BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The second-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team will make the short drive down to Decatur for a midweek matchup with Millikin University Wednesday, Jan. 22. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Griswold Center.
    The Titans hit the road for the first time since Jan. 4 with their trip down US-51 as IWU returns to action after a weekend off. Illinois Wesleyan stands at 16-0 on the season, including a 7-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark. The Green and White most recently downed Carthage College, 63-42, inside the Shirk Center, Jan. 15. Winners of three of its last four, Millikin carries a 5-11 overall record into Wednesday night. The Big Blue are 4-3 in league play, fueled by their play as of late. MU rode a first-half lead to a 72-62 triumph over Elmhurst University, Jan. 18, to earn its fourth league win of the season.
    A live stream and live stats will be provided. Matt Sosler will have the call on WESN. Links on can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

IN RARE AIR: Lauren Huber eclipsed the 1500-career point mark in IWU's win over Carthage, Jan. 15. She is just the third player in program history to clear 1500 points. Huber's career point total of 1502 is 75 points behind Molly McGraw (1577) and 130 behind the program's all-time leading scorer, Traci Butler.
    Nationally, Huber is one of six active Division III women's basketball players with 1500+ points and 750+ career rebounds. She is 21st across Division III among active players in scoring and is also 21st among active players with 761 career rebounds.

SCORERS SCORE: Illinois Wesleyan's offense has been one of the best around Division III this season. In fact, IWU's 1226 total points scored ranks 10th most nationally, while its 76.6 points per game are slotted 16th.

DEFENSE LOCKED IN IN 2025: Since the calendar flipped to 2025, Titans have taken their defensive play to another level. In four games in the new year, Illinois Wesleyan is holding opponents to 50.0 points per game - a 10.1 point improvement from its season average of 60.1 points per contest. Opponents have connected on just 78-of-219 field goal attempts (35.6 percent) and 14-of-72 three-point tries (19.4 percent), while averaging 22.8 turnovers per game with 91 total over the four-game span.

?MATCHIN' UP WITH MILLIKIN: Wednesday night's matchup will mark the 106th edition of the Illinois Wesleyan-Millikin rivalry, a series that dates back to the 1972-73 season. IWU held off MU in the initial meeting, 38-33, and won the first four games between the two conference foes. Overall, Millikin owns a 59-47 edge in the all-time series. However, IWU is 36-24 against MU under the direction of Mia Smith.
    The Big Blue are winners of five in-a-row against the Titans, with Illinois Wesleyan's last win over Millikin coming in in the 2022 CCIW Tournament. That season, IWU downed MU, 80-73, Feb. 26, 2022. The Green and White used a big second half to earn the win and claim the league's tournament title. Lauren Huber led the way with 27 points, while Kaia Bowen added a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double. Kate Palmer poured in 16 points off the bench behind four-three-pointers.

HOME COOKING: One of the greatest venues in NCAA Division III, the Shirk Center has been home to more than 750 Titan basketball games between the men and women. In its 30-year history, the women have won 265 of 349 of its home games, good for a .756 win percentage.
This season, IWU is 6-0 inside the friendly confines of the Shirk Center. The Titans posted an 8-3 record on their home floor during the 2023-24 campaign.

POLLING PLACE: Illinois Wesleyan held steady inside the top-five in both the D3hoops.com and WBCA Top-25 polls as of Jan. 21. IWU ranks second in the D3hoops.com poll, having earned one first-place vote, and held at third in the WBCA list announced Jan. 21. IWU's ranking in D3hoops is the program's highest since being No. 1 following the conclusion of the 2011-12 season.

SHE'LL TAKE THAT X200: 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. With four steals in Illinois Wesleyan's win over No. 18 Chicago, White hit 200 steals for her career, becoming just the fifth Titan in program history to do so. Her career total currently stands at 220 as of Jan. 20. 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, with White ranking fourth all-time.
The Downers Grove, Ill. native, who set the program's single-season steals record a season ago, is 24th across Division III with 3.38 thefts per game, while her 54 steals are 13th-most.

PERFECT 10, IN SEARCH OF MORE: With their win over No. 18 Chicago, Dec. 17, the Titans ran their record to 10-0 on the season. Now at 16-0, IWU's off to its best start since the 2009-10 campaign, when the Green and White won its first 18 contests. IWU went on to finish 28-2 overall, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Division III Tournament, where its season came to an end with a heartbreaking, 77-76, loss to UW-Stevens Point.

EXPERIENCE PAYING DIVIDENDS: Through 16 games, Illinois Wesleyan has shown immense poise by way of ball security. The Titans have dished out 247 assists to 225 turnovers, good for a 1.10 assist-to-turnover ratio. IWU's mark is ranked 22nd nationally, while its 14.1 turnovers per game are slotted 36th-best and its 15.5 assists per game are 60th across Division III.

FEAR THE SECOND TEN LIVES ON: Illinois Wesleyan has commonly used the second quarter to distance itself from opponents. Through 16 games this year, IWU has outscored opponents 305-210, a difference of 95 points. The Titans have lost the quarter just twice over 16 games - 26-12, at Carroll, Dec. 7 and 24-9, at Trinity (Texas), Dec. 27.

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 513-207.  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, in its 54th year of women's basketball, has compiled a 746-506 overall record. IWU's .596 all-time win percentage includes a 354-203 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.

CLIMBING THE COMMA CLUB: Senior Kate Palmer hit a free throw in overtime against Trinity (Texas) to push her career point total to 1000 through 98 career games. Palmer is just the 26th member of the exclusive club. The Geneva, Ill. native currently ranks 21st on the program's all-time scoring list (1047 points), trailing Katie Cantrell's 20th-ranked point total of 1060.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan returns to the Shirk Center this Saturday, Jan. 25, to take on Wheaton College in a 2 p.m. tipoff. The Titans and Thunder will square off as part of IWU's annual Pink Zone game, while it will also serve as the program's Alumni Day.