BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The 13th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team's College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Regular Season Championship hopes hinge on Saturday's regular season finale against North Central College. The game will see the Titans take on the Cardinals at 2 p.m. inside the Shirk Center Saturday, Feb. 17. Senior Day recognitions will take place prior to tipoff.
    The Green and White enters the weekend off a 40-point win over North Park University, Feb. 14. With an 86-46 victory over NPU, Illinois Wesleyan sits at 20-4 overall and 13-2 in the league standings. Amid one of its best seasons in recent memory, North Central finds itself vying for hosting rights in the quarterfinal round of next week's CCIW Tournament. The Cardinals are 12-12 on the season, 7-8 in CCIW play, and sit one win away from their highest conference win total since the 2016-17 campaign. Most recently, NCC fell at 14th-ranked Millikin University, 72-53, Feb. 14.
     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.

SENIOR SEND-OFF: In the final regular season contest against NCC on Saturday, seniors Launi Chanthaboury, Megan Moody, Taylor Tarver, and Emma Kornak will receive a proper send off and celebration of their accomplishments as Titans. In four years, Chanthaboury, Moody, Tarver, and Kornak have accumulated a 62-28 overall record, as well as a 41-13 mark in league play. The Titans won the CCIW Championship in the 2021-22 season, earning a berth to the NCAA Tournament where the Green and White won their first game.

FEAR THE SECOND TEN: The Titans have outscored their opponents 327-240 (+87) 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, 375-213 (+162), in the second period.

CLASHES WITH THE CARDINALS: Saturday's CCIW contest between the Titans and Cardinals will serve as the 85th chapter in a history that dates back 40 years. Despite North Central winning the first seven showdowns, including an 81-76 win in the initial meeting in 1979, Illinois Wesleyan leads the all-time series 54-30. Additionally, IWU is 42-11 against NCC under the direction of Mia Smith and is winners of 12 of the last 14 meetings.
    The Titans narrowly escaped Naperville, Dec. 9 with a 68-61 overtime win. In a game where IWU's two leading scorers, played a combined 17 minutes, the Titans committed 24 turnovers and were 11-of-28 from the charity stripe. Mallory Powers led the way with 20 points, but it was Caite Knutson who came to the rescue in OT, scoring three of the Titan's four field goals.

NEARING THE CENTURY MARK: Sawyer White, formerly known as "The Grinch," recently broke Titan great Rebekah Ehresman's school record for steals in a season with 97 and counting. With postseason upcoming, White has her eyes set on making more history. In the CCIW single-season steals record book, White currently sits tied for fourth, with only three other league players all-time surpassing 100+ steals in a single season.
Jennifer Falbe from Millikin holds the first and second place positions with 122 and 103 in separate seasons, while Barb Heinig of Carthage is third all-time with 101 steals. None of these players completed their feats in Sawyer White's lifetime, with the most recent being Falbe with 122 takeaways in the 1999-2000 season.

IT COMES DOWN TO SATURDAY: Through 15 of 16 regular season league games, not much has been decided in terms of seeding in the CCIW tournament. In fact, no team in the tournament has locked up a seed ahead of the CCIW tournament starting Tuesday, Feb. 20. 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.
    North Central has secured a spot in the CCIW Tournament, although their seed is yet to be determined. The Cardinals currently sit in a tie for fourth with Augustana, but with NCC's regular season win over Millikin, North Central would ultimately snag the fourth seed if the tournament started today. With NCC and Augie visiting the top two teams in the league, IWU and Carroll, in their final regular season games on Saturday, there is still much to be decided.

NO SOUP FOR YOU!: Illinois Wesleyan has held opponents below 50 points 25 times since the  start of the 2012-13 campaign. IWU has done so four times this season, most recently holding North Park to 46 points, Feb. 14.

PUTTING UP THE POINTS: The Titans have scored a whopping 1986 points this season, the fifth-most of any Division III team. IWU is scoring 82.8 points per game, good for fifth-best in the country. The Green and White's offensive outburst has come with a 44.6 field goal percentage, the 13th-best nationally.

#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 11 games in 2024. Not only can she score herself, but she is also one of the top distributors on the Titan roster. Palmer is ranked 10th in Division III with a 3.0 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, North Park's Perry, and Millikin's Knudsen, all top-six in the CCIW in scoring, have been held below their season points average at the hands of Palmer this season.

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 257 of 340 of its home games, good for a .756 win percentage.

A DEEPER LOOK: Through 24 games, Illinois Wesleyan has developed some clear keys to victory. IWU, known for its frantic full court press, is 19-0 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 18-2 when attempting more free throws and 2-2 when shooting fewer than its opponent.

THE 53rd YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, now in its 53rd year of women's basketball, has compiled a 727-504 overall record. IWU's .591 all-time win percentage includes a 347-203 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.

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 19th in WBCA. Carroll is slotted 19th in the D3hoops poll, while the Pios are receiving votes in the WBCA Top-25.

ANYONE'S NIGHT, ANY NIGHT: The 2023-24 season has displayed the balance of the Titans roster as IWU has seen 93 double-digit performances and eleven 20-point efforts through 24 games. IWU has seen six different players lead the team in scoring this season.

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 24th nationally with 17.2 assists per game. The Green and White also ranks 32nd in DIII with a 1.13 assist-to-turnover ratio.
    Mallory Powers and Sawyer White top IWU with 78 and 73, respectively. Kate Palmer has been credited with 66 on the year, while Ava Bardic has collected 52.
    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 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 494 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.

TURNING OVER MORE THAN JUST THE CALENDAR: Illinois Wesleyan's defense was unrelenting in the lopsided win at Hendrix, Dec. 29. The Titans nearly forced as many turnovers as points they allowed as Hendrix finished with 39 turnovers. The 39 turnovers by the Warriors are the most IWU has forced since North Park committed 39, Jan. 13, 2018, in IWU's 83-53 win.
    As of Feb. 15, the Titans are averaging 22.92 forced turnovers per contest, 21st-most in all of Division III.