watch or listen online, just right-click on the links so that you can open up another tab and have it going while you chat in the comments below.
This is your UCLA women’s basketball vs. Illinois Fighting Illini game thread. Here’s how to watch, listen and stream today’s game:
#2 UCLA Women’s Basketball (19-1, 9-0)
Opponent: Illinois Fighting Illini (15-5, 5-4)
Series Record: Illinois leads, 3-2.
When: 4:00 pm PT, Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Where: State Farm Arena, Urbana-Champaign, IL
TV: None
Live Stream: BigTenPlus.com with Scott Sudikoff, Cooper O’Kelly, and Ella Peterson
Radio/Audio
Satellite Radio: Sirius Ch. 210 and XM Ch. 196 (UCLA Call)
Online: uclabruins.com with Dave Marcus
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
Game Notes:
UCLA
Go Bruins!!!
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See you next time bruins!
survive and advance