Junior Kendall Sosa (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) caught fire against Carroll, dropping 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including six three-pointers. Her six triples were the most by a Titan since Jan. 5, 2013 when Melissa Gardner knocked down six treys against Elmhurst. Fellow junior Samantha Munroe (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles East) added a season-high 16 points, grabbed six rebounds, and tallied three assists, while sophomore Brooke Lansford (Leawood, Kan.-Blue Valley West) chipped in 12 points.

Senior Sydney Shanks (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) scored seven points and tied for the team lead with four assists in her first game back in nearly three weeks.

On the glass, junior Riley Brovelli (Oglesby, Ill.-LaSalle-Peru) grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and junior Anna Lowis (Springfield, Ill.-Sacred Heart-Griffin) racked up nine to give IWU a 41-31 edge on the glass.

The Titans went 29-of-61 (47.5 percent)from the floor and 12-of-27 (44.4 percent) from three-point range for the game. IWU was also efficient at the free throw line, going 13-for-18. Meanwhile, Carroll shot 39.1 percent from the floor and 22.2 from distance. Additionally, the Pioneers shooting woes saw Carroll go 14-for-23 from the free throw line.

Strong starts by Munroe and Sosa got the Titans rolling after Carroll knocked down back-to-back triples to take a 6-0 lead in the opening minutes. From there, Munroe and Sosa combined for 17 of Illinois Wesleyan's 23 first-quarter points to give the Titans a 23-15 lead after 10 minutes. 

Illinois Wesleyan kept its foot on the gas in the second quarter as Sosa slipped a pass to Lansford for a triple on the Titans first possession of the frame. Lansford found Shanks on a pick-and-roll moments later to extend the IWU lead to 28-15 and force a Carroll timeout 57 seconds into the period.

A Carroll three-pointer cut IWU's lead to 12 with 4:32 to play in the half, but Sosa answered with a three of her own to get the Titans back on track. Illinois Wesleyan closed the half on a 9-3 run to go into the break in front by 18, 50-32.

Carroll came out tough in the third quarter, cutting IWU's lead to 10 in the closing seconds of the quarter. A jump ball gave the Pioneers possession with 5.4 seconds to go, but Sosa swiped a pass in the backcourt and nailed a three at the buzzer to give IWU a 13-point edge with 10 minutes left to play.

The Pioneers scrappy play trimmed the Titans lead to 10 several times over the final minutes of play, but a Lansford three-ball with 2:12 left on the clock proved to be the dagger in Carroll's comeback effort. Free throws wrapped up the game, giving the Titans their fourth straight victory, 83-69.

Illinois Wesleyan looks to keep hold on first-place in the CCIW Wednesday night, Jan. 22, when the Titans host the Thunder of Wheaton College. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.