BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team begins a brief two-game roadtrip at R.A. Faganel Hall Wednesday night, Jan. 15, against Elmhurst College in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin midweek matchup. Tipoff between the Titans and Bluejays is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Returning to action for the first time in a week, Illinois Wesleyan enters the CCIW clash at 10-4 on the season and 4-1 in league play. IWU rolled North Park 82-51 in Bloomington, Jan. 4, to move into first-place in the league. Meanwhile, Elmhurst saw its record dip to 6-8 overall, 1-4 in league play, with an 8-75 setback at the hands of North Park, Jan. 11.
Fans can tune into the games via live stats or live stream. Links on how to follow along can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.
SHOOTING FOR WIN NO. 300: With a win at Elmhurst Wednesday night, Illinois Wesleyan will have 300 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin wins all-time. IWU would be just the third CCIW school to eclipse the 300-win mark, joining Augustana (431) and Wheaton (343).
TITANS ON TOP: With roughly a third of the conference schedule in the books, Illinois Wesleyan finds itself atop the conference standings at 4-1 in league play. The Titans handed North Park its first CCIW setback of the year 82-51, Jan. 4, to move into the top spot in the league. North Park and Carthage are on the heels of IWU at 4-1 and 3-1, respectively, while Millikin is one game back at 3-2.
SPARK OFF THE BENCH: In her return from injury Samantha Munroe proved to be quite the spark off the bench in Illinois Wesleyan's win over North Park, Jan. 8. In 21 minutes of action, Munroe scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, highlighted by a 3-of-4 effort from distance, and added four rebounds. Munroe's play led the Titans to a 24-14 edge in bench points and gave the St. Charles, Ill. product her third double-digit scoring performance of the season.
SHE'LL TAKE THAT: Since stepping into a starting role Anna Lowis has taken her play to another level. After posting her first career double-double in her first career start, Jan. 4, the Springfield, Ill. native racked up eight steals in IWU's crucial CCIW win over North Park, Jan. 8. Lowis' eight swipes are tied for fourth-most in program history and are the most by a Titan since Sydney Shanks notched nine against Cornell, Nov. 17, 2018.
BATTLING THE BLUEJAYS: Wednesday night's midweek matchup will mark the 74th all-time meeting between Illinois Wesleyan and Elmhurst since the two first tangled during the 1981-82 campaign. The Bluejays took the first meeting, 75-67, but the Titans own a 57-16 edge in the all-time series and have won seven straight against Elmhurst.
Most recently, IWU swept the season series with an 81-51 win at Elmhurst, Dec. 5, 2018, and an 83-62 Senior Day triumph in Bloomington, Feb. 9, 2019.
SCOUTING REPORT - ELMHURST: Elmhurst welcomes Illinois Wesleyan to R.A. Faganel Hall with hopes of getting back on track after a pair of league losses at Augustana and against North Park. Since squeaking out a 56-55 win at Carroll, Jan. 4, the Bluejays have suffered tight losses in CCIW play (63-58 at Augustana, 80-75 vs. North Park).
Kween Jean paces the Bluejays with 13.1 points per game and 7.4 rebounds a contest. Courtney O'Donnell follows closely at 9.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
Elmhurst has struggled to sustain consistency on offense, averaging just 59.4 points per game. The Bluejays are shooting 36.6 percent from the floor and 26.8 percent from three-point range, and have seen their scoring struggles plagued by 18.1 turnovers a game. Elmhurst is giving up 68.6 points a contest and has seen opponents shoot 42.4 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from distance.
HEAT CHECK: Junior Kendall Sosa has scored 26 points in back-to-back games for the Titans. Her 52 combined points over the past two games are tied for the third-most in IWU history, behind only Molly McGraw's 62 points from Dec. 3-10, 2016, and Sosa's 66-point start to the season, Nov. 9-12. 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.
NEW YEAR, NEW LOCATION: The New Year has brought about a change in location for the weekly coaches show. Fans can catch Illinois Wesleyan Head Basketball Coaches Ron Rose and Mia Smith every Thursday night at 7 p.m. hosted by Cheeks Bar and Grill located at 1206 Towanda Ave. in Bloomington. Those unable to attend the weekly show can listen in on 98.3 FM WEXG.
HOT SHOTS: Illinois Wesleyan has scored 1,033 points this season, the third-most of any team in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Additionally, IWU's season point total is 34th nationally. Meanwhile, the Titans 73.8 points per game are second-best in the league and 45th in the country.
Illinois Wesleyan is 10-2 when scoring 60-or-more points, compared to 0-2 when held under the 60-point mark.
SEASON-HIGH SURPASSED: Junior Kendall Sosa's hot start has the Bloomington, Ill. native sitting with 269 points scored this season, 22nd-most in the country. Through 14 games, Sosa has already set career-bests for field goals made (92), rebounds (66), free throws made (51), steals (29), blocks (7) in a season.
TITAN TRIO QUARTET: Kendall Sosa, Sydney Shanks, Riley Brovelli, and Brooke Lansford have lead the Titans' offense this season. In fact, IWU is the only team in the conference with four players ranked inside the CCIW top-15 in scoring. Sosa tops the league at 19.2 points a game, while Shanks sits eighth (13.5), Brovelli is 11th (12.0), and Lansford is 15th (10.4). IWU is also the only CCIW school with four players averaging double figures in scoring.
THE 49TH YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, now in its 49th year of women's basketball, has compiled a 655-471 overall record. IWU's .582 all-time win percentage includes a 299-186 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.
SHARING IS CARING: A key to the Titans success through the first 14 games of the season has been their selflessness. Illinois Wesleyan has dished out 240 assists, the most in the CCIW and the 12th-most in the country. IWU's 17.1 assists per game are 21st-best in the country, while Brooke Lansford (162nd- 45 assists) and Sydney Shanks (193rd - 43) sit inside the nation's top-200 in dimes as of Jan. 12.
ALL COMES DOWN TO CASHING IN: Free throws have been an indicator of the Titans' success in 2019-20. In fact, IWU is 6-0 when shooting 70 percent-or-better from the charity stripe compared to 4-4 when shooting less than 70 percent from the line. Additionally, Illinois Wesleyan is 7-1 when making 10-or-more free throws.
ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan remains on the road for a CCIW doubleheader at Carroll, Jan. 18. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be followed by the IWU men's basketball team's clash with Carroll.
