BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The No. 16 Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team will make the nearly 300-mile trek to Waverly, Iowa as the Titans begin play in the NCAA Division III Tournament. IWU will square off with Concordia College Moorhead (Minn.) Friday night, March 1, at 5:15 p.m. inside Wartburg College's Levick Arena. Sixth-ranked Wartburg and Wisconsin Lutheran College will tangle in the other opening round bout at 7:30 p.m.
Illinois Wesleyan enters the postseason with a 22-5 overall record that saw the Green and White claim a share of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Regular Season Championship. The Titans, who earned one of 22 at-large berths to the tournament, will make their 15th all-time appearance in the NCAA tournament. Concordia Moorhead boasts a 20-5 overall record ahead of the postseason. The Cobbers, like the Titans, fell in their league tournament championship, and made the field via an at-large berth.
  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 on WESN. Tickets will be $10 for single game passes and $15 for full day passes.

MARCH MADNESS MODE: Illinois Wesleyan will make its 15th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament Friday night when it clashes with Concordia Moorhead. Since first making the tournament in 1995, IWU has compiled an 20-14 record in the tourney. The Titans played in the third-place game in 2011 and won the Division III National Championship in 2012.

NICE TO MEET YOU: Illinois Wesleyan and Concordia Moorhead will meet on the hardwood for the first time Friday, March 1, when the two square off in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. In all, Friday will mark IWU's first-ever meeting against a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference member as the Titans have not previously faced any of the 12 teams from the Bloomington, Minn.-based league.
Conversely, Concordia Moorhead is 0-2 against the CCIW all-time. The Cobbers have played Augustana and Elmhurst previously, falling in both contests. The most recent meeting came back on Nov. 26, 2016 and saw the Bluejays nab a 61-42 victory.

CCIW ON THE NATIONAL STAGE: For the sixth time in the past seven seasons, the CCIW has multiple teams in the NCAA Tournament. IWU is making its 13th appearance under head coach Mia Smith, while Millikin and Carroll also made the 64-team field. The CCIW's three schools are the most for the league since 1996, when Millikin, Wheaton, Illinois Wesleyan, and Carthage represented the conference.
    CCIW teams have won two NCAA Division III national titles in women's basketball including Millikin in 2005 and Illinois Wesleyan in 2012. North Central won a national title in 1983 before the conference began sponsoring women's athletics.

20/20 VISION: For the fourth time this season, IWU saw two Titans put up 20-point efforts in the same contest as Lauren Huber and Kate Palmer combined for 42 points against Carroll in the CCIW Tournament Championship, Feb. 24. Huber went for a team-high 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting, while Palmer finished with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting.
    Prior instances include Ava Bardic and Caite Knutson in Illinois Wesleyan's win at Chicago, Dec. 16. Bardic returned to form with a 24-point showing, while Knutson tied a career-high with 21 points. Bardic and Mallory Powers previously accomplished the feat against WashU, Nov. 26, while Bardic and Knutson also posted 20-point games against UW-Whitewater, Nov. 21.

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 in second on the all-time CCIW single-season steals list, 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 White's 108 this season are second-most across the CCIW in a single season.
    Barb Heinig of Carthage is fourth all-time with 101 steals as one of four CCIW student-athletes with 100+ steals in a season. Neither Falbe or Heinig 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 CCIW. Palmer has scored in double figures in 11 of 13 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 fifth in Division III with a 3.08 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, 436-267 (+169), in the second period.

PUTTING UP THE POINTS: The Titans have scored a whopping 2235 points this season, the fourth-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 44.2 field goal percentage, the 14th-best nationally.

THE 53rd YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, now in its 53rd year of women's basketball, has compiled a 729-505 overall record. IWU's .591 all-time win percentage includes a 348-203 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.

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. More recently, the Titans forced Augustana into 34 turnovers in the CCIW Tournament Semifinal, Feb. 22. Augie's 34 miscues were the most by the Vikings since Nov. 27, 2021 when they committed 35 at Webster.
    As of Feb. 27, the Titans are averaging 23.07 forced turnovers per contest, 16th-most in all of Division III. Illinois Wesleyan has collected 20+ steals in four games this season, including 21 against Augustana just last week.

A DEEPER LOOK: Heading into the NCAA Tournament, Illinois Wesleyan has developed some clear keys to victory. IWU, known for its frantic full court press, is 21-1 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 20-2 when attempting more free throws and 2-3 when shooting fewer than its opponent.

POLLING STATION: The Titans are currently ranked in both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and D3hoops.com Top-25 polls. Currently, IWU is 20th in the WBCA poll and 16th 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 20th in the D3hoops rankings and 23rd in WBCA. Carroll is slotted the highest of the trio in both polls as the Pios are 13th in the D3hoops poll and 17th 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 21st nationally with 17.3 assists per game. The Green and White also ranks 26th in DIII with a 1.16 assist-to-turnover ratio.
    Mallory Powers and Sawyer White top IWU with 83 assists apiece. Kate Palmer has been credited with 77 on the year, while Ava Bardic has collected 62.
    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 106 double-digit performances and fourteen 20-point efforts through 27 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 496 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.