BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team makes the short trip to the Griswold Center for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament this weekend, Friday-Saturday, Feb. 25-26. Second-seeded IWU will take on third-seeded Carroll University at 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25, before top-seeded Millikin University hosts fifth-seeded Wheaton College at 7 p.m. The winners will then square off in the championship game Saturday, Feb. 26 at 5 p.m.
    Illinois Wesleyan enters the tournament with a 17-8 overall record. The Titans were Co-CCIW Regular Season Champions, finishing with a league record of 14-2. IWU has won four straight, including eeking out a 65-62 triumph at Augustana College, Feb. 19, in the team's regular season finale.
    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.
IWU AND THE CCIW TOURNAMENT: Illinois Wesleyan has seen plenty of success in the CCIW Tournament over the years, as the Titans have won a total of nine tournament championships. The Green and White won the tournament in 2019 and 2020 as the No. 2 seed, upsetting top-seeded Wheaton in both years.
NO. 2 SEEDS IN THE CCIW TOURNAMENT: Since the league began holding a conference tournament in 2003 and through 2020, the No. 2 seed has posted a 17-15 overall record in the CCIW Tournament. The second-seeded team has gone on to win the CCIW Tournament three times, including IWU doing so in 2019 and 2020.
THE VETERAN AND THE ROOKIE: Illinois Wesleyan women's hoops saw two players named First Team All-CCIW: senior Brooke Lansford and freshman Lauren Huber. Lansford was a unanimous first team selection and ranks third in the conference in scoring with 15.6 points per game in CCIW games.
Huber is the first Titan to earn all-conference honors as a freshman since Molly McGraw was a third team selection in 2015, while she is the first freshman to reel in first team status in program history. Huber averaged 11.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest in conference games, the best of any freshman in the league.
ALL-TIME VS. CARROLL: Illinois Wesleyan and Carroll will square off for the 25th time when the two battle in Decatur on Friday. The Pios hold a 15-9 edge in the all-time series, with each team picking up a win in their two matchups this season.
    When the two met in Waukesha, Wis. on Jan. 22, the Pios gave the Titans their first conference loss of the season, defeating the Green and White, 70-48. Earlier in the season when Carroll visited the Shirk Center on Dec. 4, the Titans took care of business in a 75-62 victory.
    Friday's match-up will mark the first time the Titans and Pios meet in the CCIW Tournament as this is Carroll's first time competing in the conference tournament.
REGIONAL RANKINGS: In the most recent NCAA Regional Rankings released on Feb. 20, Illinois Wesleyan was ranked fourth in Region VIII. The Titans were one of five CCIW teams ranked, with Millikin being one ahead at No. 3 and Carroll being one behind the Titans at No. 5. North Park and Wheaton were ranked No. 7 and No. 8 respectively.
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 80 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 two blocks away from making school history with 80 currently.
TAKING IT UP A NOTCH: Over the course of a 16-game conference schedule, the Titans led the CCIW in scoring margin (+13.6), three-point field goal percentage (36.0), offensive rebounds (13.4), turnover margin (+7.25), and blocked shots (4.0 bpg).
PROVEN KEYS TO VICTORY: With 25 games complete, Illinois Wesleyan has established keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 11-1 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 10-0 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 3.9 assists per game. She also ranks 66th in all of Division III with 98 assists this season.
    She notched her 200th career assist in IWU's win at Elmhurst, Jan. 12, and currently sits 13th on IWU's career assist list with 244. She is 11 behind Claire Sheehan for 12th-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 23.64 turnovers per game, the 20th-most in Division III. The Green and White boasts a turnover margin of +6.92, the best in the CCIW, as well as the 20th-highest nationally. Fueled by its daunting run-and-jump full-court press, Illinois Wesleyan is snagging 12.3 steals per game. The clip ranks third in the CCIW and 35th 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 455 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 nine 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 687-488 overall record. IWU's .585 all-time win percentage includes a 322-194 CCIW mark.
