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Ava Bardic driving for a bucket
© AshtinElder
59
DePauw DPU 2-3,0-0 NCAC
65
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 5-0,0-0 CCIW
DePauw DPU
2-3,0-0 NCAC
59
Final
65
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
5-0,0-0 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
DePauw DPU 23 9 13 14 59
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 17 15 16 17 65

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women’s Hoops Upends DePauw

Titans advance to Midwest Challenge title game

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The seventh-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team fought back from an eight-point deficit to defeat DePauw University, 65-59, Saturday evening, Nov. 30, on day one of the Midwest Challenge hosted by WashU. The Titans prevailed in a defensive battle to run their record to 5-0, while the Tigers, who a receiving votes in national polls, dropped to 2-3.

The Green and White used a balanced box score to complete the comeback and earn the win. Junior Ava Bardic (Lincolnshire, Ill.-Stevenson) scored a game-high 17 points with three assists and three steals, while senior Lauren Huber (Lombard, Ill.-Glenbard East) added 14 points. Huber was the team leader in rebounds with seven, and also topped the team with four assists. Seniors Kate Palmer (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) and Mallory Powers (Amboy, Ill.-Amboy) posted 10 points and five rebounds apiece. 

Illinois Wesleyan won the turnover battle, 19-9, recording nine steals in the game. Behind Bardic's trio of thefts, Palmer and junior Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) recorded two steals each. IWU held leads in points off turnovers (22-14) and fastbreak scoring (14-13), with DU finishing with advantages in second chance scoring (11-5), bench points (20-9), and points in the paint (40-24).

The Titans shot 25-for-61 from the floor (41 percent), but went just 6-for-26 from three-point range and 9-for-13 at the free throw line. The Tigers converted 26-of-60 shot attempts, while going just 4-for-15 from beyond the arc. DePauw knocked down 3-of-5 free throws.

DePauw led by as many as eight points in the first half as back-to-back Tiger jumpers sandwiched a Titan turnover to give DePauw a 27-19 lead with 6:45 to play in the second quarter.

A tough bucket by senior Caite Knutson (Maryville, Ill.-Collinsville) sparked an IWU run as junior Sara Balli (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) swiped the ensuing inbounds and converted a wide open layup. The Titan press forced another Tiger miscue and Knutson played through contact to knock down a shot to pull Illinois Wesleyan within three, 28-25.

DePauw snapped the IWU streak, taking a 32-27 lead into a timeout with 3:35 on the clock. The Green and White tightened up defensively and held the Tigers scoreless for the remainder of the period, while Powers hit a triple and Bardic took a steal coast-to-coast to level the score, 32-32, at the break.

After DU scored the first four points of the second half, Knutson kicked to Bardic for a triple. Huber followed with a turnaround jumper to give IWU its first lead of the day, 37-36. 

Palmer drilled a pull-up jumper and Bardic let a three-ball fly from the wing to propel the Titans ahead, 42-38. 

A five-point DePauw run saw the Tigers reclaim the lead, 43-42, but Palmer found Bardic curling off a screen for a quick mid-range jumper. Bardic kept the Titans rolling, combining with Huber for a block, before taking a rebound all the way in for a layup. Knutson closed out the third period with a free throw to push Illinois Wesleyan ahead, 48-45, into the final 10 minutes.

The Green and White rattled off seven straight points to begin the final period, with Bardic leading the way. Huber slipped a backdoor pass to Bardic for an easy two to get things rolling. Following a pair of free throws by Palmer, White tipped a ball on defense that was ultimately corralled by Palmer. Speeding up the court, Palmer fired a pass ahead to Bardic on the wing who kicked to White for a corner three to drive IWU's lead to double digits, 55-45.

Jumpers by Bardic and Powers stretched the Titans advantage to 14 with just over six minutes to play, but the Tigers had one last push left in them.

DePauw used a 12-2 run to draw back within four, 63-59, and make things interesting with 30 seconds left on the clock. With a chance for DU to pull within one, IWU weathered a series of offensive rebounds by the Tigers before pulling in a timely board.

Palmer iced the game with a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to lift Illinois Wesleyan to a 65-59 victory. 

With the win, Illinois Wesleyan advances to the Midwest Challenge title game tomorrow, Dec. 1. IWU will take on the winner of tonight's game between WashU and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology at 4 p.m., while the loser of the contest will face DePauw at 2 p.m.


 
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