COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team completed their perfect stretch in Colorado on Saturday, defeating Lewis & Clark by a final score of 80-58.

With a win the Titans improved to 10-2 on the season while the Pioneers fell to 6-5.

Illinois Wesleyan used a superb shooting performance to pull away from the Pioneers in the second half of action. In total the Titans shot 49.2 percent from the floor which included a 51.85 percent mark in the second half on 14-of-27 shooting. Defensively, the Titans shut Lewis & Clark down in the second half holding the Pioneers to a 34.62 percent shooting performance where they converted on just 9-of-26 shot attempts.

Despite pulling away from the Pioneers in the second half, the Titans lost the overall rebounding battle 35-31. Illinois Wesleyan held an 18-13 advantage on the glass in the second half however. IWU won the turnover battle forcing the Pioneers into 22 committed turnovers as opposed to 11 for Illinois Wesleyan. The Titans held a sizable 24-11 advantage in points off turnovers.

Junior Ashley Schneider matched her season-high with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting alongside a team-high six rebounds on Saturday. Following her in double figures were sophomore Sydney Shanks with 13, junior Maddie Merritt with 12, and junior Nina Anderson with 10. Shanks set a new career-high in assists with seven, breaking her previous best of five which was set against North Park on Jan. 11, 2017 and Colorado College on Nov. 17, 2017. With the help of their forwards the Titans held a 46-30 scoring advantage in the paint.

Senior Rebekah Ehresman rounded out the starting line-up with nine points, five steals, three rebounds, and three assists. 12 Titans saw action on the court during Saturday's contest.

After a closely contested first quarter which saw the Titans hold a slim four point lead, the Pioneers stormed back in the second to lead Illinois Wesleyan by as many as six following a 14-4 run. Following Lewis & Clark's run IWU went on one of their own, scoring 12 straight points and taking a six point lead with a minute to play in the half. Sara Hogman's lay-up with 27 seconds remaining cut Illinois Wesleyan's lead to four heading into the break.

Keeping with the theme of large runs, the Titans used a 12-4 run to close out the third quarter to give themselves a 62-50 lead over the Pioneers. During the Titans offensive run the held Lewis & Clark to 2-of-8 shooting from the floor and forced three turnovers during the six minute span. Illinois Wesleyan never stepped off the gas, increasing their lead to the final 22 with 1:58 remaining in the contest.

Alyx Crager was the lone double-digit scorer for the Pioneers with 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Janessa Willie recorded a game-high eight assists and Lauren Wood collected a game-high seven rebounds.

What's Next?
The Titans are back in action after the turn of the new year on Wednesday, Jan. 3 when they face Augustana College at 7 p.m. in Rock Island, Ill. ... The Vikings sit at 7-3 on the season with a contest against Central (Iowa) on Saturday, Dec. 30 that will change their record prior to their game against Illinois Wesleyan.