Wallace set a career-high with 28 points.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After a red-hot start to the season, sophomore Berry Wallace has had a slower start than expected in December.
However, many at the Ubben basketball center weren’t worried that Wallace wouldn’t find her shot. On Wednesday, head coach Shauna Green had some blunt words about it.
“I have no concerns about Barry Wallace,” Green said.
Well, after Sunday’s performance, one can certainly see why Green said that.
Wallace just exploded against a tough mid-major opponent in North Texas. She dropped a game- and career-high 28 points, as the Illini took down the Mean Green 81-69. The sophomore also had nine boards to go along with it.
After struggling with foul trouble in the Illini’s win over Missouri, Wallace had to be a bit smarter Sunday, especially with Green watching.
“But Berry’s going to be fine, and we need her to be on the floor, number one,” Green said on Wednesday.
Fast forward four days, and Wallace did just that, leading the team in minutes with 38.
Wallace started the game hot, connecting on an early three-pointer. Her shooting behind the arc wasn’t her main strength Sunday, though. She used her 6-foot-1 frame to full advantage, getting to the line at an efficient rate. She would finish with nine made free throws, as well as an efficient 8-of-14 from the field.
Wallace has been a primary reason this Illini team is where it now is. Currently, they are 10-1 and have a lot of momentum heading into the new year. However, it didn’t always look this optimistic, as the orange and blue lost almost their whole starting rotation from last year. But for Wallace, losing doesn’t seem to be an option.
“Even though we were losing a lot of players, I saw the potential of our young players, and the people we had coming in,” Wallace said.
It wasn’t just the offense that was clicking for Wallace, as the team’s defense has been stellar overall. They held North Texas to under 70 points, a mark that no team playing the Illini this year has broken.
“We’ve been able to grow so much throughout the season in our one-on-one defense,” Wallace said.
Wallace, who was a standout high school player, has become a veteran presence for this year’s team as a sophomore. She was the first big-time recruit reeled in by Shauna Green, so seeing her play at this level really makes the process full circle for many.
The scary part is, I don’t think Wallace has even scratched the surface of her talents yet.
So, if this Berry Wallace shows up every night, the Big Ten will start to view the Illini a little bit differently.
Category: General Sports
