BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - With final exams completed, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team welcomes College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe Wheaton College to the Shirk Center Saturday, Dec. 17, for a 2 p.m. tipoff. The game will serve as the front end of a doubleheader with the IWU men's basketball team.
    The Titans sport a 7-3 overall record, including a 2-1 CCIW mark, ahead of Saturday's showdown. IWU most recently ran past North Central College, 81-62, at home Saturday, Dec. 10. Meanwhile, Wheaton is 6-3 with a 1-1 ledger in league play. Like the Titans, the Thunder will enter Saturday on the heels of a convincing home victory. Wheaton defeated Elmhurst University, 83-45, Dec. 10.
    Fans can tune into the game via live stats, live stream, or a radio broadcast of the game. Links on how to follow along can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

AGAINST THE THUNDER: Saturday's CCIW showdown between Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton will be the 87th all-time meeting on the hardwood between the two conference foes. The Thunder hold a 55-31 edge in the all-time series, but the Titans have won the past three tilts between the two conference foes.
    The Green and White swept last seasons meetings, defeating the Thunder, 81-62, at Wheaton Dec. 11, 2021, and then again inside the Shirk Center Feb. 12, 2022 by a score of 81-54. A career day from Kaia Bowen led the Titans to a win at King Arena, while Lauren Huber added 17 points and nine rebounds. In the second chapter of the season series, Catie Eck went for 21 points and five blocks, with Katelyn Heller adding 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

POW POW POW: Sophomore Lauren Huber reeled in her third CCIW Player of the Week honor of the season Monday, Dec. 13. With her selection, she becomes the first Titan to receive the award three times in one season since Kendall Sosa accomplished the feat during the 2019-20 campaign.

RARE AIR: With a large alumni contingent on-hand, Lauren Huber etched her name into the IWU record book Saturday, Dec. 10. Huber hauled in 20 rebounds, tying the IWU single-game record with the previous record holder, Riley Brovelli, in attendance. Huber, who also scored 28 points on the night, is the first Titan to produce a 20-point, 20-rebound stat line in program history.

FROM THE PITCH TO THE HARDWOOD: It may have been the first run in with North Central this season on the hardwood, but it was hardly freshman Sawyer White's first clash with the Cardinals. White, who was named the CCIW's Women's Soccer Newcomer of the Year, helped lead the Titans past NCC, 4-1, in the CCIW Tournament Championship last month. The freshman seemingly found her stride against North Central on the hardwood, Dec. 10, tallying a career-high nine points off the bench. White also snagged a pair of steals in the victory.

KEYS TO VICTORY: With 10 games complete, IWU has already developed several keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 7-0 when scoring 60+ points, and also boasts a 6-0 mark when limiting opponents to no more than 59 points. Additionally, the Green and White is 7-1 when winning the turnover margin as opposed to 0-2 when finishing with more miscues than its opponent.

THE 52nd YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, now in its 52nd year of women's basketball, has compiled a 698-492 overall record. IWU's .587 all-time win percentage includes a 327-196 CCIW mark.

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 465 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.

HOME COOKING: One of the greatest venues in NCAA Division III, the Shirk Center has been home to more than 600 Titan basketball games between both the men and women. In its 27-year history, the women have won 247 of 326 of its home games, good for a .758 win percentage.

TENACIOUS TITAN DEFENSE: The Titans' trademark run-and-jump full-court press has IWU among the best in the country in turnover margin this season. In fact, Illinois Wesleyan is +6.60 in the turnover tally, the best mark in the league. Nationally, the Titans' mark ranks 34th. The Green and White hold a 5-0 record when forcing 20+ miscues compared to a 2-3 record when opponents have less than 20 turnovers.

PUTTING UP THE POINTS: The Titans have scored 756 points through 10 games, the 21st-most in all of Division III as well as the most in the CCIW. Not only is IWU pushing up the score on the scoreboard, Illinois Wesleyan has done so rather efficiently. The Green and White ranked 23rd in the country with a field goal percentage of 43.4.
    The Titans are one of six teams nationally to be ranked inside the top-25 in both categories in all of Division III.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan will head into its holiday break following Saturday's game, enjoying a 12-day layoff before returning to action in California later this month. The TItans tangle with La Verne Thursday, Dec. 29, before battling Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Friday, Dec. 30.