BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team motors back up to Wisconsin for a clash with the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Saturday, Nov. 23. Tipoff from Kachel Gymnasium is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Illinois Wesleyan (4-0) looks to improve on its best start in 10 seasons following a 3-0 week that saw the Titans claim the St. Norbert Tournament Tipoff title with a 60-44 victory over Calvin, Nov. 16. UW-Whitewater, who opened the season with a 66-54 win against Calvin, Nov. 12, sits at 3-1 overall. Most recently, the Warhawks topped Augustana, 75-50, at home Nov. 20.
Links on how to follow this weekend's games can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.
FLASHBACK TO 2009-10: Illinois Wesleyan's 4-0 start to the season is its best since the 2009-10 campaign when the Titans began the season with 18 consecutive victories. IWU finished that season with a 28-2 overall record.
CHECKING IN AT NO. 18: A 3-0 week that included an upset of previously 18th-ranked Chicago, Nov. 12, catapulted Illinois Wesleyan into the WBCA Top-25 Coaches' Poll for the first time this season. The Titans, who were previously receiving votes, were slotted in the Nov. 19 WBCA poll.
SOSA'S BIG WEEK LEADS TO CCIW HONORS: An outstanding week of performances earned Kendall Sosa CCIW Player of the Week honors the leauge office announced, Nov. 18.
The Bloomington, Ill. native averaged 24.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.0 steals, and 1.7 assists per game over three games. Additionally, she converted 51.1 percent of her field goal attempts, including 50 percent of three-pointers.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TRIO: Following the conclusion of the St. Norbert Tipoff Tournament, the Titans saw Kendall Sosa named the tournament's MVP. Additionally, Sydney Shanks and Riley Brovelli garnered all-tournament honors alongside Sosa.
WINNING THE IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT: The Titans title at the St. Norbert Tipoff Tournament, Nov. 15-16, marked the fifth straight in-season tournament win for Illinois Wesleyan.
Last season, IWU won the Purple and Gold Poet Classic (Dec. 28-29), Midwest Challenge (Nov. 24-25, 2018), and Cornell Classic (Nov. 16-17, 2018). In the 2017-18 season, Illinois Wesleyan won the Colorado College Holiday Classic, Dec. 29-30, 2017.
A LOOK AT THE LEDGER: Illinois Wesleyan and UW-Whitewater will square off for the 10th consecutive season Saturday in a series that dates back to the 1997-98 campaign. UWW leads the all-time tally 9-3, and has won the past six meetings.
Most recently, Illinois Wesleyan dropped a 78-73 decision in the Shirk Center, Nov. 20, 2018. Maddie Merritt scored a game-high 26 points, but the Titans could not overcome the Warhawks' 42-28 advantage in points in the paint.
LAST WIN AT UWW: When the Titans make the trek to Whitewater, Wis. Saturday they will be in search of their first win at UW-Whitewater since defeating the Warhawks, 87-58, Jan. 2, 2010. Illinois Wesleyan, who was ranked No. 1 in the country at the time, won its 49th straight regular season game with the victory over UWW.
Nikki Preston scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed six boards, handed out four assists and made four steals in the win. Hope Schulte scored 20 points and Christina Solari added 11 points and collected a game-high 10 rebounds as IWU outrebounded the Warhawks, 36-29.
SCOUTING REPORT - UW-WHITEWATER: The Warhawks are out to a 3-1 start with wins over Calvin, Concordia Chicago, and Augustana.
Becky Raeder and Aleah Grundahl lead the way for the Warhawks offensively, averaging 16.5 and 10.0 points, respectively, for a UWW offense that averages 71.2 points per game. Johanna Taylor is the team's top rebounder at 7.5 boards per contest, while UW-Whitewater has been outrebounding opponents 169-158 this season.
As a team, UWW is shooting 39.1 from the field and just 25.8 from beyond the three-point line. The Warhawks have committed 72 turnovers and have tallied 49 steals. UW-Whitewater's defense has been strong through four games, allowing opponents just 55.5 points per game.
BRAVO BROVELLI: Riley Brovelli has turned in back-to-back doubles to kickoff the season for the Titans. Brovelli grabbed 11 rebounds and scored 11 points in IWU's season-opener at Governors State, Nov. 9. She added a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double in Illinois Wesleyan's win over No. 18 Chicago, Nov. 12.
Brovelli is just the sixth Titan to post consecutive double-doubles in the past 15 years. She joins Maddie Merritt, Rebekah Ehresman, Olivia Lett, Christina Solari, and Katie Blonn, with Solari accomplishing the feat five times, including a stretch of five in-a-row from Nov. 22-Dec. 13, 2008. Furthermore, she is the first player to do so since Merritt notched three straight from Dec. 15-Dec. 29, 2018.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: In Illinois Wesleyan's win at No. 18 Chicago, Nov. 12, Kendall Sosa put together one of the best performances in program history. The Bloomington, Ill. native tallied a career-high 35 points on 13-of-19 shooting, highlighted by five three-pointers. Her final total is fifth-most in IWU single game history and the most since Molly McGraw net 37 points at North Central, Dec. 3, 2016. Meanwhile, her 13 makes are tied for second-most all-time.
WHAT A START FOR SOSA: Junior captain Kendall Sosa's start to the season has been unlike that of any Titan in quite some time. Through two games, Sosa has averaged 32 points per game. She scored 29 points in IWU's season-opener at Governors State, Nov. 9, and one-upped that performance with a 35-point effort at No. 18 Chicago, Nov. 12.
Her 66 combined points through two games is the most by a Titan in more than 15 years. In fact, she is one of just four players to net 50-or-more combined points in a two-game span.
ON THE HORIZON: IWU remains on the road following a quick Thanksgiving break as the Titans travel to St. Louis for the Midwest Challenge hosted by WashU Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 30-Dec. 1. There, IWU will open play against Rose Hulman at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30.
