BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament rolls on this weekend as the Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team travels to the Griswold Center Friday evening, Feb. 24, for a semifinal bout with top-seeded Millikin University. Tipoff is slated for 7:15 p.m. and will follow the other semifinal between No. 2 seeded Carroll University and No. 3 Augustana College.
    Illinois Wesleyan landed in the semifinals by virtue of a 67-47 win over No. 4 Wheaton College Tuesday night, Feb. 21, in the opening round. The Titans head into Friday with a 16-10 overall record and carry a three-game win streak. Millikin, the CCIW Regular Season Champion, won 18 of its final 19 regular season games to claim the league title outright and garner national attention. The Big Blue are ranked 23rd in both the D3hoops.com and WBCA Top-25 polls, are 21-4 on the season, and have won their past four games.
    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.

IWU AND THE CCIW TOURNAMENT: Illinois Wesleyan has seen plenty of success in the CCIW Tournament over the years, as the Titans have won a total of 10 tournament championships. The Green and White won the tournament in 2019 and 2020 as the No. 2 seed, upsetting top-seeded Wheaton in both years, before winning the title as the No. 2 seed over top-seeded Millikin last season. The Titans hold a 30-8 record in the CCIW Tournament all-time.

MATCHIN' UP WITH MILLIKIN: Friday night's matchup will mark the 103rd edition of the Illinois Wesleyan-Millikin rivalry, a series that dates back to the 1972-73 season. IWU held off MU in the initial meeting, 38-33, and won the first four games between the two conference foes. Overall, Millikin owns a 56-47 edge in the all-time series, but Illinois Wesleyan has won 13 of the past 19 meetings. Additionally, IWU is 36-21 against MU under the direction of Mia Smith.
    Millikin won both of the regular season meetings this season, the first in Decatur and the second in Bloomington.

POSTSEASON ACCOLADES: Illinois Wesleyan's Lauren Huber and Katelyn Heller were named to the All-CCIW teams Monday, Feb. 20. Huber was  a unanimous first team selection for the second straight season, while Heller garnered second team honors for the first time in her career.

NO. 5 SEEDS IN THE CCIW TOURNAMENT: Since the league began holding a conference tournament in 2003, the No. 5 seed has posted a 4-4 overall record in the CCIW Tournament. The fifth-seeded team has yet to claim the tournament title as IWU looks to make history and become the first to accomplish the feat.

THREE-POINT SHOOTAH: Sawyer White popped off for a career-high 22 points in IWU's quarterfinal clash with Wheaton, Feb. 21. The freshman point guard finished the game 6-for-7 from three-point range, tying for the second-most threes made in a game in the tournament's history. Her three-point shooting clip of 85.7 percent for the game set a new tournament record, breaking the previous mark (80 percent - 4-for-5) set by Carthage's Dani Ripkey and Jessica Stevens. Coincidentally, Carthage's duo also established the marks against Wheaton, with Ripkey doing so in 2009 and Stevens in 2003.

SHARING IS CARING: Illinois Wesleyan dished out 20 assists in its win over Carthage, Feb. 18, marking the fifth time IWU has posted 20-or-more dimes this season. In all, eight different players were credited with an assist. Katelyn Heller, Sawyer White, Kelly Carlson, Sara Balli, and Kate Palmer tied for the team lead with three apiece.
Sharing the ball has been a key to IWU's success this season, as the Titans boast an 9-3 record when recording 15+ assists.

KEYS TO VICTORY: With the regular season complete, IWU has well-established keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 15-4 when scoring 60+ points, and also boasts a 12-0 mark when limiting opponents to no more than 59 points. Additionally, the Green and White is 14-3 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 707-499 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 474 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.

SCORERS, SCORE: Two of the top scorers in the country will square off when IWU and Millikin tipoff inside the Griswold Center in the CCIW Tournament Semifinal Friday night, Feb. 24. Lauren Huber is 25th nationally and second in the CCIW with 485 points on the year. Millikin's Elyce Knudsen leads the conference at 564 points, a mark that is seventh-most nationally.

ONE OF THE TOP TITANS: Illinois Wesleyan fans will see a familiar face leading the Big Blue in fifth-year head coach Olivia Lett when IWU and Millikin square off Wednesday, Feb. 8. One of the greatest basketball players in IWU history, Lett was a three-year letterwinner for the Titans from 2009-12. The 2012 CCIW Player of the Year, Lett led Illinois Wesleyan to a NCAA Division III National Championship in 2012.
    She finished her career ranked second all-time in scoring average at 15.4 ppg, tied for second in blocks (70), third in free throw percentage (.829), seventh all-time with 1,354 points, ninth in field goals made (474), and 10th in three-pointers made (135) and free throws made (271).

THE ROOKIE: Freshman dual-sport athlete Sawyer White has burst onto the scene in conference play, putting together one of the best seasons by a newcomer in the league this year. Over the 16-game CCIW slate, White averaged 7.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 2.6 assists. She ranked second in the conference in steals and was 10th in assists, both of which were the most by a newcomer in the CCIW this season. She has posted double-digit points in seven of the 16 games. In the regular season, White posted single-game highs of 19 points, nine assists, nine rebounds, and five steals.

ON THE HORIZON: The winner of Friday night's semifinal games will meet in the CCIW Tournament Championship Saturday night, Feb. 25, at Griswold Center. Tipoff of the championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m.