BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team hits the road Wednesday, Feb. 16, for its first of two away games as the Titans travel to North Central College. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Gregory Arena.
    Illinois Wesleyan enters the final week of the regular season tied atop the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin standings. The Titans are 15-8 overall and 12-2 in the conference. Most recently, IWU toppled Wheaton College, 81-54, Feb. 12, to keep pace with Millikin University in chase for the regular season title. Meanwhile, Wednesday's clash will serve as the regular season finale for the Cardinals. NCC is 9-15 overall and 6-9 in CCIW competition, most recently falling at home to Carroll University, 69-55, Feb. 12.
    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.
GET THE ECK OUTTA HERE: Springfield, Ill. native and senior Catie Eck continued her climb up the Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball all-time blocks list on Saturday with a career-high five rejections in a blowout win against Wheaton, Feb. 12. In the past three games, Eck has averaged four blocks per game. She is up to 78 blocks on her career, including averaging 1.7 blocks per game this season, a mark which ranks second in the CCIW.
Shelby Jackson owns the career blocks record with 82, with Eck just four blocks away from making school history with 78 currently.
BRING OUT THE BROOMS: Saturday's win over Wheaton, Feb. 12, marked the first time IWU has swept the Thunder in the regular season since the 2013-14 season. The Titans 27-point victory over the Thunder on Saturday also marked the largest margin of victory against Wheaton since the Green and White won by 37 points on Jan. 19, 2010. Additionally, the last time the Titans won by more than 27 points at the Shirk Center against the Thunder was in the 2008-09 season, when IWU completed a 101-57 blowout on Feb. 14, 2009.
WHAT'S ON THE LINE: Wednesday's game has plenty of CCIW Tournament implications. A win keeps Illinois Wesleyan in the hunt for the CCIW Regular Season Championship, while a win for NCC would be crucial in a slew of tiebreakers as the Cardinals fight to qualify for the league tournament.
SECOND QUARTER OFFENSE: In Saturday's win over Wheaton, a hot shooting streak by the Titans in the second quarter proved to be a deciding factor in the Green and White's victory. IWU led by seven points at the end of the first quarter, but outscored the Thunder 23-12 in the second quarter to take an 18-point lead heading into halftime. The Titans shot 5-of-7 from downtown in the second frame, with four of those makes coming from senior Catie Eck. In contrast, the Thunder made four threes throughout the course of the entire game. Five threes is the most that the Titans have made in any single quarter this season.
CLASHES WITH THE CARDINALS: Wednesday's CCIW contest between the Titans and Cardinals will serve as the 90th chapter in a history that dates back 40 years. Despite North Central winning the first seven showdowns, including an 81-76 win in the initial meeting in 1979, Illinois Wesleyan leads the all-time series 50-30. Additionally, IWU is 38-11 against NCC under the direction of Mia Smith and is winners of eight of the last 10 meetings.
  The Titans comfortably defeated the Cardinals inside the Shirk Center earlier this season on Dec. 15, 2021 by a score of 74-59. Kate Palmer led the Titans with 19 points, including a 5-of-7 performance from three and a half-court heave that appeared on SportsCenter's Top-10. Brooke Lansford finished with 17 points and three assists while Mallory Powers contributed seven points and a career-high 16 rebounds.
TAKING IT UP A NOTCH: Since beginning CCIW play in December, the Titans have taken their play to another level. With just two conference games remaining, the Titans lead the CCIW in scoring (73.2 ppg), scoring margin (+15.1), three-point field goal percentage (36.4), offensive rebounds (13.9), turnover margin (+7.79), and blocked shots (4.29 bpg).
THE ROAD AHEAD: With two games left in the regulars season, Illinois Wesleyan finds itself tied atop the CCIW standings at 12-2 along with Millikin. IWU has games at North Central and at Augustana remaining, while MU will host Elmhurst and head to Wheaton for its regular season finale. The Titans final two opponents have a combined record of 12-18 in league play (21-27 overall), good for a .400 CCIW win percentage (.438 overall). Millikin's remaining opponents hold a CCIW win percentage of .286 (.400 overall).
PROVEN KEYS TO VICTORY: With 23 games complete, Illinois Wesleyan has established keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 10-1 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 11-1 when scoring 70-or-more points, while the Titans are 1-4 when opponents eclipse 70 points. IWU is also 9-0 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 4.0 assists per game. She also ranks 50th in all of Division III with 93 assists this season.
She notched her 200th career assist in IWU's win at Elmhurst, Jan. 12, and currently sits 16th on IWU's career assist list with 239. She is one behind Olivia Lett and Traci Butler for 14th-most.
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 24.27 turnovers per game, the 17th-most in Division III. The Green and White boasts a turnover margin of +7.05, the best in the CCIW, as well as the 17th-highest nationally. Fueled by its daunting run-and-jump full-court press, Illinois Wesleyan is snagging 12.7 steals per game. The clip ranks third in the CCIW and 31st 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 453 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.
THE 51ST YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, now in its 51st year of women's basketball, has compiled a 685-488 overall record. IWU's .584 all-time win percentage includes a 320-194 CCIW mark.
R-N-J BABY: The Titans full-court press has flustered the opposition this season, and Wheaton was no different. The Green and White forced 22 Thunder turnovers, leading to 22 IWU points in its win Feb. 12. It marked the 16th time this season IWU has forced 20-or-more miscues. In fact, the Titans are 13-4 when doing so, compared to 2-4 when opponents record fewer than 20 turnovers.
PHENOMENAL FRESHMEN: Lauren Huber, Kate Palmer, and Mallory Powers have been some of the best freshmen in the CCIW this season, as IWU is the only school with freshmen ranked in the conference's top-25 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, and steals.
In points per game, Huber is tied for eighth (12.3) and Palmer is tied for 18th (9.6). Huber is IWU's top rebounder at 6.4 caroms per contest, sixth-most in the league, while Powers' 5.3 are tied for 17th-most. Huber's field goal percentage of 50.4 is the third-best in the conference, while she is 14th in free throw percentage at 71.0. Palmer is tied for fifth with 1.9 three-pointers per game, with Powers just behind her at 1.3 per game (tied for 14th). Huber is also tied for 12th in the CCIW with 1.7 steals per game and slotted 24th with 25.2 minutes played per contest.
ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan treks to Rock Island, Ill. for its regular season finale Saturday, Feb. 19, as the Titans take on Augustana College in a 5 p.m. tipoff.
