BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team puts its four-game win streak on the line Saturday, Jan. 22, as the Titans travel to Van Male Fieldhouse for a conference bout with Carroll University. Tipoff of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin contest is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will serve as the first leg of a doubleheader with the IWU men's basketball team.
    The Titans ran their win streak to four with a convincing 73-51 win over Millikin University, Jan. 19, to maintain their perfect start to CCIW play. The win moved the Green and White to 10-6 overall and 7-0 in league games. Winners of six in-a-row, the Pioneers welcome IWU to Waukesha with an 11-3 record. Carroll sits even at 3-3 in CCIW games, but is returning to action after a 104-48 blowout win over a short-handed North Park University squad, Jan. 15.
    Fans can tune into the game via live stats or live stream, while Eric Stock and Joel Swanson will have an audio only broadcast as well. Links on how to follow along can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

FUELED BY FRESHMEN: Illinois Wesleyan's freshmen trio of Kate Palmer, Lauren Huber, and Mallory Powers were key in the Green and White's win over Millikin, Jan. 19. The trio combined for 47 points, as Palmer tied for the game-high with a career-best 20 points. Huber added 15 points and Powers tallied 12.
Coincidentally, the point total matched Kendall Sosa's record-setting performance at Millikin last season, where the standout guard erupted for 47 points in an overtime win for IWU. The trio's strong performance came on the same night Sosa received her NCAA Today's Top 10 Award in Indianapolis.

TAKING IT UP A NOTCH: Since beginning CCIW play in December, the Titans have taken their play to another level. With seven conference games under their belts, the Titans lead the conference in scoring (78.3 ppg), scoring margin (+21.0), three-point field goal percentage (38.4), three-pointers made per game (8.0), turnover margin (+10.14), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.00).

STRONG START: Through its first seven games of its 16-game CCIW slate, Illinois Wesleyan sits in sole possession of first-place in the conference. IWU is 7-0 in league play. The undefeated start matches IWU's best start since winning 11 in-a-row during the 2017-18 campaign.

BIG GAME, BIG WIN: Illinois Wesleyan came out firing on all cylinders from the jump in its 73-51 rout of Millikin, Jan. 19. The Titans led for nearly 37 minutes of the 40-minute contest, and used a strong defensive effort to stifle the Big Blue. Millikin entered the game as the top offensive team in the CCIW, averaging better than 74 points per game. The Big Blue's 51 points were the fewest scored by MU since falling to Carthage, 58-49, Feb. 8, 2020.

CLASHING WITH CARROLL: Illinois Wesleyan and Carroll will square off for just the 24th time when the two battle in Waukesha Saturday. The Pioneers hold a 14-9 edge in the all-time series, but the Titans have won nine straight since CU rejoined the CCIW ahead of the 2016-17 season. Carroll's last win against IWU came back on March 2, 2007, when the Pioneers topped the No. 24 Titans, 86-59, in the NCAA Tournament.
IWU topped the Pioneers, 75-62, in the first meeting between the two, Dec. 4. Five Titans scored in double figures, led by freshman Mallory Powers with 16. Brooke Lansford added 13, Lauren Huber tallied 12, and Kate Palmer and Katelyn Heller contributed 10 points apiece.

THAT'S OUR POINT GUARD!: Senior Brooke Lansford was named the CCIW's Player of the Week Monday, Jan. 17, marking the first weekly conference accolade of her career. Lansford guided the Titans to a pair of wins Jan. 10-15, with 19 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 steals per game over the two-game span. Lansford went 7-for-13 from three-point range and shot 53.8 percent from the field overall. She is the third Titan to receive the conference honor this season, joining Kaia Bowen and Lauren Huber.

R-N-J BABY: The Titans full-court press has flustered the opposition this season, and Millikin was no different. The Green and White forced 25 Big Blue turnovers, leading to 31 IWU points in its win Jan. 19. It marked the 13th time this season IWU has forced 20-or-more miscues. In fact, the Titans are 10-3 when doing so, compared to 0-3 when opponents record fewer than 20 turnovers.

PROVEN KEYS TO VICTORY: With 16 games complete, Illinois Wesleyan has established keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 8-1 on the year when winning the rebounding battle. When it comes to the scoreboard, IWU's magic number appears to be 70. The Green and White are 9-1 when scoring 70-or-more points, while the Titans are 1-3 when opponents eclipse 70 points. IWU is also 6-0 when compiling a better shooting percentage than the opposition this season.

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 4.2 assists per game. She also ranks 27th in all of Division III with 67 assists this season.
She notched her 200th career assist in IWU's win at Elmhurst, Jan. 12, and currently sits tied with Kendall Sosa for 20th on IWU's career assist list with 213. She is just four behind Hannah Meharry for 19th (217).

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 24.69 turnovers per game, the 21st-most in Division III. The Green and White boasts a turnover margin of +8.00, the best in the CCIW, as well as the 13th-highest nationally. Fueled by its daunting run-and-jump full-court press, Illinois Wesleyan is snagging 13.1 steals per game. The clip ranks second in the CCIW and 28th across all of Division III.

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 448 wins are the most among active CCIW coaches by more than 150. Additionally, Smith's CCIW wins are the second-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.

BALANCE IN THE POINTS COLUMN: Illinois Wesleyan has had one of the most balanced offenses in the CCIW this season through 16 games. In fact, Illinois Wesleyan is one of two teams in the conference with four players ranked in the league's top-25 in points per game. Additionally, IWU is the only school in the league with three freshmen on the list.
    Lauren Huber is sixth at 14.2 points per game, the highest mark on any freshman in the CCIW. Brooke Lansford is seventh at 13.3 ppg, Kate Palmer is 20th with 10.0 ppg and Catie Eck is tied for 24th at 8.9 ppg.

THE 51ST YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, now in its 51st year of women's basketball, has compiled a 681-486 overall record. IWU's .584 all-time win percentage includes a 316-193 CCIW mark.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan has a quick turnaround, as the Green and White return to the road for a Monday night matchup at North Park Jan. 24. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.