BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team returns to action Saturday, Feb. 5, as host to Carthage College. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. inside the Shirk Center and will serve as the front end of a doubleheader with the IWU men's basketball team. The game will also serve as the program's annual "Pink Zone" game, bringing awareness to breast cancer.
    Illinois Wesleyan is winners of two in-a-row and six of its past seven ahead of Saturday's clash. The Titans are 12-7 overall and tied atop the conference standings at 9-1 after blowing by Elmhurst University, 85-60, Jan. 26. Carthage got back on track with a 58-51 win at Wheaton, Feb. 2, to even its overall record at 10-10. The Firebirds, who are 5-7 in the CCIW, snapped a three-game skid with their win against the Thunder.
    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.

FACING THE FIREBIRDS: Illinois Wesleyan and Carthage have met on the hardwood 75 times ahead of Saturday's CCIW clash with IWU holding a 47-28 lead in the all-time series. The Titans have won 12 straight against the Firebirds.
    The Green and White dominated Carthage in the first meeting of the season Jan. 8 at Tarble Arena. Lauren Huber poured in 23 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, while Brooke Lansford added 16 points. Catie Eck tallied 11 points and five assists, with Kaia Bowen contributing 10 points and seven rebounds.

TAKING IT UP A NOTCH: Since beginning CCIW play in December, the Titans have taken their play to another level. With 10 conference games under their belts, the Titans lead the conference in scoring (74.9 ppg), scoring margin (+16.9), three-point field goal percentage (36.3), three-pointers made per game (7.7), offensive rebounds (15.2), turnover margin (+8.40), and blocked shots (3.70 bpg).

NO LOVE LOST: In Illinois Wesleyan 68-49 win at North Park, Jan. 24, the Titans held the Vikings without a three-pointer. NPU finished the game 0-for-11 from beyond the arc, marking the first time IWU has not allowed a triple since holding Rose-Hulman to 0-for-7 from deep Nov. 30, 2016.

NO SOUP FOR YOU!: Illinois Wesleyan has held opponents below 50 points 17 times since the  start of the 2012-13 campaign.

R-N-J BABY: The Titans full-court press has flustered the opposition this season, and Elmhurst was no different. The Green and White forced 34 Bluejay turnovers, leading to 42 IWU points in its win Jan. 26. It marked the 14th time this season IWU has forced 20-or-more miscues. In fact, the Titans are 11-3 when doing so, compared to 1-4 when opponents record fewer than 20 turnovers.

PROVEN KEYS TO VICTORY: With 19 games complete, Illinois Wesleyan has established keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 9-1 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 10-1 when scoring 70-or-more points, while the Titans are 1-4 when opponents eclipse 70 points. IWU is also 8-0 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 4.1 assists per game. She also ranks 31st in all of Division III with 78 assists this season.
She notched her 200th career assist in IWU's win at Elmhurst, Jan. 12, and currently sits 19th on IWU's career assist list with 226. She is seven behind former teammate Sydney Shanks for 18th.

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 24.53 turnovers per game, the 15th-most in Division III. The Green and White boasts a turnover margin of +7.42, the best in the CCIW, as well as the 15th-highest nationally. Fueled by its daunting run-and-jump full-court press, Illinois Wesleyan is snagging 13.1 steals per game. The clip ranks second in the CCIW and 24th 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 450 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 683-487 overall record. IWU's .584 all-time win percentage includes a 318-193 CCIW mark.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan has a quick turnaround as the Titans will travel to Decatur, Ill. Monday night, Feb. 7, for a clash of CCIW leaders. IWU will take on Millikin in a 7 p.m. tipoff at the Griswold Center.