BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Winners of three in-a-row, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team will look to extend its win streak when North Central College visits the Shirk Center Wednesday night, Dec. 15. The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin matchup is set for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
    IWU evened its record at 4-4 on the season and sits atop the CCIW standings at 2-0 in league play following a convincing 81-62 win at Wheaton College, Dec. 11. The win boosted Illinois Wesleyan's win streak to three, as the Titans have notched wins over Eureka College (91-41) and Carroll University (75-62). North Central is also undefeated in league play, having knocked off Carthage College, 50-40, Dec. 4. The Cardinals are 4-5 overall and are coming off a 57-51 setback against the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 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.

WINNERS AT WHEATON: The Titans stunned nationally-ranked Wheaton, 81-62, on the Thunder's home court Saturday, Dec. 11. The win marked IWU's first regular season victory at King Arena since outlasting Wheaton, 88-84, Feb. 22, 2014. Additionally, Illinois Wesleyan's 19-point win marked the Green and White's largest margin of victory against the Thunder since toppling Wheaton, 94-57, Jan. 19, 2010. Furthermore, it's the largest margin of victory in the series since Wheaton defeated IWU, 92-70, Feb. 27, 2016.

BOWEN'S CAREER DAY: After leading IWU to a convincing win at No. 16/11 Wheaton, Dec. 11, senior Kaia Bowen reeled in CCIW Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career, Dec. 13.
    The Rantoul, Ill. native poured in a career-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including a 5-of-5 effort at the charity stripe, to go along with six rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. With Bowen at forward at 5-foot-9, the undersized Titans out-rebounded the Thunder 40-34 and totaled a 46-32 edge in points in the paint. With the win, IWU sits atop the CCIW standings at 2-0.

THE 51ST YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, now in its 51st year of women's basketball, has compiled a 675-484 overall record. IWU's .582 all-time win percentage includes a 311-193 CCIW mark.

PROVEN KEYS TO VICTORY: With eight games complete, Illinois Wesleyan has established keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 4-1 on the year when winning the rebounding battle and 4-2 when committing fewer turnovers than its opposition. When it comes to the scoreboard, IWU's magic number appears to be 70. The Green and White are 4-1 when scoring 70-or-more points, while the Titans boast a 4-2 record when holding opponents to fewer than 70 points.

CLASHES WITH THE CARDINALS: Wednesday's CCIW contest between the Titans and Cardinals will serve as the 89th chapter in a history that dates back 40 years. Despite North Central winning the first seven showdowns, including an 81-76 win in the initial meeting in 1979, Illinois Wesleyan leads the all-time series 49-30. Additionally, IWU is 37-11 against NCC under the direction of Mia Smith and has won nine of the past 11 meetings.
    The Cardinals and Titans split last season's meetings, with the road team coming out on top each time. IWU clobbered NCC 77-52 at Gregory Arena, Feb. 6, 2021. The Cardinals then shocked the Titans, 66-62, in Bloomington Feb. 23, 2021.

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 forcing a CCIW-best 25.12 turnovers per game, the 19th-most in Division III. The Green and White boasts a turnover margin of +5.62, the second-best in the CCIW, as well as the 43rd-highest nationally. Fueled by its daunting run-and-jump full-court press, Illinois Wesleyan is snagging 13.0 steals per game. The clip ranks second in the CCIW and 27th across all of Division III.

LEARNING ON THE JOB: The Titans have seen three freshmen average 15+ minutes per game and make an immediate impact. Lauren Huber leads the team in both scoring and rebounding after eight games. She is averaging 15.4 points and 7.4 rebounds over 26.4 minutes per game. Mallory Powers, who has averaged 23.5 minutes of action, is averaging 8.0 points per game and Kate Palmer is adding 7.4 points per game with an average of 17.8 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 33 assists are 126th-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 statistical rankings through eight 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 15.4 points per game, the highest average of any freshman. The duo are the only freshmen on the CCIW's top-25 rebounding chart, with Huber fifth (7.4 rpg) and Powers 18th (5.0). Huber is tied for sixth in steals (2.3 spg), while Powers checks in tied for 22nd (1.3 spg). Additionally, Huber's field goal percentage (50) is fifth-best in the league. Huber also ranks 15th in free throw percentage at 71.8. Elsewhere, Powers is averaging 1.5 three-points per game, the ninth-most in the CCIW.

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 442 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.

HOME COOKING: One of the greatest athletic venues in NCAA Division III, the Shirk Center has been home to more than 600 Titan basketball games between both the men and women. In the 26-year history of the Shirk Center, the women have won 238 of 317 of its games on its home court, good for a .751  win percentage.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans take a break from CCIW play this weekend, as IWU begins a three-game non-conference stint. Illinois Wesleyan hosts Chicago Saturday, Dec. 18, before traveling the Pacific Northwest for games at George Fox and Pacific, Dec. 30-31.