Preview: Illinois at Missouri in Women’s Basketball COLUMBIA, Mo. (Interstat) — A pair of surging teams meet Wednesday night when the Illinois Fighting Illini visit the Missouri Tigers in a nonconference women’s basketball showdown at Mizzou Arena. Illinois (8-1) brings a seven-game winning streak to Columbia, its lone loss a narrow 64-59 defeat at Oregon State in mid-November. The Fighting Illini are coming off a dominant 78-57 victory over Indiana on Saturday, where they outrebounded the Hoosiers 52-30. Missouri (9-2) has won five straight, including a hard-fought 68-67 win over California and a 65-56 victory against SIU Edwardsville last Sunday. The Tigers’ two losses came against high-powered Troy and in a tight Border War clash at Kansas. The matchup features two standout forwards. Illinois is led by Cearah Parchment, who is averaging a double-double during the win streak. She posted 15 points and 13 rebounds against Indiana. For Missouri, Jordana Reisma has been a consistent force, scoring 17 points in the team’s last outing and recording a 22-point, 15-rebound performance against Arkansas State last month. The Illini have overwhelmed opponents with defense and rebounding, holding six of their last seven foes under 65 points. Missouri has shown resilience in close games, with three of its last five wins decided by single digits. This contest serves as a final major nonconference test for both before league play begins. Illinois opens Big Ten action at Purdue on Dec. 28, while Missouri starts Southeastern Conference play against Texas on Jan. 1. Wednesday’s game tips off at 7 p.m. CST. The series, part of the Braggin’ Rights rivalry on the men’s side, has been less frequent for the women’s programs. Illinois will look to maintain its momentum on the road against a Missouri team that is 6-0 at home this season.