BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team toppled North Central College in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play Wednesday evening, Feb. 19, inside the Shirk Center. The Titans led from wire-to-wire, pushing ahead by as many as 27, before cruising past the Cardinals 90-63.
With the win, the Titans improved to 16-8 overall and 10-5 in CCIW play and now sit tied with North Park for second in the league standings with one game to go. North Central's record trickled to 11-13 overall, 7-8 in conference action.
Senior
Sydney Shanks (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) put on quite a show for the Shirk Center, dropping 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting, including a 3-for-4 effort from distance. Shanks added a career-high tying nine steals, grabbed two rebounds, and tallied an assist to pace the Titans. Also breaking the 20-point plateau was junior
Kendall Sosa (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) who finished with 22 points, six rebounds, four assists, and a steal.
Junior
Samantha Munroe (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles East) chipped in 10 points, with fellow juniors
Riley Brovelli (Oglesby, Ill.-LaSalle-Peru) and
Anna Lowis (Springfield, Ill.-Sacred Heart-Griffin) and sophomore
Catie Eck (Springfield, Ill.-Sacred Heart Griffin) tallying eight points apiece.
Sophomore
Kaia Bowen (Rantoul, Ill.-St. Thomas More) grabbed a team-leading and career-high seven rebounds, with Brovelli and Sosa notching six each to give IWU a 39-28 lead on the glass.
Shanks' nine swipes led the way for the Titans, who racked up 21 steals in the contest. Illinois Wesleyan's 21 swipes are tied for the 10th-most in single game history and were the most since the Titans tallied 23 at North Park, Jan. 13, 2018.
As a team IWU shots 51.4 percent from the floor and 45 percent from long range. NCC finished 24-for-50 form the floor (48 percent) and 10-of-29 form the long line.
The Titans dished out 22 assists, with Munroe pacing Illinois Wesleyan with five and Brovelli and Sosa adding four each. Additionally, Illinois Wesleyan forced 31 North Central turnovers and cashed in for 23 points, while committing just 19 itself.
The regular season comes to a close in Kenosha, Wis. Saturday, Feb. 22, as the Titans take on Carthage College. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will serve as the first leg of a doubleheader with the IWU men's basketball team.
