WHEATON, Ill. – Missed opportunities and a sluggish third quarter doomed the Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin contest at Wheaton College Saturday, Feb. 15, as the Titans fell 80-72. With the setback, IWU's record now sits at 15-8 overall and 9-5 in the CCIW, while Wheaton improved its record to 17-6 overall and 10-4 in league games.

Juniors Samantha Munroe (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles East) and Kendall Sosa (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) put up 20 points apiece to lead IWU's offense, while senior Sydney Shanks (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) added 10 points. Munroe went 8-for-14 from the field and hit four triples to go along with a team-high six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

As a team, the Titans converted 26-fo-53 shot attempts, 7-of-24 three-point tries, and went just 13-for-21 from the free throw line. The Thunder knocked down 27-of-61 field goal attempts, hit 6-of-17 threes, and went 20-for-24 at the free throw line.

Wheaton held a 42-33 edge on the glass, and cashed in for a 14-7 advantage in second chance points. Illinois Wesleyan owned a 6-0 lead in fastbreak points, but trailed in points in the paint (36-34), points off turnovers (15-13), and bench points (30-22).

A three-ball and a layup put Wheaton ahead by four, 12-8, with 1:31 to go in the opening period, but Illinois Wesleyan scored the final five points to push ahead by one. After sophomore Brooke Lansford (Leawood, Kan.-Blue Valley West) slipped a pass to Sosa for a layup, freshman Katelyn Heller (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard West) kicked it to Eck for a three-pointer to give IWU a 13-12 edge into the second quarter.

Layups by Heller and Shanks expanded the Titans' advantage to five, 17-12, before a five-point spurt by Munroe gave IWU a six-point lead with 6:20 to go in the second quarter. After a timeout, Wheaton responded with seven straight points to regain the lead.

A swipe-and-score by sophomore Catie Eck (Springfield, Ill.-Sacred Heart-Griffin) sent Illinois Wesleyan into the half trailing by four, 35-31, as the Springfield, Ill. native completed the three-point play at the line.

The Thunder broke the game open in the second half, going up by as many as 16, before Munroe and Shanks muscled the Titans within six in the final two minutes. Free throws by Wheaton kept the deficit hovering around double digits, thwarting the Titans comeback, as Illinois Wesleyan fell by a final score of 80-72.

Illinois Wesleyan wraps up the home portion of its regular season slate Wednesday, Feb. 19, against North Central College. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.