BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A six-game, five-week long roadtrip begins with a trip to King Arena this Wednesday, Dec. 6, for the 24th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team. The first stop on the stint away from home pits the Titans against Wheaton College. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
    Illinois Wesleyan carries a four-game win streak into the stretch and jumped into the D3hoops rankings at No. 24. The Green and White's record sits at 7-2 overall and 2-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin following a win over Carroll University, Dec. 2. Meanwhile, Wheaton got back in the win column with a 70-63 triumph over North Central College, Dec. 2. The Thunder own a 6-1 overall record with a 1-1 CCIW standing.
    A live stream as well as live stats for the game will be available. Links on how to follow the game can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of iwusports.com.

AGAINST THE THUNDER: Wednesday's CCIW showdown between Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton will be the 90th all-time meeting between the two conference foes. The Thunder hold a 56-33 edge in the all-time series, but the Titans have won five of the past six tilts between the two conference foes.
    The two team split last year's regular season meetings, before IWU bounced Wheaton from the CCIW Tournament, Feb. 21, 2023. The Titans were upended, 63-57, in Bloomington Dec. 17, before edging the Thunder, 56-54, in Wheaton, Jan. 21. Illinois Wesleyan overwhelmed Wheaton, 67-47, in the CCIW Tournament Quarterfinals, Feb. 21, behind a career day from Sawyer White. The then-freshman went for 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting with six three-pointers. Lauren Huber added a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double.

SOY SAUCE EVERYWHERE: Inserted into the starting lineup for the first time this season, Sawyer White was a key piece to IWU's defensive pressure. She notched a career-high eight steals against Carroll, Dec. 2, while also adding eight assists and 15 points. Her eight thefts tied for seventh-most in program history and are the most since Sydney Shanks recorded nine against Augustana Feb. 28, 2020.

IMPACTING THE GAME IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE: Junior Kate Palmer faced a tall task Saturday, being looked to for an increased offensive output and having to shutdown one of the top scorers in the CCIW in Carroll's Olivia Rangel. With IWU playing down two starters, Palmer led the Titans with 16 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. On the other end of the court, Palmer smothered the Pios with stout defense. She limited Rangel to just two points on 1-of-7 shooting with seven turnovers. Rangel's final point total marked her fewest since Dec. 17, 2022 when she scored two points at Millikin. Overall, it was the fifth time in her career she had scored two points or fewer.

RACKING UP THE MILES: Wednesday's game will be the first in a six-game, five-week roadtrip for the Titans. IWU will play its next home game Jan. 13 when Carthage comes to the Shirk Center. In the meantime, Illinois Wesleyan will travel to Wheaton, North Central, Chicago, Hendrix, Augustana, and North Park.

SUPER POWERS: Junior Mallory Powers has absolutely stuffed the box score this season, and last week's games were no different. Powers average 11.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 steals for the Titans in wins over Elmhurst and Carroll, Nov. 29-Dec. 2. She shot 42.9 percent from both the floor overall and three-point range, while also recording a block. Powers went for 13 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists against Elmhurst, Nov. 29. She followed that up with nine points, 10 rebounds, and three assists against a Carroll squad that is receiving votes in national polls. Defensively, Powers helped limit opponents to 65.0 points per game over the course of the week and helped force opponents into 46 turnovers.

ANYONE'S NIGHT, ANY NIGHT: The 2023-24 season has displayed the balance of the Titans roster as IWU has seen 35 double-digit performances and seven 20-point efforts through just nine games. IWU has seen four different players lead the team in scoring this season.

NOBODY HAS SCORED MORE: The Titans have scored a whopping 720 points this season, the most of any Division III team. IWU is scoring 80.0 points per game, good for 11th-best in the country. The Green and White's offensive outburst has come with a 43.0 field goal percentage, the 38th-best nationally.

THAT CLOSE TO PERFECTION: Illinois Wesleyan holds a 6-2 record through seven 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 nine games, Illinois Wesleyan has developed some clear keys to victory this season. IWU, known for its frantic full court press, is 7-0 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 6-0 when attempting more free throws and 1-2 when shooting fewer than its opponent.

THE DEAN OF THE CCIW: The 2023-24 season marks the 26th year under the direction of Mia Smith, the longest tenured coach in the CCIW. Smith's 481 wins are the most among active CCIW coaches by more than 150 and 23rd-most among active Division III head coaches. 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.

THE 53rd YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, now in its 53rd year of women's basketball, has compiled a 714-502 overall record. IWU's .587 all-time win percentage includes a 336-201 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans jet off on a six-game road stint after Saturday, with IWU's next home game set for after the New Year. The Titans will travel to Wheaton Wednesday, Dec. 6, before treking to North Central, Chicago, Hendrix, Augustana,  North Park.