BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team will travel to Chicago for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Semifinals showdown against second-seeded North Park University Saturday, March 6. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Illinois Wesleyan (5-3) advanced to the second round of the tournament after clobbering Elmhurst, 77-52, March 4. Meanwhile, North Park escaped with a 55-50 win over seventh-seeded Carthage, March 4, to move to 9-4 on the year.
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.
MAY HAVE BEEN THE LAST: In what could be their final game inside the Shirk Center, Riley Brovelli, Anna Lowis, Samantha Munroe, and Kendall Sosa combined for 42 of IWU's 77 points and 24 of the team's 47 rebounds. Munroe and Sosa tied for the team lead with 18 points apiece, and Brovelli led the way with a game-high 11 rebounds. Brovelli added team-bests of four steals and three rebounds, while Munroe dished out a game-high seven assists.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE: The Titans and Vikings will meet in the CCIW Tournament for just the second time since the tournament began in 2003. IWU and NPU's previous meeting came back in 2006, a few months prior to Walt Disney Studios release of the movie Cars. IWU edged NPU 49-46 in the semifinal round as Val Fleishman scored a game-high 18 points and Mallory Heydorn added 10.
LET'S RUN IT BACK: Illinois Wesleyan and North Park will meet on the hardwood for the fourth time this season when the two tangle in the CCIW Tournament Semifinals Saturday, March. 6. It will be the first time IWU has played a team four times in a season since Illinois Wesleyan and Carthage played four times during the 2011-12 season. That year, IWU and Carthage split regular season meetings and then met twice in postseason play. The Titans outlasted CC 68-67 in the CCIW Tournament Championship and then again in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament (77-59) en route to winning the 2012 NCAA Championship.
VERSUS THE VIKINGS ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan and North Park will square off for the 73rd time Saturday afternoon, March 6. The Titans hold a commanding 58-15 advantage in the all-time series and have won 34 of the past 36 meetings with the Vikings dating back to the 2004-05 season.
Illinois Wesleyan won two of three regular games against North Park this season. The Titans topped the Vikings 55-48, Feb. 13, before NPU got revenge with a 65-63 win in Chicago, Feb. 25. IWU bounced back with a 77-61 win on Senior Day inside the Shirk Center, Feb. 27.
LOPSIDED WIN: With their 25-point win over Elmhurst, March 4, the Titans posted their largest win in a CCIW Tournament game since blowing by the Bluejays 96-63 in the 2018 CCIW Tournament. Molly McGraw led the Green and White with 23 points as the Titans stymied the Bluejays.
IWU AND THE CCIW TOURNAMENT: Illinois Wesleyan is making its 17th CCIW Tournament appearance since the league began holding a tournament in 2003. Over that time, the Titans have gone 25-7 in CCIW Tournament games and have won nine tournament championships.
THE THREE SEED IN THE TOURNAMENT: Illinois Wesleyan will look to become the first team to win the CCIW Tournament as the No. 3 seed or lower. From 2003-2020, third-seeded teams have posted a 6-17 record in the tournament.
ON HER WAY UP: An 18-point performance against Elmhurst propelled Kendall Sosa into sole possession of 10th on IWU's all-time scoring list with 1256 career points. She has now posted 25 consecutive double-digit scoring games and has four 30+ point games this season, as well as the nine in her career.
THE 50TH YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, now in its 50th year of women's basketball, has compiled a 670-479 overall record. IWU's .583 all-time win percentage includes a 309-192 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.
THE DEAN OF THE CCIW: The 2020-21 season marks the 23rd year under the direction of Mia Smith, the longest tenured coach in the CCIW. Smith's 437 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.
RESUME IS GETTING AWFULLY LENGTHY: A Senior Day performance earned Kendall Sosa CCIW Player of the Week honors for the second time this season and the fifth time in her career.
Sosa was named CCIW Player of the Week for the first time this season, while she landed on the D3hoops Team of the Week for the second straight time last month. Sosa, who has been selected as the CCIW's weekly award winner five times during her career, is the first Titan of any gender to earn multiple D3hoops Team of the Week honors.
ON THE HORIZON: With a win, the Titans will advnace to the CCIW Tournament Championship for the sixth straight season. There, IWU would play either top-seeded Millikin in Decatur or host fourth-seeded Carroll.
