Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge celebrates after making a 3-pointer against Michigan State during the second quarter at the Breslin Center on Sunday, March 1, 2026, in East Lansing. Cearah Parchment had 15 points and six rebounds as Illinois used a late defensive stand to upset No. 18 Michigan State 71-69 in the second round of the Big Ten women’s tournament Thursday in Indianapolis.
The 10th-seeded Illini (21-10) got a career-high 30 points from Kennedy Blair, who added six rebounds and five assists in a standout performance against the seventh-seeded Spartans (22-8). Blair was unable to get a final review in the final minutes of overtime due to pressure from Parchment, who had a huge defensive presence in both overtime periods.
The Spartans gained possession when Ines Sotelo blocked a pass attempt that Destiny Jackson (14 points, 6 rebounds) forced into the post. Grace VanSlooten took the ball inside at the other end, but couldn’t get off a clean shot with Parchment and Maddie Webber surrounding her.
A defensive sequence capped Webber’s 13-point effort in 37 minutes off the bench and helped fill some of the void with Aaliyah Guyton limited by foul trouble. Webber and Parchment are among five Illini scorers, followed by Jackson, Jasmine Brown-Hagger with 12 goals and Berry Wallace with 11 goals. The win moves Illinois into the quarterfinals on Friday for a meeting with Iowa.
11th Ohio State 83, Indiana 59
Jaloni Cambridge had 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and the fifth-seeded Buckeyes dominated the 13th-seeded Hoosiers with a stifling defensive effort.
Ohio State (25-6) held Indiana (18-14) to 19-of-57 (33.3%) shooting from the floor, including 5-of-21 on 3-pointers, while forcing the Hoosiers into 15 turnovers. Ava Watson helped anchor the Ohio State defense with five steals, while Elsa Lemmila stopped three shots with 13 rebounds and five assists.
Chance Gray added 18 points and Kennedy Cambridge had 14 for the Buckeyes, who face No. 19 Minnesota in the quarterfinals. Indiana’s Maya Makalusky led all scorers with 21 points.
Washington 76, Southern California 64
Elle Ladine scored a season-high 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting and the Huskies topped the Trojans in an 8-9 matchup of the tournament.
It was USC’s fourth straight loss, and the Trojans are waiting for more than just an NCAA bid after losing conference freshman of the year Jazzy Davidson to a shoulder injury. Davidson, who leads the team in scoring average, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, went 2 of 13 from the field and totaled eight points in 29 minutes. She said an MRI on her injured shoulder is scheduled for Friday.
Washington (21-9) scored 14 points in the first quarter and then came back to life with 48 points in the second and third quarters. The Huskies held USC (17-13) to just 20 points in the first half and built a 20-point cushion going into the third quarter.
The Huskies outscored the Trojans 40-14 in points in the paint. Ladine’s offensive prowess helped the Huskies’ core, with Avery Howell assisting with 18 points and nine rebounds. Londynn Jones led USC with 19 points. Washington will face the tournament’s No. 1 seed, UCLA (No. 2 in the latest Top 25 poll), on Friday. The Bruins beat the Huskies 82-67 last month and remain undefeated in Big Ten play.
–Field level media
