BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team welcomes Millikin University to the Shirk Center Wednesday night, Feb. 8, for a highly anticipated College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin clash. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
    The Titans are fresh off a 78-55 rout of Carroll University, Feb. 4, in their annual PinkZone game. With the win, IWU's record sits at 13-9 on the season and 8-5 in conference play ahead of Wednesday's rematch with Millikin. Meanwhile, the Big Blue are 17-4 on the season and 11-1 in CCIW play. Millikin most recently saw a 10-game win streak snapped with a stunning, 66-48, setback at Wheaton, Feb. 4.
    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.

MATCHIN' UP WITH MILLIKIN: Wednesday night's matchup will mark the 102nd 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 55-47 edge in the all-time series, but Illinois Wesleyan has won 13 of the past 18 meetings. Additionally, IWU is 36-20 against MU under the direction of Mia Smith.

REVENGE TOUR: After a tumultuous start to league play, Illinois Wesleyan has shown great improvement in rematches. In its first five games of CCIW play, IWU went 3-2 and shot 41.9 percent from the floor, 30.7 percent from three-point range, and 61.7 percent at the free throw line. The opposition held percentages of 41.2, 26.7, and 69.0, respectively. IWU was hampered by turnovers, recording 84 miscues to just 69 assists.
    Flash forward to the last five games, which has seen IWU avenge loses to North Park and Wheaton, and IWU is holding opponents to 56.6 points per game (compared to 64.2 in the previous five games) and is 4-1. The Titans have shot the ball much better, going 46.9 percent from the field, 32.7 percent from three, and 66.7 percent in FTs. Meanwhile, the Green and White defense has limited opponents to a field goal percentage of 37.4 overall and 26.0 from distance. The Titans have 87 assists to 69 turnovers, and have forced 107 opponent miscues to 54 assists.

SCORERS, SCORE: Two of the top scorers in the country will square off when IWU and Millikin tipoff inside the Shirk Center Wednesday, Feb. 8. Lauren Huber is 18th nationally and second in the CCIW with 419 points on the year, just behind Millikin's Elyce Knudsen's conference-best mark of 469 points (fourth 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).

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 9-3 record when recording 12+ assists.

KEYS TO VICTORY: With 22 games complete, IWU has well-established several keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 12-3 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 11-3 when winning the turnover margin as opposed to 2-6 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 704-498 overall record. IWU's .586 all-time win percentage includes a 332-200 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 471 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 six times in the past nine games, including a career-high 19 points versus Carroll, Feb. 4. After a week that earned her CCIW Player of the Week honors, White is averaging 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.8 steals over the last nine contests.

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 (19.0 ppg), while leading the league in rebounding (9.8 rpg) and field goal percentage (52.8). She also ranks 11th in assists (2.2 apg), making her the only player in the CCIW inside the conference's top-11 in all three categories.

HELLO, HELLER: Senior Katelyn Heller continued her strong start to the New Year, with a career-high 25 points in a win over Augustana, Jan. 14. It marked the third 20-point game of her career.
She had been 8-for-33 over the final four games of 2022. Since the first game of 2023 (Jan. 4 against NPU), Heller is shooting 47.9 percent (46-for-96) and has put up 12.7 points per game. She is also adding 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game over the last 10 contests.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans hit the road for the final time in the regular season Saturday, Feb. 11, for a CCIW game at North Central College. Tipoff of IWU's penultimate regular season contest is set for 5 p.m. inside Gregory Arena, and will be followed by the IWU men's basketball team's tilt with NCC at 7:15 p.m.