BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team returns to College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play Saturday, Jan. 4, when the Titans host Millikin University inside the Shirk Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will serve as the first part of a doubleheader with the IWU men's basketball team, who will square off against Millikin at approximately 4 p.m.
Illinois Wesleyan begins the New Year looking to improve upon its 8-4 overall record (2-1 CCIW) and get back on track following a 67-55 loss at No. 5 Mary Hardin-Baylor, Dec. 28. Meanwhile, Millikin travels to the Shirk Center with an 8-3 record (1-1 CCIW). The Big Blue have lost three of their past five contests, most recently a 76-67 loss to Simpson, Dec. 21, in the Millikin Tournament. Fans can tune into the games via live stats or live stream, while Derek Bohlmann and Cathy Lowery will also have the call on 98.3 FM WEXG. Links on how to follow along can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.
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 beginning Jan. 9. Those unable to attend the weekly show can listen in on 98.3 FM WEXG.
BROVELLI BREAKS THE RECORD: Riley Brovelli continued her string of incredible rebounding performances in IWU's game at No. 5 Mary Hardin-Baylor, Dec. 28, as the Oglesby, Ill. native grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds. Brovelli's 20 boards surpassed Debbie Brady and Mary Valtichka's previous program record of 19 which had stood since Brady's performance against Greenville Jan. 28, 1979. Valtichka's record-tying performance came 10 years later at Benedictine, Jan. 31, 1989.
Brovelli's 20-rebound effort was her fourth straight double-digit rebounding game, and marked the ninth time she has accrued 10-or-more rebounds in a game this season. Moreover, her 49 rebounds over the past three games are the most by a Titan over a three-game stretch in program history.
LOOKING TO GET BACK ON TRACK: When IWU hits the floor Saturday, the Titans will look to bounce back from consecutive loss for the first time in 65 games dating back to the 2017-18 season. Illinois Wesleyan's loss at Augustana (Dec. 15) and Mary Hardin-Baylor (Dec. 28) represent the first time IWU has dropped two straight tilts since Nov. 21-25, 2017. The Titans dropped a 62-60 road game at UW-Whitewater, Nov. 21, before suffering a setback at the hands of WashU, Nov. 25, in their first game of the Midwest Challenge.
IWU has not lost three straight games since Dec. 2-12, when the Titans fell at Rose Hulman (70-46) and Chicago (67-39), before suffering a 68-50 home setback against UW-Stevens Point.
HOT SHOTS: Illinois Wesleyan has scored 865 points this season, the most of any team in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Additionally, IWU's season point total is 18th nationally. Meanwhile, the Titans 72.1 points per game are second-best in the league and 69th in the country.
Illinois Wesleyan is 8-2 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 217 points scored this season, one better than her 24-game total from a season ago. Through 12 games, Sosa has already set career-bests for field goals made (74) and steals (26) in a season.
BATTLING THE BIG BLUE: Saturday's showdown will mark the 94th edition in the Illinois Wesleyan-Millikin rivalry, a series that dates back to the 1972-73 season. IWU held off MU in the initial meeting, 38-33, and won the first four games between the two conference foes. Overall, Millikin owns a 50-43 edge in the all-time series, but Illinois Wesleyan has won the past nine meetings. Additionally, IWU is 32-15 against MU under the direction of Mia Smith.
SIT BACK, RELAX, AND STRAP IT DOWN: Saturday's clash between two of the top teams in the CCIW will pit the top two scoring offenses in the league against one another. Millikin leads the league at 73.2 points per game, while IWU ranks second with a 72.1 ppg average.
ONE OF THE TOP TITANS: When Millikin travels to the Shirk Center Saturday, Illinois Wesleyan fans will see a familiar face leading the Big Blue in second-year head coach Olivia Lett. One of the greatest basketball players in IWU history, Lett was a three-year letterwinner for the Titans from 2009-12. The 2012 CCIW Player of the Year, Lett led Illinois Wesleyan to a NCAA Division III National Championship in 2012.
She finished her career ranked second all-time in scoring average at 15.4 ppg, tied for second in blocks (70), third in free throw percentage (.829), seventh all-time with 1,354 points, ninth in field goals made (474), and 10th in three-pointers made (135) and free throws made (271).
SCOUTING REPORT - MILLIKIN: Millikin travels to Bloomington with an 8-3 overall record, including a 1-1 mark in CCIW play. The Big Blue stunned preseason favorite Wheaton, 66-63, to open league play, Dec. 7, before falling to Carroll 62-59, Dec. 14. After starting the season 6-0, Millikin has dropped three of its last five contests.
Millikin is led by a balanced scoring effort, that has three players averaging more than 10 points per game. Jordan Hildenbrand leads the team with 15.5 points per game and adds 7.0 rebounds a contest, a mark that ranks second on the team. Bailey Coffman and Aubrey Staton added 11.7 and 10.8 points per game, respectively, while Abby Ratsch averages a near-double-double (8.9 ppg-9.5 rpg).
As a team, Millikin leads the league and ranks 21st nationally with 14.0 steals per game. The Big Blue also sit atop the conference rankings in offensive rebounding, where MU grabs a league-best 16.4 boards per game. Defensively, the Big Blue lead the CCIW with 23.27 turnovers forced per game (38th nationally).
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-20 in scoring. Sosa tops the league at 18.1 points a game, while Shanks sits eighth (13.5), Brovelli is 10th (11.8), and Lansford is tied for 17th (9.8). IWU is also the only CCIW school with three players ranked inside the league's top-10 in scoring.
SHARING IS CARING: A key to the Titans success through the first 12 games of the season has been their selflessness. Illinois Wesleyan has dished out 205 assists, the second-most in the CCIW and the seventh-most in the country. IWU's 17.1 assists per game are 25th-best in the country, while Sydney Shanks (66th - 43 assists), Samantha Munroe (131st - 37 assists), and Brooke Lansford (163rd - 35) sit inside the nation's top-200 in dimes as of Jan. 1.
THE 49TH YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, now in its 49th year of women's basketball, has compiled a 651-470 overall record. IWU's .581 all-time win percentage includes a 297-186 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.
ALL COMES DOWN TO CASHING IN: Free throws have been an indicator of the Titans' success in 2019-20. In fact, IWU is 5-0 when shooting 70 percent-or-better from the charity stripe compared to 3-4 when shooting less than 70 percent from the line. Additionally, Illinois Wesleyan is 6-1 when making 10-or-more free throws.
THE DEAN OF THE CCIW: The 2019-20 season marks the 22nd year under the direction of Mia Smith, the longest tenured coach in the CCIW. Smith's 420 wins are the most among active CCIW coaches by more than 150. Additionally, Smith's 226 CCIW wins are the third-most in league history.
Under the tutelage of Smith, IWU has won eight CCIW Championships and made nine NCAA Tournament appearances. The Titans won the 2012 NCAA Division III Championship following a fourth-place finish in 2011.
CCIW PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: Illinois Wesleyan was predicted to finish second in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Preseason Coaches' Poll announced by the league office Wednesday, Oct. 30.
Wheaton was tabbed the preseason favorite with 64 points and eight first-place votes, followed by IWU (55 pts. - 1 first-place vote). Carthage came in third with 52 points, followed by North Park and Augustana in fourth and fifth, respectively. North Central is slotted sixth with 29 points, with Elmhurst, Millikin, and Carroll rounding out the poll.
HOME COOKING: In the 25 year history of the Shirk Center, Illinois Wesleyan has won 229 of 303 of its games on its home court, good for a .755 win percentage. The Titans are 2-0 on Denny Bridges Court and have won seven straight at home dating back to a Jan. 16 win over North Central.
ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan remains at home for a midweek clash with North Park Wednesday, Jan. 8. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.
