BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Another tough test awaits the No. 7 Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team this weekend Sautrday-Sunday, Nov. 30-Dec. 1, as the Titans travel to St. Louis, Mo. for the annual Midwest Challenge. This year's rotating tournament will be hosted by WashU, where IWU will open the weekend against DePauw University. Game time is set for 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, inside the WashU Fieldhouse.
    The Titans are coming off a vital, 84-78, win at third-ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Tuesday night, Nov. 26. The win boosted the Green and White's record to 4-0 on the season. DePauw enters the weekend 2-2 overall, most recently downing Albion College, 60-50, Nov. 26. Rose-Hulman, which has not played since Nov. 14, is coming off its first win of the season. The Fightin' Engineers snatched a 75-63 victory over Principia to move to 1-2 on the year. Rounding out the weekend's field, WashU has put together an incredibly strong start to the season and sits at 4-0. The Bears most recently went 2-0 at their own McWilliams Classic, Nov. 22-23, which included a 66-47 win over Wisconsin Lutheran College.
    Fans can catch a live stream of the game, while live stats will also be provided. Links on can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.
MIDWEST CHALLENGE: The Midwest Challenge is back for its 31st go-around. The annual rotating tournament began in 1993 and featured IWU, WashU, and DePauw. The tournament expanded to include Blackburn, Illinois College, Bluffton, Franklin, Beloit, Thomas More, Kalamazoo, Coe, Central, Hendrix, and Olivet over the years but has featured this year's field every season since 2017.
    WashU has seen the most success in the tournament, winning the weekend 15 times. IWU has seven wins, including each of the past two seasons, while DePauw has six wins in the tournament's history.
    The Titans' path to the Midwest Challenge title last season included wins over Rose-Hulman and WashU. After knocking off host, RHIT, the Green and White outlasted WashU in overtime to claim the title, 87-80. Ava Bardic dropped a game-high 27 points with five three-pointers and six assists, while Mallory Powers scored a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double. Powers matched Bardic with a game-high six helpers.
TALE OF THE TAPE: Illinois Wesleyan holds a combined record of 22-35 against Rose-Hulman, DePauw, and WashU all-time. The Titans hold a 5-2 advantage in the all-time series with the Fightin' Engineers, but trail in the all-time series with DePauw (11-10) and WashU (22-8).
    The Green and White have won four of the past five meetings with Rose-Hulman and lead the all-time series, 5-2. The Titans have won both of the previous neutral site meetings with the Fightin' Engineers and most recently took down RHIT, 79-65, Nov. 25, 2023.
IWU has won each of the last two meetings with the Tigers, but DePauw grabbed a 69-67 win when the two tangled the last time WashU hosted the Midwest Challenge. DU used a strong second half to overcome IWU's 38-32 halftime lead en route to a 69-67 triumph. Riley Brovelli posted a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double in the loss.
    The Titans trail the all-time tally with WashU, 22-8, despite winning the past two meetings. If Illinois Wesleyan and the Bears matchup on Sunday, it would be the first time the two play in St. Louis since Nov. 22, 2008. The Titans are 1-4 against the Bears on their home court since 1993.
WINNERS AT WHITEWATER: The Titans led by as many as 14 before coming away with a six-point, 84-78, win over third-ranked UW-Whitewater Tuesday night, Nov. 26. It was IWU's first win over UWW since Nov. 27, 2012 when the Green and White took down the Warhawks, 72-69, inside the Shirk Center.
    Additionally, it is Illinois Wesleyan's first win at Whitewater since Jan. 2, 2010 when IWU grabbed an 87-58 win. The Titans jolted out to a 49-28 lead at halftime before earning the lopsided victory. Nikki Preston paced IWU with 25 points, while Hope Schulte scored 20 and Christina Solari added an 11-point, 10 rebound double-double.
20/20 VISION: The Green and White saw Kate Palmer and Ava Bardic lead the way against No. 3 UW-Whitewater, Nov. 26. Palmer scored a team-high 22 points, tying her career-high, while Bardic added 20 points. It marked the first time two Titans have scored 20+ points in the same game this season and is the first occurence since Feb. 24, 2024. In that game, Lauren Huber scored 22 points and Palmer poured in 20 in IWU's CCIW Tournament Championship game.
DEAN OF THE CCIW: Veteran head coach Mia Smith earned her 500th career win as Illinois Wesleyan rolled past Edgewood, 88-57, in its home opener Saturday, Nov. 23. Smith, who has accrued all of her wins at the helm of the Titans, is just the second coach in CCIW history to win at least 500 games. She carries a career record of 501-207. The current conference leader in wins among active head coaches, Smith's career win total ranks second in league laurels. Additionally, her win total is 21st-most across all of active Division III head coaches.
  Under the tutelage of Smith, IWU has won 10 CCIW Championships and made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances. The Titans won the 2012 NCAA Division III Championship following a fourth-place finish in 2011.
SOY BROUGHT THE SAUCE: Junior Sawyer White put together her best game of the season to help lead IWU past Edgewood, Nov. 23. White tied for the team lead with 16 points, a season-high, and notched a season-high seven steals. The Downers Grove, Ill. native, who set the program's single-season steals record a season ago, is 24th across Division III with 3.75 thefts per game.
FLIPPING TITANS: Illinois Wesleyan's defense was unrelenting in the lopsided win against Edgewood, Nov. 23. The Titans forced 30 turnovers, cashing them in for 42 points. The 30 miscues by the Eagles are the most IWU has forced since the CCIW Tournament semifinals last season, when the Titans forced Augie into 34 turnovers.
    As of Nov. 26, the Green and White is averaging 20.25 forced turnovers per contest.
THE 54TH YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, entering its 54th year of women's basketball, has compiled a 734-506 overall record. IWU's .592 all-time win percentage includes a 348-203 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.
POLLING PLACE: Illinois Wesleyan sits inside the top-10 in both the D3hoops.com and WBCA Top-25 polls as of Nov. 26. IWU ranks eighth in the D3hoops.com poll, and hopped up to No. 7 in the WBCA list.
    IWU is one of two College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin teams in the top-25, as Carroll sits at No. 13 in D3hoops and No. 21 in the WBCA rankings. Reigning Division III National Champion, NYU topped both polls with Wartburg slotted second.
I'LL TAKE MILESTONESÂ FOR 100, ALEX: Senior Kate Palmer joined in on the milestone club this past Saturday, Nov. 23, as she notched a pair of steals to up her career total to 100 thefts. Palmer has four steals on the season and is coming off a 2023-24 year in which she racked up a career-high 39 steals. Palmer is on the verge of another career milestone, as she stands 88 points shy of 1000 for her IWU career.
    Junior Ava Bardic knocked down four three-pointers over opening weekend, including the 100th triple of her career. Bardic, who drilled 42 three-balls during one season at Division II Illinois-Springfield, has converted 59 triples since joining the Titans. With a team-high four steals at UW-Whitewater, Nov. 26, Bardic surpassed 100 career steals.
ON THE HORIZON: The Titans turn their focus to College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play after this weekend's tournament. The Green and White will begin league play on the road Wednesday night, Dec. 4, at North Park University. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
