BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- The No. 14-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team got four players in double figure scoring and won for the seventh straight time with an 86-77 win over the Carroll Pioneers at the Shirk Center on Saturday, Dec. 15.
 
The Titans improved to 9-2 overall and a perfect 4-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin while the Pioneers are now 4-6 overall and 1-2 in CCIW play.

Senior Nina Anderson scored 18 points to lead IWU with four 3-pointers, while sophomore Raven Hughes, who was an efficient 7-of-9 from the field, scored a career-high 17 points. Sophomore Kendall Sosa came off the bench to score 13 and senior Maddie Merritt scored 10 points and had a game-high 11 rebounds as Illinois Wesleyan held a 44-37 rebounding lead over Carroll.

Carroll got a game-high 24 points from freshman Theresa Wichser with 17 more coming from freshman Kayla Stefka. Sophomore Sierra Grubor came off the bench to score 14 and Celina Schwantes led the Pioneers with 10 boards.

Illinois Wesleyan built up a 10-point lead after the first quarter at 21-11 and led by 23 points at 52-29 at halftime. The Titans lled by as many as 26 at 58-32 early in the third quarter before Carroll chipped away to close to within 14 (60-46) with 4:24 left in the third. But the Titans went on a 14-6 run to close out the third quarter to get a 74-52 lead heading into the last 10 minutes.
IWU scored 20 points off 18 Carroll turnovers and the Titans were guilty of 14 turnovers. IWU had 36 points in the paint compared to 22 for the Pios. 

What's Next?
Illinois Wesleyan plays King's College (Pa.) in the first game of the Whittier College Purple and Poet Classic in Whittier, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 28. The following night the Titans will face the host school. IWU's next home game will be against Wheaton College on Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.