CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – History was made Sunday at the State Farm Center, despite USC defeating the Illini.

It was announced in the third quarter of the Big Ten contest that the game was the third sellout in Illinois women’s basketball history and the first under Shauna Green’s tenure.

The crowd stuck with the Illini through the many ups and downs of the game, which saw the Illini down double-digits for the majority of it.

In the middle of the fourth quarter, you could hear the sound of more than 15,000 people when the Illini staged a late comeback. The orange and blue seem to have established a pattern of going down early, then pushing their way back in. The crowd had no problems sticking around, though, and almost helped the Illini to a comeback win.

“I’m so grateful for everyone that had a hand in it, and for our fans that came out,” Green said.

The sellout not only puts the Illini at the top of the Big Ten in terms of crowds, but also the nation.

Only three other teams in the nation have drawn crowds of 14,000 or more this season. The three teams are powerhouse programs as well: UConn, South Carolina, and Iowa.

For the Illini to even be in the same breath as those teams shows just how far Green has moved the needle for this program. However, she doesn’t just seem intent.

“The vision is to have this every night,” Green said.

Sunday’s game was the culmination of fan momentum over the past couple of years, largely built by Green herself. The game against USC marked the second time in program history that the State Farm Center has welcomed over 80,000 fans in back-to-back years.

The Illini, though, couldn’t capitalize on the crowd and yet again struggled mightily with a slow start. For a young team, though, it’s all about what you can take away from games like this, and if the State Farm Center can be consistently packed like it was on Sunday, the Illini might just become a nationally known program.

“We will keep improving, and you guys keep showing up,” Green said.