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Mia Smith after 500th win
Ashtin Elder
57
Edgewood EC 1-4,0-0 NACC
88
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 3-0,0-0 CCIW
Edgewood EC
1-4,0-0 NACC
57
Final
88
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
3-0,0-0 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Edgewood EC 11 13 15 18 57
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 21 27 20 20 88

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Titans Top Edgewood, Mia Smith Earns 500th Career Win

Titans improve to 3-0

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team secured the 500th win of head coach Mia Smith's career Saturday afternoon, Nov. 23, at the Shirk Center. The Titans drove their record to 3-0 with an 88-57 win over Edgewood College. The Eagles stumbled to 1-4. 

Four players hit double-figures as juniors Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) and Ava Bardic (Lincolnshire, Ill.-Stevenson) scored 16 points apiece.  Seniors Mallory Powers (Amboy, Ill.-Amboy) and Lauren Huber (Lombard, Ill.-Glenbard East) added 14 and 12 points, respectively, in near double-double efforts. Powers pulled in a team-high nine boards, with Huber grabbing seven.

Illinois Wesleyan hit 35-of-81 shot attempts, registering 20 assists in the game. Bardic led the way with five dimes, followed by Huber and Balli who added four apiece. The Titans finished 8-for-30 from distance and 10-for-13 at the free throw line.

A tenacious defensive effort forced the Eagles into 30 turnovers, aided by 21 steals. White led IWU with seven thefts and Bardic added five steals. Edgewood used a better second half to finish 22-for-55 from the floor. EC went 8-for-21 from three-point range and just 5-of-10 at the charity stripe.

Illinois Wesleyan won the rebounding battle, 44-39, and earned an 11-7 lead in second-chance scoring. The Green and White posted a 42-6 lead in points off turnovers and a 48-24 advantage in the paint. IWU's domination of fastbreak scoring continued as the Titans outscored the Eagles, 33-3, in transition.

The Titans led for all but 16 seconds of the game, as senior Caite Knutson (Maryville, Ill.-Collinsville) hit White for a three-ball to give IWU a 13-8 lead. Huber converted a bucket off a dish from junior Sara Balli (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) and Bardic added free throws to propel the home team ahead, 21-11, after 10 minutes.

Illinois Wesleyan was dominant in the second quarter, pushing its lead to as many as 30 before taking a 48-24 lead into halftime.

The Titans rode the big first-half lead to the lopsided victory as they grabbed their third win of the season.

Illinois Wesleyan is back in action this Tuesday, Nov. 26, at No. 3 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.


 
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