CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. – The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team got within three points on four occasions in the final 5:15 of the game but couldn't close the gap for good in a 77-70 loss to No. 4 Thomas More on Thursday, Dec. 29, at the Connor Convocation Center in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.
The loss sends the IWU record to 5-5 while Thomas More improved to 10-0 and winners of 76 straight games on the court. Thomas More is the defending NCAA Division III national champions, going 33-0 last year. The Saints were also 33-0 and won the national title in 2014-15 but the season was vacated due to an NCAA violation.
Illinois Wesleyan got within three at 65-62 with 5:15 left and also at 4:23 (67-64), 3:30 (69-66) and for the last time with 1:31 left (73-70). But the Saints converted to score points on two Illinois Wesleyan missed shots, one into a basket and the second led to two free throws, to nail down the seven-point winning margin.
The Titans trailed by 10 at 37-27 at halftime but scored the first six points of the second half on baskets by
Molly McGraw,
Amanda Kelly and
Maddie Merritt to close the gap to 37-33. IWU outscored the Saints, 29-23 in the third quarter and got within two at 55-53 on a
Sydney Shanks basket with 1:31 remaining in the quarter. The Titans trailed 60-56 after three.
Merritt led the Titans with 16 points and seven rebounds while junior
Rebekah Ehresman had 14 points. McGraw had 13 points and six boards and Kelly added 11 points.
IWU shot .363 from the field (29 of 80) and connected on just 5 of 27 (.185) from 3-point range. Thomas More shot .484 from the floor (31 of 64) and made just one of eight 3-pointers. The Saints outrebounded IWU, 45-38, and committed 20 turnovers to 15 for Illinois Wesleyan.
The 80 field goal attempts is second most in a game this season for IWU and the 27 3-point field goal tries is a season high.
What's Next?
Illinois Wesleyan continues their holiday break road trip, playing at Wilmington College (Ohio) at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 30. The Quakers are 7-3.
