BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team hosts College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin-leading North Park University to the Shirk Center Wednesday night, Jan. 8. Tipoff between the Titans and Vikings is slated for 7 p.m.
Illinois Wesleyan looks to claim a share of the league lead and improve on its 9-4 overall record which includes a 3-1 CCIW mark. Most recently, the Titans held off Millikin 86-81, Jan. 4. Meanwhile, North Park hopes to maintain its perfect league record of 3-0 and boost its 10-2 overall mark. The Vikings, who will play their first conference game since a 71-58 win at Wheaton, Dec. 14, are coming off a split showing at the Loras Holiday Tournament, Dec. 29-30.
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.
RACKING UP THE REJECTIONS: Riley Brovelli blocked a career-high five shots in Illinois Wesleyan's win against Millikin, Jan. 4, the most by a Titan in program history. Her five rejections came on the heels of a four-block performance at No. 5 Mary Hardin-Baylor that tied the record which had stood since Nov. 27, 2004.
STEPPING IN AND STEPPING UP: Illinois Wesleyan went into its game against Millikin without two key contributors in Sydney Shanks and Samantha Munroe, forcing Head Coach Mia Smith to alter the starting lineup for the first time this season. Anna Lowis and Catie Eck made the most of their first career starts to fuel IWU to an 86-81 win. Lowis notched a 10-point, 14-rebound double-double and Eck tied a career-high with 18 points.
OVERCOMING A DEFICIT: Illinois Wesleyan overcame a four-point halftime deficit in its win over Millikin, Jan. 4. After trailing 34-30 at the midpoint, the Titans used a 56-point second half to secure an 86-81 victory. It was the first time this season IWU had come back to win after trailing at the half.
20/20 VISION: For the second time this season and just the sixth time since the start of the 2016-17 season, two players scored 20-or-more points in the same game, Jan. 4. Kendall Sosa dropped a game-high 26 points and Brooke Lansford added 20 points in IWU's win over Millikin.
Sosa and Sydney Shanks became the first teammates with 20+ points in the same game since Feb. 21, 2017 when they scored 25 and 20, respectively, in the Titans' 84-75 win against UW-Stout, Nov. 15.
VERSUS THE VIKINGS ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan and North Park will square off for the 69th time Wednesday night, Jan. 8, inside the Shirk Center. The Titans hold a commanding 55-13 advantage in the all-time series and have won 31 straight meetings with the Vikings dating back to the 2004-05 season.
Most recently, IWU completed the season sweep of NPU with a 97-52 victory at the Shirk Center, Jan. 23. Samantha Munroe scored a career-high 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting, including a 6-of-7 effort from the long line.
SCOUTING REPORT - NORTH PARK: North Park enters the midweek matchup in sole possession of first place in the CCIW with a 3-0 league record. The Vikings also lead the conference in wins at 10-2 overall. After winning eight straight to open the season, NPU has dropped two of its last four games.
Jayla Johnson leads a Vikings squad that relies heavily on its defensive play as the lone player averaging in double figures at 13.8 points per game. Johnson also paces the team with 5.3 rebounds a contest, followed closely by Josie Summerville's .5.0 rpg.
As a team, North Park is holding opponents to just 57.2 points a game, the best mark in the conference. Additionally, the Vikings have recorded 127 steals and forced 248 turnovers.
APPROACHING RARE AIR: Junior Riley Brovelli's career year has her on the verge of joining an elite group of Titans. With 13 games in the books, Brovelli is averaging 11.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. If she continues her current pace, the Oglesby, Ill. native will become just the sixth Titan in program history to average a double-double for a season, doing so for just the eighth time in the program's 49-year history.
TWICE IS NICE: Riley Brovelli and Anna Lowis became the second Titan duo to post double-doubles in the same game this season, accomplishing the feat versus Millikin, Jan. 4. Brovelli picked up her ninth double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Lowis erupted for a 14-rebound, 10-point effort for the first of her career. It marked the 10th time occurrence the 1999-00 campaign. Brovelli and Sydney Shanks previously did so against Carthage, Dec. 7.
HIGH FIVE: All five starters notched double-digit points in Illinois Wesleyan's CCIW clash with Millikin, Jan. 4. Kendall Sosa scored a game high 26, while Brooke Lansford tallied a career-high 20 points. Catie Eck tied a career-best with 18 points and Riley Brovelli and Anna Lowis contributed 10 points apiece. In addition to being the second time five players have scored 10-or-more points in a game this season, it was the first time all five starters hit double figures since a 115-106 win at North Central Jan. 22, 2014.
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 951 points this season, the most of any team in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Additionally, IWU's season point total is 16th nationally. Meanwhile, the Titans 73.2 points per game are second-best in the league and 54th in the country.
Illinois Wesleyan is 9-2 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 243 points scored this season, 17th-most in the country. Through 19 games, Sosa has already set career-bests for field goals made (81), rebounds (83), free throws made (50), steals (28), 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-20 in scoring. Sosa tops the league at 18.7 points a game, while Shanks sits eighth (13.5), Brovelli is 13th (11.6), and Lansford is 18th (10.6). IWU is also the only CCIW school with four players averaging double figures in scoring.
SHARING IS CARING: A key to the Titans success through the first 13 games of the season has been their selflessness. Illinois Wesleyan has dished out 222 assists, the second-most in the CCIW and the seventh-most in the country. IWU's 17.1 assists per game are 23rd-best in the country, while Sydney Shanks (101st - 43 assists), Brooke Lansford (137th - 40), Samantha Munroe (183rd - 37 assists) sit inside the nation's top-200 in dimes as of Jan. 5.
THE 49TH YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, now in its 49th year of women's basketball, has compiled a 652-470 overall record. IWU's .583 all-time win percentage includes a 298-186 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 6-0 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 7-1 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 421 wins are the most among active CCIW coaches by more than 150. Additionally, Smith's 227 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 230 of 304 of its games on its home court, good for a .755 win percentage. The Titans are 3-0 on Denny Bridges Court and have won eight straight at home dating back to a Jan. 16, 2019 win over North Central.
ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan enjoys a week off before kicking off a two-game roadtrip at Elmhurst Wednesday, Jan .15. Tipoff between the Titans and Bluejays is scheduled for 7 p.m.
