BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The _-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team begins its 16-game College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin schedule with a trip to North Park University Wednesday night, Dec. 4. Tipoff of the league opener is set for 7 p.m. at the Holmgren Athletic Complex in Chicago.
    The Titans carry a 6-0 record into conference play, most recently earning the Midwest Challenge title, Nov. 30-Dec. 1. IWU took down DePauw University, 65-59, and No. 11 WashU, 67-59,  to maintain its hot start. North Park brings momentum into Wednesday night's bout, having won its last three games after an 0-4 start to the year. The Vikings climbed to 3-4 overall with a convincing, 92-53, throttling of The University of Olivet, Nov. 27.
    Fans can catch a live stream of the game or tune into Matt Sosler on the radio call, while live stats will also be provided. Links on can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

MIDWEST CHALLENGE CHAMPS: The Titans put together a pair of comebacks to knock off DePauw and WashU, Nov. 30-Dec. 1. IWU began the weekend with a 65-59 win over DePauw, which had been receiving votes in national polls. The Green and White then erased a double-digit deficit to take down No. 11 WashU, 67-59. With the wins, Illinois Wesleyan wrapped up its third straight Midwest Challenge title and its eighth overall.
No all-tournament honors were dolled out following the weekend's conclusion, but Ava Bardic and Lauren Huber each put forth strong cases. Bardic averaged 18.5 points over the two-game stint on 14-of-28 shooting (50 percent). She went 5-for-11 from beyond the arc (45.4 percent) and added averages of 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 2.0 assists per game. Huber added 19.0 points per game along with a team-best 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per contest. She knocked down 16-of-29 shot attempts, a 55.2 clip, while going 1-for-2 from three-point range.

WHOOP WHOOP: Illinois Wesleyan head coach Mia Smith was recognized by WHoopDirt.com as the publications Division III Coach of the Week Tuesday, Dec. 3. Smith earns the distinction following her team's three-win week, which included road wins over two top-15 opponents.

#4 FOR #5: A strong week of performances saw Lauren Huber earn a spot on the D3hoops.com Team of the Week, Dec. 2. It marked the fourth honor of Huber's career and the first weekly national accolade for the Titans since Caite Knutson did so last season. Additionally, with the selection, Huber passed Kendall Sosa for most D3hoops.com Team of the Week honors in program history. Sosa received national team of the week status three times in 2021.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Illinois Wesleyan and North Park will square off for the 81st time Wednesday, Dec. 4. The Titans hold a commanding 64-16 advantage in the all-time series and have won 39 of the past 42 meetings with the Vikings dating back to the 2004-05 season.
    Last season, IWU swept the season series. The Green and White grabbed an 81-49 win at NPU Jan. 10, 2024 before rolling to an 86-46 victory at home Feb. 14, 2024. Lauren Huber, Mallory Powers, and Caite Knutson all scored in double-figures in the second meeting. Huber led the way with 18 points, while Powers added 15 points with Knutson tallying 14 points off the bench.

SWIPER CLOSING IN: The Green and White's high-motor pressure, especially in its run-and-jump, has caused opponents fits this season. Leading the effort for the Titans has been junior Sawyer White, who has become equally well-known for her thieving abilities on the court as she is for a good celebration griddy on the bench. White's career steals total sits at 190 as of Dec. 3. She is 10 thefts away from 200 for her career and currently sits fifth on IWU's all-time steals list.     The Downers Grove, Ill. native, who set the program's single-season steals record a season ago, is 14th across Division III with 4.00 thefts per game, while her 24 steals are 13th-most.
    Rebekah Ehresman holds the record with 296 accrued during her career from 2014 to 2018, while Sydney Shanks is second with 233. Hope Schulte (223) and Christina Solari (216) are the only other two Titans to surpass 200 steals in their careers.

NEARING COMMA CLUB MEMBERSHIP: Senior Kate Palmer is closing in on 1000 career points, as he career total sits at 945 through 93 career games as of Dec. 3. Palmer is just 55 points away from joining IWU's 1000-point club, looking to be the 26th member of the exclusive club. The Geneva, Ill. native currently ranks 28th on the program's all-time scoring list.

20/20 VISION (AGAIN): Illinois Wesleyan was led by junior Ava Bardic and senior Lauren Huber at this year's Midwest Challenge, with the two fueling IWU to the in-season tournament title for the third consecutive year. Huber scored a season-high 24 points, while Bardic added 20 points in a come-from-behind win over WashU, Dec. 1.
    It marked the second time two Titans have scored 20+ points in the same game this season, with the first occurrence taking place at UW-Whitewater, Nov. 26. Bardic scored 20 points in that key road win alongside Kate Palmer's 22-point effort.

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 503-207.  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.

THE 54TH YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, entering its 54th year of women's basketball, has compiled a 736-506 overall record. IWU's .593 all-time win percentage includes a 348-203 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.

POLLING PLACE: Illinois Wesleyan sits inside the top-5 in both the D3hoops.com and WBCA Top-25 polls as of Dec. 3. IWU ranks fourth in the D3hoops.com poll, and hopped up to No. 5 in the WBCA list. IWU's ranking in D3hoops is the program's highest since being No. 1 following the conclusion of the 2011-12 season.

COMEBACK KIDS: Since the start of the 2008-09 season, Illinois Wesleyan has posted 27 wins after trailing by 10-or-more points. The most recent comeback came in the Midwest Challenge Championship, Dec. 1, as the Green and White erased a 10-point WashU lead. Prior to that the Titans accomplished the feat at Carroll, Jan. 20, 2024, overcoming at 12-point deficit to earn a win.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans finish off a five-game roadtrip against the Pioneers of Carroll University Saturday, Dec. 7, in Waukesha, Wis. Tipoff between IWU and CU is set for 2 p.m. inside Van Male Fieldhouse and will serve as the front end of a doubleheader with the IWU men's basketball team, the first twin bill of the season.