TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team shook off a slow start to roll past Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, 79-65, on day one of the Midwest Challenge at Hulbert Arena Saturday, Nov. 25. The Titans (4-2) advance to the Midwest Challenge Championship game with the win, while the Fightin' Engineers (1-3) will take part in the consolation final. 

Junior Kate Palmer (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) powered the Green and White in what ended up being a well-balanced offensive performance. Palmer led the way with 17 points, including a trio of three-pointers, and a team-high six assists. Palmer also added five boards and three steals. Junior Lauren Huber (Lombard, Ill.-Glenbard East) stuffed the stat sheet as she secured her 19th career double-double, her third of the season. Huber finished with 15 points and a team-best 11 rebounds, while also snatching a team-best four steals and dishing out five assists.

Sophomore Sawyer White (Chicago, Ill.-Montini Catholic) and junior Caite Knutson (Maryville, Ill.-Collinsville) also finished in double figures. White scored 13 points and tied for the team lead with four steals. She also recorded five assists. Knutson tallied 10 points with six caroms.

Illinois Wesleyan overcame a slow first quarter to finish the game 32-of-78 from the field, 41.0 percent. IWU rebounded from the long line connecting on 7-of-24 three-point tries after missing its first eight attempts, but went just 8-for-17 at the charity stripe. RHIT finished 21-for-47 from the floor (44.7 percent) and 23-for-33 from the free throw line. The Titans held the Fightin' Engineers to 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.

The Green and White grabbed a 43-38 lead on the glass, aided by a 20-8 advantage in offensive rebounds. IWU tallied a 25-5 lead in second chance scoring, as well as leads in fastbreak scoring (21-14), points off turnovers (22-14), bench scoring (21-7), and points in the paint (40-36).

The Titans struggled to find their stride offensively in the first quarter, but an offensive putback from junior Mallory Powers (Amboy, Ill.-Amboy) seemed to get the Green and White on track. Sophomore Ava Bardic (Lincolnshire, Ill.-Stevenson) followed with a pass to White for a bucket and White then returned the favor with a dish to Huber to put IWU ahead, 10-6. Feeding off the energy, Illinois Wesleyan forced a 10-second call on defense before closing the quarter with a 13-6 lead.

Palmer went over the top on a feed to Knutson for a layup to begin the second period, before drilling a triple to give IWU a double-digit lead, 18-8. 

The Fightin' Engineers trimmed the lead to six from there, but the Titans closed the half on a 12-5 run behind the play of White and Palmer. White banked in a three from the wing with 2:17 on the clock, before finding Palmer for a layup one minute later. Palmer then connected on a step-back three-ball of her own and White hit a pair of jumpers in the final 18 seconds to propel IWU ahead, 34-21, into halftime.

Illinois Wesleyan expanded its lead to as many as 25 in the second half, but free throws by Rose-Hulman in the final few minutes saw IWU come away with a 79-65 win.

The Titans will play for the Midwest Challenge title tomorrow, Nov. 26, at 4 p.m. ET. IWU will face the winner of today's bout between Washington University in St. Louis or DePauw University.