BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A top-25, non-conference bout will kick off the holiday season for the 20th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team, as the Titans travel to 11th-ranked University of Chicago Saturday, Dec. 16. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. inside Ratner Athletic Center in Chicago, Ill.
    The Titans escaped from Naperville last Saturday with a 68-61 overtime Conference College of Illinois and Wisconsin win over North Central College, Dec. 9. IWU enters the contest in the Windy City on Saturday with a 9-2 overall record, including a 4-0 start to CCIW play. The 11th-ranked Maroons hold a 7-1 record on the season, with their only loss coming at the hands of nationally-ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on Saturday, Dec. 2. The loss against UWW two weeks ago was Chicago's most recent game.
    A live stream along with live stats for the game will be available. Links can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of iwusports.com.

MATCHUPS WITH THE MAROONS: Saturday afternoon's tilt will mark the 16th meeting between Illinois Wesleyan and Chicago. The series is tight, with the Maroons winning the most recent matchup in 2021 to take an 8-7 all-time series lead. It will mark IWU's first trip back to the Ratner Athletic Center since Nov. 12, 2019, when IWU defeated UC, 89-82.
Chicago bested the Titans at home in the 2021-22 season in a heartbreaker, 63-62, on a last second layup. Then-freshmen Mallory Powers and Kate Palmer finished with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

THE GRINCH WHO STOLE …THE BALL: Sawyer "The Grinch" White doesn't steal Christmas gifts, but in the Titan's first eleven games of the season, White has become one of the best in the country at stealing the basketball from the opposition. White ranks sixth in Division III with 45 steals on the season, while her 4.1 steals per game rank tenth in the nation.
In the Titan's first four games of league play, White has improved those numbers to average 6.3 steals per game. This mark leads the CCIW, while the next closest thieves are averaging just 3.0 steals per game.

OLD FACES, NEW PLACES: When the Titans and Maroons square off Saturday, Illinois Wesleyan fans will see a familiar face on the wrong bench. Chicago assistant coach Michelle Bilek graduated from IWU in 2013, following an outstanding career in which she helped the Titans to the 2012 NCAA Division III Championship. A captain as a senior, Bilek scored 426 points, grabbed 204 rebounds, and added 122 assists.

COMMON ENEMIES: The Titans and Maroons have three common opponents in the young season, all resulting in the same outcome. CCIW opponent Carroll, whom the Titans defeated 65-59, Dec. 2, took the Maroons to overtime on Nov. 21 before Chicago took care of the Pios in the extra period, 74-68.
Additionally, the Titans and Maroons were both able to defeat North Central this season - the Titans with a seven-point overtime win, while the Maroons dominated NCC, 92-45.
    Illinois Wesleyan and Chicago were both bested by top-10 opponent UW-Whitewater this season. The Titans led most of the contest before a fourth quarter Warhawk run gave UWW the victory. Chicago trailed by 10+ points for most of their bout with UWW, ultimately falling 74-63.

ON THE BALL(I): When a few Titans went down early in conference play with injuries, opportunity arose for other Titans to fill the void, and sophomore Sara Balli jumped on it. A season ago, Balli averaged around ten minutes and two points per game. This year, Balli is playing 14.2 minutes per game and averaging 5.5 points.
Even more impressive is Balli's play through the Titan's first four conference games. In 21.8 minutes per game, Balli is averaging 11.3 points and 4.0 rebounds, including a .867 mark at the charity stripe. Balli is one of five Titans averaging in double figures in league play.

SHARING IS CARING: Illinois Wesleyan dished out 21 assists in its win over at Wheaton, Dec. 6, marking the third time this season IWU has posted 20-or-more dimes. Sawyer White led the way with six assists, while Kate Palmer dished out four. Mallory Powers, Ava Bardic, and Taylor Tarver added three apiece.
Sharing the ball has been a signature of the Titans, as Illinois Wesleyan has been one of the best at it this season. IWU is 21st nationally with 17.5 assists per game. The Green and White also ranks 36th in DIII with a CCIW-best 1.08 assist-to-turnover ratio.

ANYONE'S NIGHT, ANY NIGHT: The 2023-24 season has displayed the balance of the Titans roster as IWU has seen 41 double-digit performances and eight 20-point efforts through 11 games. IWU has seen four different players lead the team in scoring this season.

PUTTING UP THE POINTS: The Titans have scored a whopping 862 points this season, the third-most of any Division III team. IWU is scoring 78.4 points per game, good for 16th-best in the country. The Green and White's offensive outburst has come with a 42.9 field goal percentage, the 44th-best nationally.

THAT CLOSE TO PERFECTION: Illinois Wesleyan holds a 9-2 record through 11 games, but could just as easily have seen those two loses go the other way. The Titans two setbacks on the year have come at the hands of nationally-ranked opponent in Hope (80-73) and UW-Whitewater (82-80) by margins that could have been made up at the free throw line. Against the Flying Dutch, IWU went just 5-for-13 at the free throw line, while in the UWW bout the Titans finished 4-for-9 at the stripe.

A DEEPER LOOK: Through 11 games, Illinois Wesleyan has developed some clear keys to victory this season. IWU, known for its frantic full court press, is 9-0 when winning the turnover battle versus an 0-2 record when committing more miscues than the opposition. Additionally, the Titans have fared better when getting to the free throw line more than their opponent. In fact, IWU is 8-0 when attempting more free throws and 1-2 when shooting fewer than its opponent.

THE 53rd YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, now in its 53rd year of women's basketball, has compiled a 716-502 overall record. IWU's .588 all-time win percentage includes a 338-201 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans take a two-week break for the holidays following Saturday's game at Chicago. Next on the slate for the Green and White is a non-conference date with Hendrix College in Conway, Ark. on December 29. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.