The first day of 2026 gave us a pair of upsets in women’s college basketball.
First, unranked Illinois beat previously undefeated No. 7 Maryland, 73-70. Then, No. 11 Kentucky handed No. 5 LSU their first loss of the season, beating them 80-78.
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Illinois beats Maryland—once again
Last year, Illinois beat Maryland in a 66-65 nail-biter late in the Big Ten season. This year, they do it again, but this time on New Year’s Day.
But, taking down Maryland wasn’t easy for the Illini. Maryland led for most of the contest and dominated inside, outrebounding Illinois 39-30 and outscoring them 42-28 in the paint.
With 2:37 left in the final quarter, Gretchen Dolan gave Illinois a one-point lead, and they remained in front the rest of the way. Both teams exchanged pairs of made free throws, and after Dolan missed a layup, the Terrapins suddenly had a chance to take the lead.
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However, Yarden Garzon made a careless pass inside the paint and Illinois not only regained possesion, but was fouled while doing so. Turnovers were a struggle for Maryland all night long as they committed 18 of them.
With 15 seconds to go, Berry Wallace sank her two shots from the charity stripe to put Illinois up, 73-70. Each team then committed a couple of careless turnovers, and after Saylor Poffenbarger missed a last-second 3-pointer that would’ve sent the game to overtime, Illinois celebrated their first win over a ranked opponent in nearly 11 months.
Wallace was magnificent for Illinois. She had a game-high 22 points along with seven rebounds and three assists. Cearah Parchment and Dolan were the other players who were in double figures for the Fighting Illini. Both scored 17 points.
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Garzon had a couple of key turnovers late, but she was also a main reason why the Terps were still in this game down the stretch. She ended the night with 17 points.
Illinois will now face another ranked Big Ten opponent, with No. 24 Michigan State up next, and Maryland will play Indiana.
A Tonie Morgan game-winner pushes UK past LSU
It was a wild ending for the Wildcats on Thursday night.
Kentucky found themselves down by one point with 18 seconds left in the game. They took a timeout to advance the ball and placed it in Tonie Morgan’s hands. The ball never left her possession as she pounded the orange off of it, dribbling the clock down to the wire.
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She drove to the left and was able to get the switch she wanted, forcing LSU big Amiya Joyner to defend her.
Joyner was on an island by herself, but did a good job denying any dribble penetration. Morgan had to settle for a contested 3-pointer. But great players make great plays, and she knocked it down, leaving just a half-second on the clock.
The Tigers had one last shot at winning, but it wasn’t much of an attempt. Flau’Jae Johnson inbounded the ball, but her bounce pass to Mikaylah Williams didn’t result in a shot that was able to beat the buzzer. And even if it did, it just banged on the backboard, failing even to touch the rim.
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LSU is no longer undefeated and Kentucky has just earned their most impressive win of the season.
Morgan wasn’t just great down the stretch; she was elite all game long. She ended the night with 24 points, shot 70 percent from the field and was a perfect 3-for-3 from deep. Teonni Key also had a monster game. Key had a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds.
For LSU, Williams led the way with 24 points, and Johnson contributed 15 points as well.
Kentucky plays Missouri next. If they take care of business there, they will almost certainly be considered a top-10 team in the nation. LSU has a much tougher opponent next, taking on No. 12 Vanderbilt on Sunday. A win would reassure everyone that this loss to Kentucky was just the result of playing a good team and losing control in the fourth. Another loss, however, and those early regular-season wins will look like empty victories when contextualized with defeats to ranked opponents.
