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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Twenty-point showings from senior Katelyn Heller (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard West) and sophomore Lauren Huber (Lombard, Ill.-Glenbard East) powered the Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team to a 78-69 win over Augustana College Saturday afternoon, Jan. 14, inside the Shirk Center. (Photo by Kodiak Creative/Jimmy Naprstek)
Kodiak Creative
53
Carthage CARTH 9-16,5-11 CCIW
74
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 15-10,10-6 CCIW
Carthage CARTH
9-16,5-11 CCIW
53
Final
74
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
15-10,10-6 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Carthage CARTH 4 17 8 24 53
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 21 16 25 12 74

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women’s Hoops Rolls to Senior Day Victory Over Carthage

Titans led from wire to wire

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team celebrated its seniors with a blowout win over Carthage College Saturday, Feb. 18, inside the Shirk Center. The Titans rolled past the Firebirds, 74-53, as they honored Megan Moody (Gibson City, Ill.-Gibson City/Melvin-Sibley), Emily Collins (Arlington Heights, Ill.-John Hersey), Claire Retherford (Foosland, Ill.-Gibson City/Melvin-Sibley), Katelyn Heller (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard West), and Kelly Carlson (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township) pregame.

The Titans used a balanced offensive effort to take care of Carthage, as 10 different players registered points. Sophomore Lauren Huber (Lombard, Ill.-Glenbard East) tallied a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, her 11th of the season, to pace the Green and White. Fellow sophomore Kate Palmer (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) added 13 points, while tying for the team lead in steals (3) and assists (3). Heller contributed 10 points, with freshman Sawyer White () adding nine by way of a trio of three-pointers.

IWU dished out 20 assists on the day, leading to a field goal percentage of 40.9 (27-for-66). The Titans hit 9-of-25 three-point tries (36 percent) and went 11-for-15 at the free throw line. Meanwhile, the Green and White stymied the Firebirds. Carthage used an efficient fourth quarter to bump its field goal percentage to 27.1 (16-of-59) overall. CC went 9-of-32 from beyond the arc and just 12-of-21 at the charity stripe.

The Titans welcomed a 47-40 rebounding advantage, while also holding leads in points off turnovers (18-4), points in the paint (22-14), second chance points (10-9), and transition scoring (13-8). IWU won the turnover battle, 18-13, and recorded a whopping 14 steals. 

Illinois Wesleyan wasted little time taking control, as the Titans opened the game with a Sawyer White three-ball and long jumper from Carlson. 

A pair of free throws gave the Firebirds their first points of the afternoon, but the Green and White responded with 16 straight points to break the game wide open. Junior Caite Knutson (Maryville, Ill.-Collinsville) converted a layup to puh IWU ahead, 11-2, at the first media timeout.

The Titans continued to pile it on as freshman Sara Balli (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) found Palmer for a three-pointer from the wing. The bucket stretched the lead to 18-2 and brought about a Carthage timeout with 2:46 to play in the period.

Carthage finally broke through for its first field goal of the day with eight seconds left in the quarter as IWU held a 21-4 lead after 10 minutes of play. Illinois Wesleyan finished the quarter with a field goal percentage of 53.3 percent, while CC went 1-for-16 (6.3 percent).

In the second, the Firebirds chipped away at the Titan advantage to pull within 16, 37-21, at halftime. 

The Green and White kept things rolling out of the break, as IWU outscored CC 25-8 in the third quarter. Illinois Wesleyan went up by as many as 35 in the final stanza en route to a convincing victory.

The Titans now prepare for next week's CCIW Tournament, which will see fifth-seeded IWU travel to No. 4 seed Wheaton College for a quarterfinal game Tuesday night, Feb. 21. 

 
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