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Sawyer White shoots against Wheaton College Jan. 31, 2024
Ashtin Elder
57
Wheaton (IL) WHEIL 11-9,4-7 CCIW
78
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 17-4,10-2 CCIW
Wheaton (IL) WHEIL
11-9,4-7 CCIW
57
Final
78
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
17-4,10-2 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Wheaton (IL) WHEIL 15 14 17 11 57
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 25 17 22 14 78

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women’s Hoops Rolls Past Wheaton

Titans force 28 turnovers

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The 14th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team never trailed in a 78-57 win over Wheaton College inside the Shirk Center Wednesday night, Jan. 31, in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play. IWU boosted its record to 17-4 overall and 10-2 in league play, while Wheaton dipped to 11-9 (4-7 CCIW).

Seven players finished with seven-or-more points in the win, led by the junior duo of Lauren Huber (Lombard, Ill.-Glenbard East) and Kate Palmer (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva), who finished with 17 points apiece. Sophomore Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) added 11 points and a team-high six steals. Junior Mallory Powers (Amboy, Ill.-Amboy) added eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while sophomores Sara Balli (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) and Laura Mahlum (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington) also finished with eight points each. Sophomore Ava Bardic (Lincolnshire, Ill.-Stevenson) contributed seven points. 

Illinois Wesleyan went 27-for-69 from the field in the win, with 10 three-pointers. The Titans were impressive at the free throw line, going 14-for-15. Wheaton finished 22-for-54 overall and 6-of-18 from three-point range, while the Thunder converted 7-of-9 freebies.

IWU was outrebounded, 40-36, but scored an 11-7 edge in second chance points. The Green and White forced 28 Thunder turnovers as Illinois Wesleyan grabbed a 39-14 lead in points off miscues, while the Titans also held leads in points in the paint (32-26), fastbreak scoring (20-5), and bench scoring (18-16). 

Five steals, four of which came from White, helped Illinois Wesleyan jump out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter. After buckets from Huber and Bardic, Palmer rattled off seven straight points. Sandwiched in between a pair of successful trips to the free throw line, Palmer drilled a three to give IWU an 11-4 lead with 5:19 on the clock.

Bardic picked off a pass which led to two free throws from Huber and ultimately a Wheaton timeout. The second half of the quarter featured a corner three by Balli to give IWU's its largest lead of the half, 22-7.

Leading by 10 into the second period, IWU and Wheaton went back and forth as the Titans carried a 42-29 into halftime.

The Thunder came out strong in the third, hitting 7-of-11 shots in the period, including a pair of three-pointers, but three-balls from Mahlum and Balli helped Illinois Wesleyan maintain its cushion. An old-fashioned three-point play from White with just over a minute left in the quarter extended IWU's lead to 64-46 with 10 minutes to play.

In the fourth, the Titans showed no signs of slowing down en route to the 78-57 victory.

Illinois Wesleyan enjoys a week off before returning to action on the road at Elmhurst University Wednesday, Feb. 7. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside R.A. Faganel Hall.
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