Bloomington, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team subdued Augustana College on Wednesday, Jan. 25, winning by a final score of 83-74. Sophomore Maddie Merritt recorded a career-high 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting, in addition to a 7-of-10 performance from the free-throw line. Merritt also added four rebounds, two assists, and an emphatic block to her final tally.

With a victory the Titans improve to 12-6 (7-2 CCIW) while Augustana falls to 13-5 (6-3 CCIW). IWU now sits third in the CCIW standings behind Wheaton and Elmhurst College.

Illinois Wesleyan got off to a quick start in the first quarter, taking an early 11-point lead (15-4) thanks to an and-1 opportunity from junior Rebekah Ehresman.

Augustana began to battle back in the second quarter however, outscoring the Titans 27-21, cutting IWU's lead to four points at halftime. Junior Molly McGraw extended the Titans lead at the buzzer, taking advantage of a relaxed Viking defense to sink a lay-up before the clock struck 00:00. McGraw and Merritt tied for a game-high 16 points in the first half.

The third quarter was closely contested as the Vikings tied the game twice. Augustana took their second and final lead of the game at 1:52 remaining in the third, following a pair of free-throws from Mikayla Fallon. With the Titans trailing 58-56, senior Shelby Gray shifted the momentum for the remainder of the game. Gray hit a contested 3-pointer with 1:37 to play in the quarter, giving the Titans a 59-58 lead.

Following Gray's triple, the Titans extended their lead to as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter before the final horn sounded.

Merritt and McGraw combined to score 47 of the Titans 83 points. McGraw finished with 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting alongside four steals, three assists and a blocked shot. McGraw now ranks No.17 in all-time scoring at IWU with 1,038 points.

Senior Amanda Kelly consistently pushed the pace on the offensive end, contributing 12 points and three assists without turning the ball over. Ehresman was steady throughout the game finishing with 12 points and four boards.

Freshman Sydney Shanks shined defensively contributing a career-high three blocks alongside two steals and five rebounds.

What's Next?
Illinois Wesleyan has a rare Saturday free before returning to action at home against Millikin next Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.