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Lauren Huber driving to the basket
Kodiak Creative
52
WashU WU 4-1,0-0 UAA
67
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 5-2,0-0 CCIW
WashU WU
4-1,0-0 UAA
52
Final
67
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
5-2,0-0 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
WashU WU 9 12 16 15 52
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 14 12 26 15 67

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women’s Hoops Beats Bears to Claim Midwest Challenge Championship

Huber records 31-point, 12-rebound double-double

GREENCASTLE, Ind. - Behind a monster game from sophomore Lauren Huber (Lombard, Ill.-Glenbard East), the  Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team handed Washington University in St. Louis its first loss of the season en route to claiming the Midwest Challenge Championship Sunday, Nov. 27. IWU (5-2) used a strong second half to pull away from WashU (4-1), 67-52, and claim the tournament's title for the first time since 2018.

Huber erupted for 31 points, 12 rebounds, five steals, three assists, and a block to propel the Titans to the win. Huber's point total tied her career-high and is the most by a player in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin this season. 

Freshman Laura Mahlum (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington) caught fire from beyond the arc in the second half, drilling four three-pointers for a career-high 12 points. Sophomore Kate Palmer (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) added 10 points.

The Titans converted 26-of-66 shots from the floor, including 6-of-24 three-pointers. IWU earned 15 trips to the charity stripe, where the Green and White converted nine. WashU finished the game 22-for-53 from the floor, but was stymied beyond the arc. The Titans limited the Bears to a 2-of-19 showing from distance, while WashU went 6-for-8 at the free throw line.

IWU was out-rebounded 40-30 by WashU but won the turnover battle handily, 25-7. The Titans tallied 13 steals, with four players recording two-or-more, and compiled a 19-4 edge in points off miscues. The Bears held advantages in second chance points (13-10), bench scoring (18-12), and points in the paint (36-26).

Illinois Wesleyan saw three different players score as the Green and White grabbed a 6-2 lead. The run, which started with a strong take by senior Katelyn Heller (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard West), ended with a long jumper from junior Caite Knutson (Maryville, Ill.-Collinsville).

WashU used a pair of free throws to trim IWU's lead to two, 6-4, at the first media timeout, but Huber hit a bucket off a baseline out of bounds play to double the Titans' advantage. Junior Launi Chanthaboury (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) later drove and kicked out to Mahlum for a three-ball, lifting IWU to a 14-9 lead after the first period.

The Bears battled back to even the score in the second quarter, using a layup to level things at 21. Huber took it from there, closing the half on a 5-0 run herself. After sinking a putback and completing the and-one at the free throw line, Huber swiped a pass and converted a layup to send Illinois Wesleyan into the break up, 26-21.

The momentum carried over to the second half for the Titans, where IWU outscored WashU, 26-16. Heller found fellow senior Kelly Carlson (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township) for an easy bucket off an inbounds, giving IWU a 38-29 edge at the under-five media timeout. 

The Green and White did not let up from there, as Mahlum's three gave IWU a 17-point cushion later in the frame. The Titans carried a 52-37 lead into the final stanza, as Carlson hit a putback to close out the third.

IWU never looked back, stretching its lead to as many as 19 en route to the 67-52 victory.

Illinois Wesleyan now sets its sights on its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opener, and just its second home game of the season. IWU will host Elmhurst University Wednesday night, Nov. 30, for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

 
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