WHITEWATER, Wis. -- The No. 25-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team fell on the road against No. 20-ranked UW-Whitewater on Tuesday, Nov. 21 by a final score of 62-60. Illinois Wesleyan trailed by as many as 11 points in the opening stages of the fourth quarter, but outscored the Warhawks 18-11 in the final quarter to pull themselves within two in the closing seconds.

With a loss the Titans fall to 2-1 this season while the Warhawks stay perfect at 3-0.

Illinois Wesleyan struggled on the offensive end, connecting on just 31.3 percent (19-of-61) of their field goal attempts. Defensively the Titans held the Warhawks to 38.2 percent shooting, and 32.14 percent shooting in the second half. Whitewater held a clear rebounding advantage over the Titans, hauling in 48 rebounds to 37 for Illinois Wesleyan.

Three Titans finished in double figures with senior Rebekah Ehresman leading the way with 14 points. Freshman Kendall Sosa added 12 points and junior Maddie Merritt scored 11. Ehresman also led Illinois Wesleyan with seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Sophomore Sydney Shanks and Merritt each collected six rebounds and senior Ashley Schneider added five.

The two sides traded baskets for much of the first half which featured a total of five lead changes. Illinois Wesleyan shot just .344 percent from the floor for the half compared to Whitewater's .444. However, IWU used 12 points off turnovers and a 5-of-6 performance from the charity stripe to their advantage as they led 31-27 heading into the break.
 
Merritt collected an important offensive rebound in the closing seconds of the half following a missed 3-pointer from senior Molly McGraw. The junior immediately put the ball back up and scored to extend Illinois Wesleyan's lead to five at halftime. Merritt scored a game-high nine points on 4-of-6 shooting in the first half.

Poor shooting and turnovers troubled Illinois Wesleyan in the third quarter as they were outscored by the Warhawks, 24-11. The Titans went without a made basket from the 3:05 remaining mark in the third quarter to the 5:43 mark in the fourth, an 0-for-9 stretch.
 
After trailing 51-42 heading into the fourth things began to pick up for the Titans as they outscored the Warhawks, 18-11. A pair of free-throws from Sosa cut the deficit to two with 45 seconds remaining in the contest. After Sosa converted on both chances the Titans forced a turnover to set-up a pair of 3-pointers, however neither fell for IWU. After Whitewater extended their lead to 62-58 in the final seconds, and lay-up from freshman Raven Hughes as time expired cut the deficit to two once again.

What's Next?
The Titans continue their road trip this weekend, Nov. 25-26, at the Midwest Challenge hosted by DePauw University. There, Illinois Wesleyan will face off against No. 10-ranked Washington University in St. Louis and either No. 15-ranked DePauw or Rose-Hulman (RV). Last season the Titans fell to Washington U. by a final score of 87-86 and defeated Rose-Hulman 66-38.