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Sawyer White celebrates on bench at North Central December 9, 2023
Kodiak Creative
94
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 11-2,4-0 CCIW
45
Hendrix Hend 2-8,0-0 SAA
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
11-2,4-0 CCIW
94
Final
45
Hendrix Hend
2-8,0-0 SAA
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 25 25 20 24 94
Hendrix Hend 14 7 14 10 45

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women’s Hoops Overpowers Warriors

14 Titans score in 94-45 victory

CONWAY, Ark. - In its final  non-conference game of the season, the 19th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team cruised to a 94-45 victory over Hendrix College Friday, December 29. With the win, the Titans head into the New Year with an overall record of 11-2, while the Warriors slip to 2-8. 

Illinois Wesleyan saw 14 different players record a point in the contest, as five registered double digits. Junior Caite Knutson (Maryville, Ill.-Collinsville) led the way with 15 points, closely followed by sophomore Ava Bardic (Lincolnshire, Ill.-Stevenson) with 14. Senior Megan Moody (Gibson City, Ill.-Gibson City/Melvin-Sibley) smashed her career-high, finishing with 12 points off the bench. Sophomores Laura Mahlum (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington) and Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 and 10, respectively. 

The Titans transition defense proved to be difficult for the Warriors, as IWU forced 39 turnovers, 24 coming off of steals, just two shy of the program record. White was at the forefront of the defense, as she led the team with a career-high nine steals in 15 minutes of action. Bardic was second on the team with five, also notching a career-best. 

IWU held a 37-30 advantage in rebounds, as Knutson's eight caroms were a team-high. The Green and White also saw advantages in points off turnovers (51-11), bench points (45-11), points in the paint (44-16), fast break points (33-6), and second chance points (11-2). As a team, the Titans shot 49.3-percent, led by a 10-for-30 showing from beyond the arc, while holding Hendrix to a 37.2-percentage for the game. At the charity stripe, IWU made 10 of its 13 attempts, while the Warriors went 8-for-10. 

Hendrix jumped out to a 10-2 lead before Illinois Wesleyan found its footing and never looked back. 

A 21-0 run by the Titans over the final 5:32 of the opening period flipped an early deficit into a 25-14 stronghold after 10 minutes. The run featured three-pointers from Mahlum and Bardic, along with buckets from White, Knutson, and junior Mallory Powers (Amboy, Ill.-Amboy). 

IWU maintained control from there on, scoring the first six points of the second period. The Green and White carried a 50-21 advantage into halftime.

The Titans picked up right where they left off, as junior Kate Palmer (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) blocked a layup on the opening possession of the second half. Knutson grabbed the rebound and hit a turnaround jumper, and White followed with her ninth steal of the game, capping it off with a layup to extend the score to 54-21 with 9:12 remaining in the third quarter. 

The Titans rolled from there, coming away with the lopsided victory.

Illinois Wesleyan returns to action Sunday, January 7, 2024, traveling to Rock Island, Ill. to face College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe Augustana College. The women's game will tip off at 2 p.m., serving as the front end of a twinbill with the men's basketball team.
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