BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - For the first time in 2023, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team will take Dennie Bridges Court inside the Shirk Center. IWU's first home game in nearly a month will see the Titans take on the Vikings of Augustana College in a 2 p.m. College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin tilt. The game will serve as the front end of a doubleheader with the IWU men's basketball team, which is set to face Augie at 4:15 p.m.
    Illinois Wesleyan looks to use its return home to get back in the win column and improve on its 8-8 standing. The Titans most recently dropped a CCIW contest at Millikin University, Jan. 11, to dip to 3-4 in league play. On the flip side, Augustana carries a three-game win streak into Saturday's bout. The Vikings, who own a 10-5 record and 4-2 CCIW mark, most recently defeated Carroll University, Jan. 8.
    Fans can tune into the game via live stats or live stream of the game. Links on how to follow along can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

AGAINST AUGIE ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan and Augustana share a long history that dates back to the 1976-77 campaign. The Titans hold the upper hand in the 84-game series, 50-34, and have won nine of the last 10 meetings. Winners of four in-a-row against Augie, IWU has come out victorious in 29 of the past 35 meetings.
    The Green and White swept last season's series. Illinois Wesleyan cruised to an 81-48 win at home, Jan. 15, 2022 and then escaped Rock Island with a 65-62 victory, Feb. 19.
IWU's last loss to Augie came back in the 2019-20 season. The Titans fell by a final tally of 86-80 at the Carver Center as Kendall Sosa dropped 29 points and Riley Brovelli added a 15-point, 14-rebound double-double. Ultimately, Illinois Wesleyan could not overcome Augustana's hot shooting which saw the Vikings hit 50 percent of their shots and 44 percent of their three-point attempts.

DON'T HOLD IT AGAINST HIM: Illinois Wesleyan Athletic Director Mike Wagner, a 1992 Augie graduate, played football for the Vikings for four seasons. A Honorable Mention All-American by Dan Hansen's Football Gazette, Wagner was an All-CCIW linebacker for the Vikings. He led Augie to three NCAA Division III Playoff appearances during his playing career.

SHARING IS CARING: Illinois Wesleyan dished out 17 assists in its win at Carthage, Jan. 4, its highest in a game since November. Mallory Powers and Lauren Huber tallied career-highs of seven and six, respectively. Sharing the ball has been a key to IWU's success this season, as the Titans boast a 6-2 record when recording 13-or-more assists in a game.

HELLO, HELLER: Senior Katelyn Heller broke out of a mid-season slump with a career-high performance at North Park, Jan. 4. Heller scored a career-best 22 points, her second career 20-point effort, on 10-of-24 shooting. She had been 8-for-33 over the previous four games. Since the NPU game, Heller is shooting 48.3 percent (18-for-37) and has put up 14.7 points per game. She is also adding 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game since Jan. 4.

THAT WORD IS NOT IN HER VOCABULARY: Lauren Huber has showed no signs of a sophomore slump this season as the second-year starter is averaging 18.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. For the season, Huber ranks second in the CCIW in scoring, first in rebounding, and ninth in assists. She is the only player in the conference to be ranked in the top-10 in all three categories. Additionally, the sophomore leads the CCIW in field goal percentage at 52.6.

PUTTING UP THE POINTS: The Titans have scored 1146 points this season, the most in the CCIW. Additionally, IWU's point total is 10th-most in all of Division III and has come as the Green and White boasts the 50th-ranked field goal percentage at 41.5.

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 327 of its home games, good for a .755 win percentage.

KEYS TO VICTORY: With 15 games complete, IWU has developed several keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 8-2 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 8-2 when winning the turnover margin as opposed to 0-6 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 699-497 overall record. IWU's .584 all-time win percentage includes a 328-199 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 466 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.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan takes a week off from action before heading to Wheaton College for the second game in the season series Saturday, Jan. 21. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. inside Wheaton's King Arena and will be the front end of the CCIW double dip with the IWU men's basketball team.
    The Titans will have revenge on their mind as they look to even the regular season series after the Thunder took the initial meeting, 63-57, Dec. 17.