BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The regular season comes to a close Saturday, Feb. 18, with a Senior Day game between the Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team and Carthage College inside the Shirk Center. The regular season finale is slated for a 2 p.m. tip and will see the Titans celebrate its five-person senior class.
    Illinois Wesleyan enters the game after a week-long break from action. The Titans sit at 14-10 on the season, holding a 9-6 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark, after defeating North Central College on the road, Feb. 11. The Green and White left Naperville with a 72-65 win. The Firebirds travel to the Shirk Center looking to claw their way into next week's league tournament. Carthage, which sits at 9-15 on the season and 5-10 in league games, has lost six straight. CC most recently lost to North Park University, 59-56, Feb. 15.
    Fans can tune into the game via live stats or live stream of the game. Links on how to follow along can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.
THE FAB FIVE: Seniors Megan Moody, Emily Collins, Claire Retherford, Katelyn Heller, and Kelly Carlson have put together an impressive resume over their careers as Titans. They have accumulated a 60-32 record, including a 38-16 CCIW record over the past four seasons. Together, they have been a part of one regular season CCIW title, two CCIW tournament titles, and two NCAA tournament appearances, including two NCAA tournament wins.
FACING THE FIREBIRDS: Illinois Wesleyan and Carthage have met on the hardwood 77 times ahead of Saturday's CCIW clash with IWU holding a 49-28 lead in the all-time series. The Titans have won 14 straight against the Firebirds.
  The Green and White flew past the Firebirds, 79-68, in Kenosha, Wis. Lauren Huber paced the Titans with 19 points, six rebounds, and six assists, while Sawyer White hit four three-pointers en route to a then-career-high 16 points.
IF THE CCIW TOURNAMENT BEGAN TODAY...: The Titans are locked in at the No. 5 seed and will travel to fourth-seeded Wheaton for a quarterfinal game Tuesday, Feb. 21. Third-seeded Augustana will host the No. 6 seed Carthage or North Park.
    Millikin claimed the regular season title and will host the semifinal and championship games, Feb. 24-25, while Carroll has locked up the two-seed and will earn a bye to the semifinals as a result.
FINDING IT IN FEBRUARY: Sophomore Kate Palmer has found her three-point shot over the past four games. After connecting on 29.7 percent of her three-point attempts over the team's first 19 games, Palmer is converting 39.3 percent (13-of-33) from distance since Jan. 28. She went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc at Augustana, Jan. 28.
    For the season, she ranks eighth in the CCIW with a three-point field goal percentage of 31.8 and is fourth in three-pointers per game at 2.0.
SHARING IS CARING: Illinois Wesleyan dished out 20 assists in its win over Carroll, Feb. 4, marking the fourth time IWU has posted 20-or-more dimes. Katelyn Heller was credited with seven, while Sawyer White added four as seven different players notched an assist in the game.
    Sharing the ball has been a key to IWU's success this season, as the Titans boast a 7-3 record when recording 15+ assists.
KEYS TO VICTORY: With 24 games complete, IWU has well-established several keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 13-4 when scoring 60+ points, and also boasts a 10-0 mark when limiting opponents to no more than 59 points. Additionally, the Green and White is 12-3 when winning the turnover margin as opposed to 2-7 when finishing with more miscues than its opponent.
THE 52nd YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, now in its 52nd year of women's basketball, has compiled a 705-499 overall record. IWU's .586 all-time win percentage includes a 333-201 CCIW mark. The program's 700th win came at home, Jan. 14, against Augustana, 78-69.
THE DEAN OF THE CCIW: The 2022-23 season marks the 25th year under the direction of Mia Smith, the longest tenured coach in the CCIW. Smith's 472 wins are the most among active CCIW coaches by more than 150. 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.
CCIW NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR APPLICATION: Freshman dual-sport athlete Sawyer White has seemingly found her stride on the hardwood after taking a few weeks to find her footing following a successful soccer season. In 2023, the Downers Grove, Ill. native has finished in double figures seven times in the past 10 games, including a career-high 19 points versus Carroll, Feb. 4. Over the last 11 games, White is averaging 9.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.6 steals per game for the Titans.
    As of Feb. 17, White ranks third in the conference ins steals at 2.2 swipes per game. Her mark is even higher in CCIW games only, where she averages 2.5 per game, good for second-best in the league.
LAUREN BALLER HUBER: Her middle name might as well be baller, as sophomore Lauren Huber raked in her fourth CCIW Player of the Week honors of the season following a 21-point, 16-rebound performance and game-winning bucket in a two-point road win over Wheaton on Jan. 21.
    For the season, Huber ranks second in the conference in scoring (19.1 ppg), third in field goal percentage (51.9), while leading the league in rebounding (10.0 rpg). She also ranks 11th in assists (2.2 apg), making her the only player in the CCIW inside the conference's top-12 in all three categories.
ON THE HORIZON: With the regular season wrapped up, Illinois Wesleyan will head into the CCIW Tournament Tuesday, Feb. 21. The Titans will travel to Wheaton College for a quarterfinal clash.
