WHEATON, Ill. - The third-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team overcame a slow shooting night to take down Wheaton College, 59-45, at King Arena Saturday evening, Jan. 4. With the win, the Titans jumped to 13-0 overall and 4-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Wheaton fell to 7-6 on the season and 2-2 in league play.

Senior Lauren Huber (Lombard, Ill.-Glenbard East) and junior Ava Bardic (Lincolnshire, Ill.-Stevenson) combined for 38 points to lead the Green and White. Huber went for a game-high 21 points and pulled in a game-high 15 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Bardic scored 17 points, 14 of which came in the second half. She added six boards, three assists, and two steals.

The Titans rebounded from a slow offensive start to shoot 32.8 percent from the floor, converting 22-of-67 shot attempts. IWU went 5-for-25 from distance and just 10-for-17 at the free throw line.

Wheaton was limited to 21-of-58 shooting (36.2 percent) overall and 1-for-12 from long range. The Thunder made 2-of-6 free throws.

The Titans won the turnover battle by a slim 18-16 margin, but led in points off miscues, 17-5. IWU used a 52-36 rebounding advantage to pave the way for a 10-3 edge in second-chance scoring and a 32-30 edge in points in the paint. The Green and White dominated in transition, leading 25-3, in fastbreak scoring.

Illinois Wesleyan used its defense to overcome a slow start on the offensive end to head into the second quarter tied, 12-12. IWU converted just 23.5 percent of its shot attempts in the period, but used six Wheaton turnovers to keep pace. Huber led the Titans with seven points in the opening 10.

The Thunder opened the second period with a four-point run before senior Mallory Powers (Amboy, Ill.-Amboy) swished a three-pointer from the corner to pull the Titans within one, 16-15. Wheaton led for much of the quarter but the Illinois Wesleyan defense tightened up to hold WC without a bucket over the final 4:46 of the half. Buckets by seniors Caite Knutson (Maryville, Ill.-Collinsville) and Kate Palmer (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) evened the game at 22 apiece into the break.

Wheaton grabbed a four-point lead with 6:12 on the clock in the third, but Bardic kicked to Huber for a straightaway triple to cut the deficit to one. 

Huber added a bucket just over a minute later before junior Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) swiped the ball near midcourt and cashed in for a layup in transition. 
The play swung momentum squarely in favor of the Green and White and was a key part of a 16-2 run that saw the Titans seize a 42-32 lead on a tough layup from Bardic. 

The Thunder scored twice in the final 30 seconds of the period to trim the IWU lead to six, 42-36, after three quarters.

Illinois Wesleyan never let up from there as free throws from Bardic, a jumper by Huber, and a fastbreak layup from White kept the Green and White up by double digits the rest of the way.

The Titans return home Wednesday, Jan. 8, for a 7 p.m. tipoff against Augustana College inside the Shirk Center.