BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Days removed from clinching a share of the regular season title, the No. 1 seed, and hosting rights in this week's tournament, the 12th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team returns to action against fifth-seeded Augustana College in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament semifinals Thursday night, Feb. 22. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. inside the Shirk Center and will follow the other semifinal game between No. 2 seed Carroll University and No. 3 seed Millikin University, which is set for a 5 p.m. tip.
    Illinois Wesleyan closed out the regular season with a 94-77 rout of North Central College Saturday, Feb. 17, as the Titans celebrated their four seniors. The win boosted the Titans to 21-4 on the season and 14-2 in the CCIW, as IWU shared the regular season title with Carroll. Augustana survived a wild finish in Naperville Tuesday night, Feb. 20, as the Vikings held on for a 66-63 win over fourth-seeded North Central. The quarterfinal victory snapped a three-game losing streak for Augie and leveled the Vikings' record at 13-13 on the year.
  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.

THERE'S ONLY ONE FIRST: With the IWU men's basketball team winning the CCIW Regular Season and earning the No. 1 seed in the league's tournament, fans will enjoy a historic moment in conference history. This weekend marks the first time that both the women's and men's tournaments will be hosted at the same school. 

POSTSEASON HISTORY: In comparing Augustana and Illinois Wesleyan from a postseason perspective, the Titans have had more recent success. Although the Vikings made their way to the championship game last season as the No. 3 seed before falling to Millikin, prior to that, Augustana had not won a tournament game since the 2020 season. Augie is searching for its first CCIW title since the 1993 season.
    On the flip side, the Titans are winners of nine CCIW tournament titles, with the most recent being in 2022. Last season, as the No. 5 seed, the Green and White defeated No. 4 Wheaton before falling to eventual champion Millikin in the semifinal round. In the CCIW Tournament, the Titans and Vikings have only met twice, with the Green and White taking both of those meetings. Most recently, the Titans squeaked by Augie in overtime in the 2020 season, 76-75, in the semis. The Titans would go on to win the CCIW title in 2020.

DOWN TO THE WIRE: Fifth-seeded Augustana's win over No. 4 seed North Central in the CCIW Quarterfinals at Gregory Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 20 came down to the final seconds. NCC built up a big lead to start the game, but the Vikings stormed back to take a three point lead at halftime. Augustana extended its lead in the second half, before a flurry of turnovers led to easy Cardinal points. With NCC up one, Emma Berg of Augie hit a three with 11 seconds remaining to ultimately seal the win for the Vikings.

HOME SWEET HOME: For the first time since the 2017-18 season, Illinois Wesleyan has earned hosting responsibilities for the CCIW Tournament. Since the first CCIW tournament was held in the 2003 season, the Shirk Center has played host to seven league tournaments. Coincidentally, everytime the conference tournament has been held in Bloomington, Ill., the Titans have been crowned CCIW Champions.
    In 20 years of the CCIW Tournament, No. 1 seeds have a 33-4 record and seventeen league titles, compared to just four league titles for the No. 2 seed. There have only been four years where the host did not win the CCIW tournament. Additionally, no seed higher than the No. 2 has ever won a conference tournament title.

AGAINST AUGIE ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan and Augustana share a long history that dates back to the 1976-77 campaign. The Titans hold the upper hand in the 87-game series, 53-35. The Vikings have only come out on top in seven of the last 40 meetings.
     The Green and White dominated the Vikings on their home court on Jan. 7, 98-59. In the first half alone, the Titans outscored Augie 61-33. All five starters for the Titans (Powers, Bardic, Knutson, White, and Palmer) scored in double figures. At the Shirk Center for the annual PinkZone game, Jan. 27, the Titans rolled to an 85-59 win over the Vikings as five scored in double digits again.

THREE'S A CROWD, FOUR'S A PARTY: With the most All-CCIW selections in the league, Illinois Wesleyan saw four Titans garner all-conference honors. For the third time in her career, junior Lauren Huber was a first team selection. Fellow junior Mallory Powers joined Huber on the first team for the first time in her career. Huber and Powers led the Green and White in scoring in league play with 14.2 and 13.2 points per game, respectively.
    For the first time in their Titan careers, junior Kate Palmer and sophomore Ava Bardic landed All-CCIW Second Team honors. Palmer, one of the elite defenders in the CCIW, averages 12.9 points per game and 2.5 assists. In her first season as a Titan, Bardic averages 10.9 points per game and is one of the most lethal threats in the league from three.

0 TO 100 REAL QUICK: The CCIW hasn't seen a thief quite like Sawyer White, formerly known as "The Grinch," in over 20 years. When White surpassed 90 steals on Feb. 7 against Elmhurst, she broke Titan great Rebekah Ehresman's school record for steals in a season, but she wasn't stopping there. White reached 100 steals on the season with three steals against North Central on senior day. Currently sitting at fourth on the all-time CCIW single-season steals leaders, White is one of only three league players in CCIW history to ever surpass 100+ steals in one 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 White's lifetime, with the most recent being Falbe with 122 takeaways in the 1999-2000 season.

#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 nine of 12 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 ninth in Division III with a 2.96 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-five in the CCIW in scoring, have been held below their season points average at the hands of Palmer this season.

FEAR THE SECOND TEN: The Titans have outscored their opponents 351-257 (+94) 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, 400-231 (+169), in the second period.

PUTTING UP THE POINTS: The Titans have scored a whopping 2080 points this season, the sixth-most of any Division III team. IWU is scoring 83.2 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.

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 258 of 341 of its home games, good for a .757 win percentage.

A DEEPER LOOK: Through 25 regular season games, Illinois Wesleyan has developed some clear keys to victory. IWU, known for its frantic full court press, is 20-0 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 19-2 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 728-504 overall record. IWU's .591 all-time win percentage includes a 348-203 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 18th in the WBCA poll and 12th 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 15th in the D3hoops rankings and 19th in WBCA. Carroll is slotted 19th in the D3hoops poll, while the Pios are 22nd in the WBCA Top-25.

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 22nd nationally with 17.4 assists per game. The Green and White also ranks 27th in DIII with a 1.15 assist-to-turnover ratio.
    Mallory Powers and Sawyer White top IWU with 80 and 76, respectively. Kate Palmer has been credited with 68 on the year, while Ava Bardic has collected 56.
    The Titans have posted 20-or-more assists eight times this season, most recently accomplishing the feat with 21 in their regular season finale against North Central, Feb. 17. Bardic and Caite Knutson led the way with four apiece, with Knutson tallying a career-high, while Lauren Huber and White added three each.

ANYONE'S NIGHT, ANY NIGHT: The 2023-24 season has displayed the balance of the Titans roster as IWU has seen 98 double-digit performances and twelve 20-point efforts through 25 games. IWU has seen six different players lead the team in scoring this season.

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 495 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.