Preview: Illinois at Northwestern Women’s Basketball EVANSTON, Ill. (Interstat) — A surging Illinois team visits a struggling Northwestern squad in a Big Ten Conference women’s basketball matchup Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Fighting Illini (18-8 overall) enter on a two-game winning streak after a dominant 76-56 victory over Rutgers on Tuesday. They have won four of their last six and sit firmly in the upper tier of the conference standings. Northwestern (8-18) looks to halt a seven-game losing skid, most recently a 104-68 defeat at Michigan State on Wednesday. The Wildcats have found wins scarce in conference play. The matchup features two of the league’s top individual scorers. Illinois is led by guard Cearah Parchment, who is averaging 19.1 points per game over her last seven contests. She scored 20 points with four assists in the win over Rutgers. Northwestern’s offense runs through guard Grace Sullivan, who has been a bright spot during the losing streak. She is averaging 21.6 points per game over the same seven-game span, including a 35-point performance at Indiana on Feb. 1. The teams met just over a month ago in Champaign, with Illinois escaping with a 74-71 victory on Jan. 18. Parchment led the Illini with 22 points in that game, while Sullivan scored 19 for the Wildcats. Illinois has shown balanced scoring behind Parchment, with Berry Wallace adding 21 points against Rutgers. Northwestern will need more support for Sullivan; Caroline Lau contributed 10 assists in the loss to Michigan State. The game is critical for both teams’ postseason positioning. Illinois aims to solidify its NCAA tournament resume, while Northwestern seeks to build momentum before the conference tournament. After this game, Illinois travels to face Iowa on Feb. 26. Northwestern heads to Maryland on Feb. 25. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST Sunday.