WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team defeated Wilmington College by a final score of 83-78 on Friday, December 30. Senior Rebekah Ehresman led the Titans with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, alongside a career-high six steals and six rebounds. Two other Titans finished the contest with double-digit scoring figures.

With a win the Titans improved to 6-5 on the season while Wilmington fell to 7-4 overall. Illinois Wesleyan finishes their non-conference schedule with a record of 5-4 against non-conference opponents.

IWU took a 43-32 advantage into the locker room at halftime, led by a game-high 10 points from junior Molly McGraw in the first half. McGraw finished the game with 14 points despite shooting 4-of-15 from the floor. The Fightin' Quakers were often unable to find the bottom of the net in the first, shooting 26.5 percent which led to their 11 point deficit at the break.

However, the Fightin' Quakers went on to outscore the Titans 29-17 in the third quarter to take a one point lead. Mackenzie Campbell scored 11 of her game-high 21 points in the third quarter to bring the Quakers back into the mix. Wilmington shot a much improved 64.5 percent from the field in the second half of action, but fell just short against IWU.

In the fourth quarter the Titans outscored Wilmington 23-17. IWU received an all-around effort from their upperclassmen in the fourth with senior Amanda Kelly scoring five points, followed by Ehresman and McGraw who each tallied four. Sophomore Maddie Merritt also added four of her seven total points in the final quarter. Kelly finished the game with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

With 4:32 to play, Wilmington held a nine point lead over the Titans. IWU went on a 17-3 run over the final four minutes of action to close out the victory.

What's Next?
Conference play resumes for the Titans following the new year, on January 4, 2017. IWU will head to Decatur, Ill. to face the Big Blue of Millikin University. Millikin is currently 6-4 overall with a 1-2 record in CCIW play. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.