BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – With revenge in mind, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team will travel south on route 51 for a battle with Millikin University Tuesday night, Feb. 9. It will be the second meeting between the two College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin squads in the past five days.
Illinois Wesleyan (1-1) picked up its first win of the season in convincing fashion Saturday, Feb. 6, as the Titans cruised to a 77-52 win at North Central. Millikin upped its record to 4-1 on the year with a 73-51 win over Carthage, Feb. 6, and sit tied atop the CCIW standings with Wheaton.
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.
FRESH FACES: Freshmen Emily Kleffman, Kathleen Stanley, Emma Kornak, Launi Chanthaboury, and Taylor Tarver made their collegiate debuts in IWU's win at North Central, Feb. 6.Kleffman scored six points, while Stanley and Kornak notched three points apiece.
MATCHIN' UP WITH MILLIKIN: Tuesday night's matchup will mark the 97th edition in the Illinois Wesleyan-Millikin rivalry, a series that dates back to the 1972-73 season. IWU held off MU in the initial meeting, 38-33, and won the first four games between the two conference foes. Overall, Millikin owns a 52-44 edge in the all-time series, but Illinois Wesleyan has won 10 of the past 12 meetings.
Additionally, IWU is 33-17 against MU under the direction of Mia Smith.
ONE OF THE TOP TITANS: Illinois Wesleyan fans will see a familiar face leading the Big Blue in third-year head coach Olivia Lett when IWU and Millikin square off Tuesday, Feb. 9. One of the greatest basketball players in IWU history, Lett was a three-year letterwinner for the Titans from 2009-12. The 2012 CCIW Player of the Year, Lett led Illinois Wesleyan to a NCAA Division III National Championship in 2012.
She finished her career ranked second all-time in scoring average at 15.4 ppg, tied for second in blocks (70), third in free throw percentage (.829), seventh all-time with 1,354 points, ninth in field goals made (474), and 10th in three-pointers made (135) and free throws made (271).
PLENTY OF POINTS: Tuesday's clash between two of the top teams in the CCIW will pit the top two scoring offenses in the league against one another. Millikin leads the league at 81.6 points per game, while IWU ranks second with a 79.5 ppg average.
THREE FOR THREEEEEEE!: The Titans knocked down 12-of-22 three-pointers in their game against Millikin, Feb. 4. IWU's 12 triples are the most in a game by a CCIW team this season. In fact, Illinois Wesleyan now leads the league in threes made per game and three-point field goal percentage (54.5).
IWU's barrage of triples came courtesy of Samantha Munroe, Brooke Lansford, and Kendall Sosa. Munroe went 5-for-7 from the long line, Lansford went 4-of-5, and Sosa finished 3-for-7. It marked the first time three Titans made at least three three-pointers apiece since the same trio did so in a win over Rose-Hulman, Nov. 30, 2019.
THE THREE-0-9: Through their first two games, the Titans have been one of the nation's best from beyond the arc. In fact, Illinois Wesleyan is converting 50 percent of its three-point tries, the second-best percentage in the country. Additionally, IWU's 10.0 three-pointers made per game are ranked fourth-most in the nation.
Individually, Samantha Munroe leads nation in three-pointers per game (4.50) and ranks eighth in three-point field goal percentage (69.2). Brooke Lansford checks in a 29th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (50.0).
