BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team won their seventh consecutive contest on Wednesday, Feb. 15, defeating Elmhurst College by a final score of 71-56. IWU has now won 12 of their last 13 games, with two to play in the regular season. Senior Gabby Weber led on offense for the Titans, scoring a career-high 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Weber also collected two rebounds and two steals on the evening.

With a win, the Titans improve to 17-6 (12-2 CCIW) while Elmhurst falls to 18-6 (10-5 CCIW). Both teams clinched their spot in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin conference tournament with wins over this past weekend.

With Elmhurst unable to handle the defensive pressure of Illinois Wesleyan throughout the contest, an early three-point lead was the closest IWU let the Bluejays get following the early-stages of the game. Four first quarter assists from senior Amanda Kelly helped the Titans to an early 24-16 lead.

After outscoring the Bluejays 25-11 in the second quarter, the Titans held a 22-point lead at halftime. Illinois Wesleyan's largest lead of the night was 23, coming at the 2:11 mark of the second quarter. IWU's defense prevented Elmhurst from attempting enough shots to stay within striking distance in the first-half. The Titans converted 19 first-half turnovers into 27 points as opposed to two points for Elmhurst.

Elmhurst brought the game back within reach in the second-half, cutting the Titan lead to as few as 11 points with 6:36 to play. The Bluejays couldn't sustain their momentum however, converting one basket for the remainder of the contest.

Kelly did a little bit of everything for the Titans on Wednesday, scoring five points to go alongside seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Sophomore Ashley Schneider and junior Molly McGraw each tallied 11 points for the Titans, while sophomore Maddie Merritt added 10. Sophomore Nina Anderson led the team with four steals.

IWU's defensive pressure prevented the Bluejays from getting into an offensive rhythm and forced Elmhurst to rely heavily on the post presence of Mikaela Eppard. Despite Eppard's 27-point performance, no other Bluejay scored in double figures. Kaela Jones and Kalia Summerlin entered into Wednesday night's action each shooting greater than .430 percent from deep, but combined to shoot 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. Summerlin, who prior to tonight ranked No. 10 in the nation for three-point shooting, attempted one shot in 12 minutes.

Despite being out-shot by the Blue Jays throughout the game, 55.0 to 42.4 percent, the Titans took advantage of offensive rebounding and points off turnovers to control the outcome. In total the Titans held a 37-11 advantage in points scored off turnovers and an 11-5 advantage in second chance points. Junior Rebekah Ehresman led the team with four offensive rebounds.

What's Next?
Illinois Wesleyan will play it's final home game of the regular season and honor six seniors on Saturday, Feb. 18. Weber, Kelly, Brittney Reaber, Shelby Gray, Alina Lehocky, Gabrielle Holness and Kaitlyn O'Boye are all in their final season at IWU. On "Seniors' Day" the Titans will face-off against North Central College who hold a record of 12-11 (6-8 CCIW) following a win over Carroll College on Wednesday night. Illinois Wesleyan defeated the Cardinals earlier this season, winning by a final score of 118-113.