Wisconsin Badgers face #11 Ohio State following big 88-53 loss 1 Wisconsin head coach Robin Pingeton question a call during the second half of their game Sunday, January 18, 2026 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Oregon 94-92 in double overtime.

Badgers dominated en route to 32-point loss to Illinois Fighting Illini

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics
By Jarrett Guerrera | Last updated Feb 14, 2026 1:21 PM ET

The Wisconsin Badgers women’s basketball team has unfortunately fallen deeper into a losing streak following a match-up against the hosting Illinois Fighting Illini.

For Illinois the win always appeared to be within reach as the Badgers led once during the game with 8:08 left in the first-quarter of play. The Fighting Illini led 42-26 at halftime before putting their foot on the gas and applying additional pressure with an incredible performance from beyond the arc.

As a team, Illinois shot 65% (11-for-17) from three-point range against Wisconsin with Aaliyah Guyton delivering a memorable performance. Guyton was a perfect 6-for-6 from beyond the arc which is a new career-high for the Guard.

Forward Cearah Parchment added a 12-point, 15-rebound double-double that kept Wisconsin away from any second-chance opportunities. Parchment also recorded four assists and two steals as the Badgers struggled when trying to decipher the Illinois defense.

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Dorja Zaja led Wisconsin in scoring for the first time this season with 16 points, shooting 63.6% from the field while taking a season-high 11 attempts. Gift Uchenna Okeke added 13 points and finished the game as the only other double-digit scorer for the Badgers. Leading scorer Destiny Howell was held to just three points in 17 minutes of play.

For the Badgers, defense will be the name of the game moving forward as far too many non-competitive performances have been put together recently. Wisconsin has been outscored 429-331 during the current losing streak despite playing two teams (Indiana, Illinois) who are currently in the bottom-half of the conference.

The Badgers have also started another streak as the defense has allowed 90 points in back-to-back games against Washington and Illinois. An issue contributing to the streaks is the Badgers’ breakdowns on defense when guarding the perimeter. Guyton, as previously mentioned, had a great performance against Wisconsin but averages just 6.5 points per game for Illinois on the season.

Additionally the Badgers will need to find more life on offense and a strong performance out of veteran guard Kyrah Daniels could give Wisconsin an added boost. Daniels has struggled since entering conference play as the guard has been kept under a double-digit point total in five games. Prior to January, Daniels had only been kept to single digits in scoring two times. Wisconsin has lost all five of the recent games where the guard was kept below 10 points.

Up next for Wisconsin will be another tough game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, a team that defeated the Badgers by 35 points earlier in the season.

Minnesota is currently 19-6 on the year with a Big Ten Conference record of 10-4 that includes wins over Iowa, USC, and Oregon. The Golden Gophers are in the middle of a seven-game winning streak while averaging 80.8 points per game. At the moment, ESPN Analytics gives Minnesota a 94.1% chance of defeating Wisconsin at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Badgers dominated en route to 32-point loss to Illinois Fighting Illini 2 Wisconsin guard Kyrah Daniels (20) chest bumps forward Gift Uchenna (15) after drawing a foul during the second half of their game Sunday, January 18, 2026 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Oregon 96-94 in double overtime.

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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