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Wheaton, IL - January 04 - NCAA Basketball - #3 Illinois Wesleyan at Wheaton (Photo by Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative)
Kodiak Creative
81
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 17-0,8-0 CCIW
60
Millikin MIL-U 5-12,4-4 CCIW
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
17-0,8-0 CCIW
81
Final
60
Millikin MIL-U
5-12,4-4 CCIW
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 21 22 17 21 81
Millikin MIL-U 16 14 19 11 60

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Powers Propels Women’s Hoops to Win at Millikin

Palmer dishes out 200th career assist

DECATUR, Ill. - Senior Mallory Powers' (Amboy, Ill.-Amboy) career-high 21-point scoring performance fueled the second-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team to an 81-60 road win at Millikin University Wednesday night, Jan. 22. Illinois Wesleyan improved to 17-0 overall and completed an 8-0 first-half start to College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play, while Millikin slipped to 5-12 (4-4 CCIW).

Powers accrued her career-high scoring total on 7-of-9 shooting, including a 3-for-3 performance from beyond the arc. She completed a double-double with 10 rebounds and also dished out a team-high six assists with three steals. Joining Powers in double figures were seniors Lauren Huber (Lombard, Ill.-Glenbard East) and Kate Palmer (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva), who finished with 19 and 12 points, respectively. Huber, who carried the load early with 15 first-quarter points, added eight rebounds and four assists. Palmer's dozen points came along with an assist, the 200th of her career.

A strong shooting night and tenacious defense powered IWU to the victory as the Green and White shot 51.6 percent from the field (33-for-64). The Titans hit 5-of-14 three-point tries and finished 10-for-15 at the charity stripe. Millikin was held to a field goal percentage of 37.7 percent (20-for-53), but used eight three-pointers on 20 attempts to hang around early. The Big Blue converted 12-of-18 free throws.

Illinois Wesleyan's daunting full-court press caused Millikin fits as the Green and White forced 27 turnovers to overcome 17 of its own miscues. IWU's relentless defense made way for a 36-9 lead in points off turnovers, while the Titans also led in points in the paint (52-22), fastbreak scoring (23-17), and rebounds (34-33). MU finished with advantages in bench scoring (20-15) and second-chance scoring (9-8). 

The Big Blue could not crack the Titan press from the start, as a pair of early miscues were cashed in for a 4-0 IWU lead. Millikin found its footing though, tying the score at seven on a putback, before taking a 12-9 lead into the game's first media timeout.

Once again capitalizing on a turnover by MU, Palmer drew IWU within one on a driving layup. Huber hit free throws and then converted a layup off an errant Big Blue pass to push the Titans ahead, 15-12. The spurt proved to be the start of a run led by Huber as the Lombard, Ill. native finished the opening quarter with 15 points as Illinois Wesleyan led, 21-16.

The Big Blue struck first in the second stanza, but Powers slipped a pass over the top to senior Caite Knutson (Maryville, Ill.-Collinsville) for a tough finish. Junior Sara Balli (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) intercepted a pass on the ensuing possession, which turned into a three-pointer from Powers. The timely play extended IWU's lead to eight, 26-18, and forced a Millikin timeout with 7:29 to go in the half.

Ball movement was the catalyst for the Green and White, who seized control as junior Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) and Huber dished out key assists to drive the lead to double digits.

After Balli came through with a swipe and score, Bardic floated a pass to Powers on a flare screen for a three-pointer to drive the visitors ahead, 37-23, into the media.

Millikin mounted a mini comeback over the next few minutes, but Knutson came through with four points and an assist over the final two minutes to keep the Big Blue at bay. The Maryville, Ill. native finished off the half with a buzzer-beating bucket off an assist from Palmer, marking the 200th helper of her career, as IWU carried a 43-30 lead into the break.

Behind the strong play of Powers, Illinois Wesleyan maintained a double-digit advantage through three periods despite a late push by the Big Blue.

Millikin carried over a bit of momentum into the fourth quarter as MU hit a free throw to pull within 10, 60-50, but Illinois Wesleyan's defense took control. The Titans did not allow a Big Blue field goal for more than eight minutes en route to breaking the game open. Freshman Luigi Lam (Kowloon, Hong Kong-Wa Ying College) drilled a three-pointer to give IWU its largest lead of the night, 79-50, before fellow freshman Alyssa Epps (Berkeley, Ill.-Montini Catholic) finished off the Titans' scoring in the 81-60 victory.

The Green and White are back in the Shirk Center this Saturday, Jan. 25, for a rematch with Wheaton College. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and will serve as the front end of a doubleheader with the IWU men's basketball team as well as the team's annual PinkZone and Alumni Day. 


 
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