Cearah Parchment and Berry Wallace Post 20-Point Double-Doubles as No. 23 Illinois Pulls Away From Detroit Mercy 84-50

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. For 20 minutes, Illinois had a real game on its hands. For the next 20, its two forwards took the game over. Cearah Parchment scored 22 points with 11 rebounds and a career-high four blocks, Berry Wallace added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and the No. 23 Illini outscored Detroit Mercy 48-18 after halftime to win their season opener 84-50 on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at State Farm Center.

Illinois led just 36-32 at the break. It never trailed at any point, leading for the final 39 minutes and 14 seconds, but the Titans had spent most of the second quarter making the Illini work for every possession. The third quarter ended that. Illinois won the period 27-7 and turned a four-point game into a blowout.

Here is the ESPN box score (opens in a new tab) and Illinois' recap (opens in a new tab).

A 14-0 burst, then a Titans answer

The teams traded baskets for the first three minutes before Illinois found its first gear. A 14-0 run over roughly five and a half minutes pushed the lead to 21-6, and Detroit Mercy missed all seven of its shots during the stretch.

The Titans did not fold. They scored the last eight points of the first quarter to get within 21-14, then won the second quarter 18-15. Illinois went to the locker room ahead by only four, 36-32, with the Titans very much in the game.

Parchment was the steadying force. Parchment went 6 for 7 from the field in the first half and led all scorers with 12 points at the break.

The third quarter swing

Illinois opened the second half with a 6-1 run to push the lead to nine, and by the middle of the third quarter the margin was in double digits. Then came the stretch that decided the night. Over the final 6:22 of the period, the Illini outscored Detroit Mercy 19-2 to take a 63-39 lead into the fourth.

The Titans made just three field goals in the third quarter. For the half, they shot 6 of 24 from the floor, and the rebounding gap that had been manageable early became a canyon. Illinois won the boards 28-10 after halftime.

A 7-0 run in the middle of the fourth quarter pushed the lead to 30, and the Illini went up by as many as 35 before settling for the 34-point final margin.

Parchment and Wallace, together

The two forwards combined for 43 points and 22 rebounds, and the night came with a bit of history. According to Illinois, Parchment and Wallace became the first Illini teammates to post 20-point double-doubles in the same game since GodBold and Penn did it against Minnesota on Feb. 10, 2013. They are the first Big Ten teammates to do it since USC's Iriafen and Watkins against Michigan in the Big Ten tournament semifinals on March 8, 2025.

Parchment was close to flawless. In 27 minutes, Parchment made 9 of 11 shots, went 4 of 6 at the line and added a steal to the four blocks. It was the 13th double-double and eighth 20-point game of Parchment's career, according to Illinois. The one blemish was four turnovers.

Wallace did more of the heavy lifting on the glass. Wallace shot 8 of 16, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range, made 3 of 4 free throws and grabbed five offensive rebounds, tying a career high. The 11 rebounds also tied a career best. Illinois noted that both of Wallace's career double-doubles have come in season openers, that this was Wallace's 17th career 20-point game, and that Wallace has now scored in double figures in 25 straight games.

Destiny Jackson ran the offense the way Illinois needs. Jackson scored only seven points on 1 of 5 shooting, but handed out nine assists, tying a career high, and added five rebounds, a block and 5 of 6 free throws.

Gretchen Dolan's 10 points carried extra weight. According to Illinois, it was Dolan's first appearance since Feb. 1 and first start since Jan. 11. Dolan went 2 of 4 from 3-point range and 4 of 4 at the line, with three rebounds, two assists and a block in 25 minutes.

Aaliyah Guyton gave the Illini a lift off the bench with nine points in 17 minutes, hitting a 3 and all four free throws. Maddie Webber reached a milestone, playing in the 100th game of Webber's collegiate career. It was also the first time Webber came off the bench, checking in at 6:10 of the first quarter. Webber missed all five shots but scored four at the line and grabbed four rebounds.

Two newcomers made their Illinois debuts. Manuella Alves and Divine Bourrage combined for nine rebounds, six of them offensive, in 23 minutes between them. Lety Vasconcelos added four points and four rebounds in eight minutes.

The numbers behind the rout

The final box score tells a lopsided story in three columns.

Rebounding: Illinois finished with a 53-23 edge, including 18 offensive rebounds that produced 18 second-chance points.

Free throws: The Illini went 27 of 33 at the line, their most made free throws in a game since 2024, according to Illinois. Detroit Mercy went 11 of 24 and was called for 27 fouls.

Ball movement: Illinois assisted on 21 of its 26 field goals.

The Illini shot 26 of 57 overall, 46 percent, and 5 of 16 from 3-point range. They also blocked seven shots. Not everything was clean. Illinois committed 18 turnovers and had only four steals, while Detroit Mercy finished with 10 steals. The turnover total is a number the Illini will want to bring down before Big Ten play.

Detroit Mercy's fight faded

The Titans arrived at 1-0 and left at 1-1, but there was plenty to like in the first half. Naïma Diawara led Detroit Mercy with 11 points, making 2 of 4 from 3-point range. Paula Lopez scored 10 with three steals, Makayla Jackson added eight in a team-high 30 minutes and Maya Anderson scored seven, going 4 for 4 at the line. Marie Outlay came off the bench to record four steals.

The problems were efficiency and size. Detroit Mercy shot 17 of 55 from the field, 31 percent, and 5 of 19 from 3-point range. Missing 13 free throws stung in a game that was within four at halftime. And with Illinois' frontcourt controlling the paint, the Titans finished without a blocked shot and with only eight offensive rebounds. Stephanie Utomi fouled out after 16 minutes.

What it means and what is next

Opening nights do not decide much, but this one answered a question for Illinois. The Illini have two forwards who can each carry the offense, and when both are rolling on the same night, an opponent without comparable size has very little recourse. The second-half defense, which held Detroit Mercy to 18 points over two quarters, was just as encouraging. Size showed up at that end too. Illinois blocked seven shots, four of them by Parchment, while Detroit Mercy did not block one, and the Illini held the Titans to 31 percent shooting for the game.

The concerns are fixable ones. The turnovers need to come down, and the 3-point shooting, 5 of 16, will need to be better against teams that can match Illinois inside.

Illinois stays home for its next game, against Southern on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT. After that come Southeast Missouri State on Nov. 15 and a trip to Ball State on Nov. 18.

For more on the Illini, read our recap of Illinois' 99-28 rout of Southern and visit our Illinois team page.

Sources: ESPN box score, Illinois Athletics, AP.

Photo: Illinois Athletics.