BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team lifts the lid on the 2022-23 season Friday-Saturday, Nov. 11-12, at the Hope College Tipoff Tournaent in Holland, Mich. IWU will begin the year with a 4 p.m. ET tipoff against Concordia University-Wisconsin Friday, Nov. 11. The Titans will then take on either No. 1 ranked Hope or Geneva Saturday, Nov. 12.
Live stats, a live stream, and an audio broadcast of the weekend's games will be available courtesy of Hope athletics. Links can be found on the women's basketball schedule page at iwusports.com.

NO STRANGER TO DEVOS: The Titans are no strangers to DeVos Fieldhouse, the home of the Hope College Flying Dutch. In fact, Illinois Wesleyan won the 2012 Division III National Championship at DeVos with a 57-48 win over George Fox after a 67-53 triumph against St. Thomas in the national semifinal.
More recently, Illinois Wesleyan toppled Berea, 76-50, March 6, 2020 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. IWU went on to give top-ranked Hope a scare in the second round before falling, 72-69, March 7, 2020.

FACING THE FALCONS: Illinois Wesleyan and Concordia-Wisconsin will square off for the fifth time Friday, Nov. 11. The Green and White hold a 4-0 record against the Falcons all-time. Most recently, IWU and CUW met during the 2012-13 season, where Illinois Wesleyan came away victorious, 87-59.
In La Crosse, Wis. the Titans will tangle with the Falcons on the pitch. Freshman guard Sawyer White and IWU will battle Concordia-Wisconsin in the opening round of the Division III women's soccer tournament Friday evening, Nov. 11.

LIMITED HISTORY: IWU will face either Geneva or Hope Saturday, Nov. 12, to conclude its opening weekend. Illinois Wesleyan has played just one game against Hope, last season's national champion. The Flying Dutch downed the Titans, 72-69, as the Green and White's upset bid over No. 1 Hope fell short in the second round of the 2020 NCAA Tournament. Kendall Sosa went off for 32 points in the game, while Sydney Shanks (13) and Samantha Munroe (11) also finished in double-figures. IWU has never faced Geneva, so a Saturday showdown would mark the first meeting between the two.

TIDBITS FROM THE TUNEUPS: The Titans competed in a pair of exhibitions in preparation for the 2022-23 season, as IWU battled Cardinal Stritch (NAIA) and Union (Tenn.).
The Green and White ran away with an 86-46 win over Cardinal Stritch, Oct. 29. Emily Galvan paced the Titans with 15 points, while Caite Knutston added 14 points and Kate Palmer finished with 11. IWU's defense limited CSU to a field goal percentage of 25.9.
Illinois Wesleyan then traveled to Union, Nov. 5, to take on Division II's fourth-ranked squad. The Titans were edged, 86-85, by a talented Union squad. Lauren Huber recorded a 19-point, 10 rebound double-double. Mallory Powers dropped a team-high 20 points aided by six three-pointers, while Katelyn Heller and Palmer added 18 points apiece.

SUPER HUBER: Coming off a phenomenal freshman season, Lauren Huber returns after a First Team All-CCIW and D3hoops All-Region caliber season in 2021-22. Huber was IWU's rebounding leader a season ago with 6.2 caroms per contest, while also adding 12.7 points per game. The Lombard, Ill. native added 45 steals, 35 assists, and five blocks as she started 26 of IWU's 29 games.
Huber's memorable season was followed with a conference title in track and field. Huber topped the CCIW heptathlon field with 4103 points behind first-place finish in the long jump (4.73) and 800 meter run (2:20.13).

NEW FACES: Illinois Wesleyan's roster features six freshman and a junior transfer as new additions. Freshmen Sara Balli, Sawyer White, Payton Jacob, Emily Galvan, Laura Mahlum, and Martha Lipic are in their first collegiate seasons, while Caite Knutson joined the Titans after two seasons at Division I Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

OH, CAPTAIN: The Titans captains for the 2022-23 season will be senior Katelyn Heller and sophomore Lauren Huber as voted by the team during the preseason.

HOME GROWN: With the loss of Leawood, Kan. native Brooke Lansford to graduation, the Titans boast a fully-Illinois bred roster for the first time since 2017-18. This is just the third time since 2012-13 IWU has had a roster without any out-of-state players.

IWU IN SEASON OPENERS: Illinois Wesleyan holds a 25-25-1 record in season openers all-time, highlighted by a 13-11 mark under head coach Mia Smith. Additionally, IWU has won five of its past eight season openers dating back to the 2013-14 campaign.

THE 52nd YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, now in its 52nd year of women's basketball, has compiled a 691-489 overall record. IWU's .586 all-time win percentage includes a 325-195 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.

CCIW CRYSTAL BALL: In the annual CCIW Coaches Preseason Poll, the Titans were predicted to finish second in the league. IWU, which received four first-place votes, came in second in the predicited stangdings with 58 points. No. 14 Millikin topped the poll with five first-place nods and 61 points, while Carroll (49) rounded out the top-three.

THE DEAN OF THE CCIW: The 2022-23 season marks the 25th year under the direction of Mia Smith, the longest tenured coach in the CCIW. Smith's 458 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 10 CCIW Championships and made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances. The Titans won the 2012 NCAA Division III Championship following a fourth-place finish in 2011.

WHY PLAY ONE SPORT WHEN YOU CAN PLAY TWO?: Illinois Wesleyan features five multi-sport athletes. Megan Moody is on the Titan women's golf team, while Kelly Carlson is a defender for the women's lacrosse team. Claire Retherford is a thrower for IWU's women's track and field team, while Lauren Huber is the reigning CCIW individual heptathlon champion. Freshman Sawyer White, who was voted the CCIW's Newcomer of the Year in women's soccer, rounds out the group.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan's season-opening roadtrip continues with a trip to Whitewater, Wis., Nov. 16. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.