ELMHURST, Ill. -- The No. 16-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team clinched the outright College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) regular season championship on Tuesday, Feb. 20 with an 82-61 victory over Elmhurst College. Freshman Riley Brovelli led the team with 13 points alongside six rebounds (five offensive).

With a win the Titans conclude the regular season with an overall record of 22-3 and 15-1 in conference action. Elmhurst fell to 13-12 overall and 9-7 in the CCIW with a loss. These teams are set for a rematch in the first round of the CCIW tournament, which will take place in Bloomington, Ill. on February 23 and 24. This is the seventh time overall that the Titans have hosted the conference tournament and the first since the 2012 season in which they went on to win the national championship.
 
IWU shot a whopping .492 percent from the floor (32-of-65) and held the Bluejays to just .345 percent shooting (19-of-55). Elmhurst shot a lowly 4-of-19 from beyond the arc. Despite handing the Bluejays a 21 point loss, the Titans were out-rebounded 41-39 and 16-12 on the offensive glass. Defensively, Illinois Wesleyan forced 22 turnovers and converted those turnovers into 19 points. Elmhurst forced the Titans to commit 14 turnovers, but scored just four points off of them.

Three other Titans scored in double-figures in addition to Brovelli with 12 from junior Ashley Schneider, 11 from senior Molly McGraw, and 10 from freshman Raven Hughes. Schneider led the Titans with seven rebounds and senior Rebekah Ehresman led with a game-high five assists. McGraw added four assists and two steals for the Titans.

Elmhurst jumped out to a 16-9 lead over the Titans in the first quarter which turned out to be their largest lead of the afternoon. Down seven, the Titans went on a 19-6 run over the ensuing eight minutes of play. IWU closed the first half on an 11-5 run to take a 39-31 lead over the Bluejays heading into halftime.

Illinois Wesleyan broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring Elmhurst 26-15. After Elmhurst opened the half with a lay-up the Titans went on a 11-0 run to take a 17-point lead. An 11-4 run to conclude the third left the Titans up 19 heading into the fourth. IWU maintained their lead in the fourth by outscoring the Bluejays 17-15. Hughes set the tone for the Titans, opening the quarter with back-to-back baskets in the paint.

Elmhurst was led in scoring by Kaela Jones who finished with a game-high 17 points in addition to her team-high four assists. Mikaela Eppard recorded a double-double for the Bluejays with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

What's Next?
With a first place finish in the CCIW, Illinois Wesleyan has earned the right to host the conference tournament on Friday, February 23 and Saturday, February 24. The No. 1-seeded Titans will take on No. 4-seed Elmhurst in the first round of the tournament at 7 p.m. on Friday. Prior to, No. 2-seeded Wheaton will face-off with No. 3-seed Carthage at 5 p.m. The winners of each game will play for an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III basketball championship on Saturday.