BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team travels to Tarble Arena Saturday, Jan. 7, for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin contest at Carthage College. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and will serve as the first leg of a doubleheader with the IWU men's basketball team.
    The Green and White looks to get off the schneid and improve upon its 7-7 overall record, which includes a 2-3 CCIW mark. The Titans have dropped four straight games, most recently a 63-58 setback at North Park University, Jan. 4. Carthage holds a 6-7 record (2-2 CCIW) and has won six of its last 10 games after starting the season 0-3. The Firebirds enter Saturday on the heels of a tight loss to rival Carroll University, 70-67, Jan. 4.
    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.
FACING THE FIREBIRDS: Illinois Wesleyan and Carthage have met on the hardwood 76 times ahead of Saturday's CCIW clash with IWU holding a 48-28 lead in the all-time series. The Titans have won 13 straight against the Firebirds.
    The Titans swept last season's meetings, beginning with a 79-60 rout at Tarble Arena Jan. 8, 2022. Lauren Huber broke out for 23 points and nine rebounds in the game, while Kate Palmer added nine points off the bench. IWU completed the season sweep, 58-52, at the Shirk Center, Feb. 5. Brooke Lansford erupted for 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting.
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.
LEAVING POINTS ON THE LINE: Illinois Wesleyan's four-game losing skid could have just as easily seen the games swing in favor of the Green and White. IWU left a combined 34 points at the free throw line over the four games, shooting just 54.7 percent (41-of-75) from the free throw line. The Titans went 20-for-35 at the charity stripe in a six-point loss to Wheaton, Dec. 17. Illinois Wesleyan then went 5-for-10 in a three-point setback at La Verne, 9-for-14 in a two-point OT loss at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, and 7-for-16 in a five-point loss at North Park.
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 19.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. For the season, Huber ranks second in the CCIW in scoring, first in rebounding, and eighth 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 53.4.
    Entering the week, Huber is putting up 24.8 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 steal per contest on a field goal percentage of 53.8.
PUTTING UP THE POINTS: The Titans have scored 1010 points this season, the most in the CCIW. Additionally, IWU's point total is eighth-most in all of Division III and has come as the Green and White boasts the 54th-ranked field goal percentage at 41.5.
KEYS TO VICTORY: With 14 games complete, IWU has developed several keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 7-2 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 7-2 when winning the turnover margin as opposed to 0-5 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 698-496 overall record. IWU's .585 all-time win percentage includes a 327-198 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.
ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan wraps up its five-game roadtrip Wednesday, Jan. 11, with a highly-anticipated CCIW clash at Millikin. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside the Griswold Center.
