BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – With final exams in the rearview mirror, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team returns to the hardwood Saturday, Dec. 11, at No. 6 Wheaton College. Tipoff of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin contest is slated for 5 p.m. inside King Arena.
Illinois Wesleyan heads into the Saturday showdown 3-4 overall and 1-0 in the CCIW after a pair of victories last week. Most recently, the Titans handed Carroll University its first loss of the season, 75-62, Dec. 4. Meanwhile, Wheaton is 9-1 on the season and 2-1 in the league. Like the Titans, the Thunder are coming off a win over Carroll, as Wheaton edged the Pioneers, 62-50, Dec. 8.
Fans can tune into the game via live stats or live stream. Links on how to follow along can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE, NOT THE TIM HORTON'S KIND: While freshman Lauren Huber may be deserving of a Tim Horton's double-double, this note has little to do with the Canadian multinational fast food restaurant chain.
Huber scored 12 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds in the first CCIW game of her career Saturday, Dec. 1, notching her first career double-double in the process. Huber's strong all-around performance, while also included three steals and an assist, marks the first double-double by an IWU freshman since Maddie Merritt posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double at North Central Feb. 6, 2016.

LEARNING ON THE JOB: The Titans have seen three freshman average 15+ minutes per game and make an immediate impact. Lauren Huber leads the team in both scoring and rebounding after five games. She is averaging 15.1 points and 7.1 rebounds over 27.0 minutes per game. Mallory Powers, who has averaged 22.7 minutes of action, is averaging 8.7 points per game and Kate Palmer is adding 7.7 points per game with an average of 17.6 minutes of play.

HELPING HAND: Senior Brooke Lansford has been one of the CCIW's top floor generals this season, as the Titans' starting point guard leads the conference with 4.1 assists per game. She ranked 87th nationally in assist average, while her 29 assists are 104th-most in all of Division III.

DYNAMIC DUO: The freshman duo of Lauren Huber and Mallory Powers are scattered throughout the CCIW's top-25 statistcal rankings through seven games. In fact, IWU is the only team in the conference that has a freshman ranked in the league's top-10 in scoring, rebounding, steals, and field goal percentage.
Huber ranks fourth in the league in scoring at 15.1 points per game, the highest average of any freshman, while Powers is 25th (8.7 ppg). The duo are the only freshmen on the CCIW's top-25 rebounding chart, with Huber seventh (7.1 rpg) and Powers tied for 18th (5.0). Huber is tied for sixth in steals (2.1 spg), while Powers checks in tied for 21st (1.4 spg). Additionally, Huber's 49.4 field goal percentage is fifth-best in the league.

FINDING HER STRIDE: Freshman Kate Palmer has seemingly found her stride over Illinois Wesleyan's last three games. Commonly the first sub off the bench for Mia Smith, Palmer has scored 10 points per game over the past three contests. Moreover, she has been incredibly efficient, shooting 57.9 percent from the floor and a whopping 63.6 percent from distance. Palmer has also grabbed 2.0 rebounds per game, tallied five assists, and committed just one turnover.

IN FOR A BATTLE ON THE BOARDS: Saturday's game will pit the CCIW's top offensive rebounding team, Illinois Wesleyan, against the league's top defensive rebounding team in Wheaton. IWU is pulling down 15.0 offensive boards a game, while the Thunder top the league with 32.7 defensive rebounds a game.

DAUNTING DEFENSE: Illinois Wesleyan's best offensive threat this season has proven to be its defense, as the Titans have made a living cashing in on the miscues of their opponents. IWU is averaging a CCIW-best 25.71 turnovers per game, the 21st-most in Division III. The Green and White boasts a turnover margin of +5.86, the third-best in the CCIW, as well as the 42nd-highest nationally. Fueled by its daunting run-and-jump full-court press, Illinois Wesleyan is snagging 12.9 steals per game. A clip, which ranks second in the CCIW and 34th across all of Division III.

ALL-TIME TILTS WITH THE THUNDER: Saturday's CCIW showdown between Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton will be the 85th all-time meeting on the hardwood between the two conference foes. The Thunder hold a 55-29 edge in the all-time series and have won five of the past six regular season clashes.
    The two have not met since the 2020 CCIW Tournament Championship game Feb. 29, 2020, where the Titans claimed the league title with an 84-76 triumph. Kendall Sosa poured in 31 points on 10-of-23 shooting, while Samantha Munroe hit seven three-pointers en route to a 26-point performance.

THE 51ST YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, now in its 51st year of women's basketball, has compiled a 674-484 overall record. IWU's .582 all-time win percentage includes a 310-193 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.

THE DEAN OF THE CCIW: The 2021-21 season marks the 24th year under the direction of Mia Smith, the longest tenured coach in the CCIW. Smith's 441 wins are the most among active CCIW coaches by more than 150. Additionally, Smith's 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.

ON THE HORIZON: CCIW play continues for Illinois Wesleyan Wednesday, Dec. 15, with the first of back-to-back home games. The Titans welcome North Central College for a 7 p.m. midweek matchup. The Titans then take a break from league action for a non-conference tilt against the University of Chicago Saturday, Dec. 18, at 2 p.m.