BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After wrapping up two road wins, the 13th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team opens a two-game homestand to close the regular season, as the Titans look to maintain their top spot in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin standings. The Titans will take on CCIW foe North Park University on Wednesday, Feb. 14 inside the Shirk Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
     Illinois Wesleyan rolls into Wednesday with a 19-4 overall record along with a 12-2 mark in CCIW action, which is good for the top spot in the league. The Titans most recently dominated Carthage College on the road, 93-66, on Saturday, Feb. 10. The Vikings, 4-19 on the season and 1-13 in conference play, are fresh off their first CCIW win on Wednesday, Feb. 7 over Carthage, 73-64. While the Vikings' conference tournament hopes have been extinguished, they can play spoiler against Illinois Wesleyan and eventually Wheaton College in their following contest on Feb. 17.
     A live stream along with live stats of the game will be available through links on the women's basketball schedule page of iwusports.com. Emma Thorman and Matt Sosler will have the call.

POWERS PULLS IN CCIW WEEKLY AWARD: Mallory Powers was named the CCIW Player of the Week for the first time in her career Monday, Feb. 12. It marked the first weekly league award by a Titan this season and the first since Sawyer White received the nod Feb. 6, 2023.
Powers averaged 17.5 points on 60.9 percent shooting, while finishing the week 5-for-11 from beyond the arc. Powers added 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals, and 2.5 assists per game over the two-game stretch.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Illinois Wesleyan and North Park will square off for the 79th time Wednesday, Feb. 14. The Titans hold a commanding 63-16 advantage in the all-time series and have won 38 of the past 41 meetings with the Vikings dating back to the 2004-05 season.
The Green and White upended the Vikings in Chicago, Jan. 10, 81-49. 13 Titans scored in the win, led by Caite Knutson with 16 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting clip.

UNDER MY UMBRELLA: It was raining at Tarble Arena on Saturday in the Green and White's victory over Carthage, as the Titans accomplished a three-point shooting feat not seen since the 2011-12 season. The Titans hit 14-of-24 three-pointers, good for a 58.3 clip, both of which rank among the top performances in program history. IWU's 14 made threes were the most since March 18, 2011 against WashU. Meanwhile, the 58.3 percent clip ranks as the second-highest all-time and is the best since the record (70.6) was established at North Park Jan. 7, 2012.

6 > 5: The Titans have had at least five players in double figures a whopping seven times this season. On the first six occasions, five players in Green and White surpassed 10 points, however, on Saturday against Carthage, six Titans (Mallory Powers, Kate Palmer, Ava Bardic, Lauren Huber, Laura Mahlum, and Caite Knutson) found themselves in double figures in scoring.
The last time in Titan women's hoops history that six players scored in double digits was during the 2017-18 season when Raven Hughes, Molly McGraw, Nina Anderson, Maddie Merritt, Kendall Sosa, and Rebekah Ehresman all went for over 10 against North Park on Jan. 13, 2018.
    
FEAR THE SECOND TEN: The Titans have outscored their opponents 296-229 (+67) in the first 10 minutes in CCIW games this year. While this mark is on the positive side, it does not compare to the damage the Titans have done in the second period. The Green and White are outscoring CCIW foes by nearly twice as much, 347-200 (+147), in the second period.
    Against Carthage last Saturday, the Titans found themselves in a four point contest, 24-20, at the end of the first period. The Green and White outscored the Firebirds 33-13 in the second quarter to balloon their four-point advantage into a 57-33 lead heading into halftime.

PUTTING UP THE POINTS: The Titans have scored a whopping 1900 points this season, the fifth-most of any Division III team. IWU is scoring 82.6 points per game, good for fifth-best in the country. The Green and White's offensive outburst has come with a 44.4 field goal percentage, the 13th-best nationally.

STOLEN RECORD: Sawyer White, formerly known as "The Grinch," broke the Illinois Wesleyan school record for steals in a single season with 95 and counting on Wednesday, Feb. 7 against Elmhurst. White stole the crown from Titan great Rebekah Ehresman, who had 90 total steals in the 2017-18 season. With two regular season games left and postseason play upcoming, White has time to extend her lead and move up the CCIW list of single season steals leaders, where she currently is tied for fifth all-time and the only student-athlete on the list who has played in the 21st century.
In all of Division III, White ranks fifth in steals and sixth in steals per game with 4.13. In the Titans first 14 games of league play, White has improved those numbers to average 4.6 steals per game. This mark leads the CCIW, while the next closest thieves are averaging just 2.7 steals per game.

#24 IN 2024: Since the turn of the new year, junior Kate Palmer has cemented herself as one of the best two-way players in the conference. Palmer has scored in double figures in eight of ten games in 2024. Not only can she score herself, but she is also one of the top distributors on the Titan's roster. Palmer is ranked 9th in Division III with a 3.10 assist/turnover ratio.
      Even more impressive perhaps has been Palmer's defense. While the Titans are known for their run-and-jump full-court defense, Palmer has been a star in the half court, locking down the opposition's best scorer. Carroll's Rangel, Carthage's Morrissey, Wheaton's Tate, and Millikin's Knudsen, all top-six in the CCIW in scoring, have all been held below their season points average at the hands of Palmer this season.

FEBRUARY MADNESS: With just two regular season games remaining before CCIW Tournament play begins, postseason implications loom large for Illinois Wesleyan this Wednesday night. The Titans control their own destiny on the way to a CCIW regular season title and home court advantage in the conference tournament. The Titans are tied atop the CCIW with Carroll, but with Carroll's regular season sweep of Millikin paired with IWU's sweep of Carroll, the Titans would ultimately win the tiebreaker if the conference tournament started today.

POLLING STATION: The Titans are currently ranked in both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and D3hoops.com Top-25 polls. Currently, IWU is 17th in the WBCA poll and 13th in the D3hoops.com rankings.
    Illinois Wesleyan is one of three College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin programs in the national rankings, with Millikin sitting 14th in the D3hoops rankings and 21st in WBCA. Carroll is slotted 19th in the D3hoops poll, while the Pios are receiving votes in the WBCA Top-25.

HOME COOKING: One of the greatest venues in NCAA Division III, the Shirk Center has been home to more than 650 Titan basketball games between the men and women. In its 27-year history, the women have won 256 of 339 of its home games, good for a .754 win percentage.

A DEEPER LOOK: Through 23 games, Illinois Wesleyan has developed some clear keys to victory. IWU, known for its frantic full court press, is 18-0 when winning the turnover battle versus an 1-4 record when committing more miscues than the opposition. Additionally, the Titans have fared better when getting to the free throw line more than their opponent. In fact, IWU is 17-2 when attempting more free throws and 2-2 when shooting fewer than its opponent.

SHARING IS CARING: Sharing the ball has been a signature of the Titans, as Illinois Wesleyan has been one of the best at it this season. IWU is 25th nationally with 17.2 assists per game. The Green and White also ranks 35th in DIII with a 1.12 assist-to-turnover ratio.
    Mallory Powers and Sawyer White top IWU with 75 and 70, respectively. Kate Palmer has been credited with 65 on the year, while Ava Bardic has collected 51.
    The Titans have posted 20-or-more assists seven times this season, most recently accomplishing the feat with 20 at Carthage, Feb. 10. White was credited with four, while Sara Balli, Bardic, and Powers dished out three each.

THE 53rd YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, now in its 53rd year of women's basketball, has compiled a 726-504 overall record. IWU's .590 all-time win percentage includes a 346-203 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.

THE DEAN OF THE CCIW: The 2023-24 season marks the 26th year under the direction of Mia Smith, the longest tenured coach in the CCIW. Smith's 493 wins are the most among active CCIW coaches by more than 150 and tied for 21st-most among active Division III head coaches. Additionally, Smith's CCIW wins are the second-most in league history.
    Under the tutelage of Smith, IWU has won 10 CCIW Championships and made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances. The Titans won the 2012 NCAA Division III Championship following a fourth-place finish in 2011.

ANYONE'S NIGHT, ANY NIGHT: The 2023-24 season has displayed the balance of the Titans roster as IWU has seen 90 double-digit performances and eleven 20-point efforts through 23 games. IWU has seen six different players lead the team in scoring this season.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans cap off the regular season and celebrate Senior Day Saturday, Feb. 17 in a rematch with North Central College. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will serve as the front half of a doubleheader with the IWU men's basketball team. Illinois Wesleyan will recognize seniors Launi Chanthaboury, Megan Moody, Taylor Tarver, and Emma Kornak pregame. The game will also be a "White Out" as fans are encouraged to wear white to Saturday's contests.