BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A trip to the venerable Gregory Arena awaits the 24th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team Saturday, Dec. 9, as the Titans take on North Central College in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play. The league game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. tipoff and will preceed the IWU men's basketball team's game at NCC.
    The Titans kicked off their six-game roadtrip with a 74-49 win at Wheaton College Wednesday night, Dec. 6, to maintain their undefeated start to CCIW play. IWU enters the week 8-2 overall and 3-0 in the CCIW. North Central climbed to 4-5 on the year with its first conference victory of the season Wednesday, Dec. 6. The Cardinals never trailed in a 53-46 triumph over Carthage College to improve to 1-2 in league play.
    A live stream along with live stats for the game will be available, while Matt Sosler and Emma Thorman will also call the action on the Titan Broadcast Network and 88.1 FM WESN. Links can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of iwusports.com.

K(EE)P YOUR EYE ON HER: Junior Kate Palmer, who recently celebrated her birthday, has stepped up in more ways than one over the past three games as IWU has posted a strong start to league play. Palmer is averaging 13.3 points per game on a field goal percentage of 44.1. She has been remarkably efficient from beyond the arc during the stretch, hitting 8-of-14 (57.1 percent) three-point tries. Additionally, Palmer is adding 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest. She has dished out seven assists to just one turnover in three league games.

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 14th nationally with 18.1 assists per game. The Green and White also ranks 15th in DIII with a CCIW-best 1.17 assist-to-turnover ratio.

GIVE AND TAKE: Sawyer White has been one of the premiere point guards in the CCIW through IWU's first three games of the league season. She has been equally exceptional at giving to her teammates and taking from the opposition. White's 6.7 assists per game are the most of any player in the league, while her four steals per game are also top the CCIW.

CLASHES WITH THE CARDINALS: Saturday's CCIW contest between the Titans and Cardinals will serve as the 84th chapter in a history that dates back 40 years. Despite North Central winning the first seven showdowns, including an 81-76 win in the initial meeting in 1979, Illinois Wesleyan leads the all-time series 53-30. Additionally, IWU is 41-11 against NCC under the direction of Mia Smith and is winners of 11 of the last 13 meetings.
The Titans swept the regular season in each of the last two years. IWU rolled to an 81-62 win in Bloomington, Dec. 10, before clipping the Cardinals, 72-65, in Naperville, Feb. 11. Lauren Huber put up a 23-points, 15-rebound game in the second go-around, while Katelyn Heller and Kelly Carlson added 13 and 11 points, respectively.

ANYONE'S NIGHT, ANY NIGHT: The 2023-24 season has displayed the balance of the Titans roster as IWU has seen 38 double-digit performances and seven 20-point efforts through 10 games. IWU has seen four different players lead the team in scoring this season.

PUTTING UP THE POINTS: The Titans have scored a whopping 794 points this season, the second-most of any Division III team. IWU is scoring 79.4 points per game, good for 12th-best in the country. The Green and White's offensive outburst has come with a 43.1 field goal percentage, the 36th-best nationally.

THAT CLOSE TO PERFECTION: Illinois Wesleyan holds an 8-2 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 8-0 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 7-0 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 482 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 715-502 overall record. IWU's .588 all-time win percentage includes a 337-201 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans take a break to focus on final exams following Saturday's game at North Central. The next contest on the slate for the Green and White is a date with nationally ranked Chicago Saturday, Dec. 16. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. in the Windy City.