BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The No. 10 Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team looks to bounce back this weekend, Friday-Saturday, Nov. 21-22, at the Hope Tip Off Tournament in Holland, Mich. The Titans will go up against Franciscan University Friday, Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. ET inside DeVos Fieldhouse before taking on Hope College Saturday, Nov. 22 at 3 p.m. ET.
The Titans are 1-1 on the season, dropping their most recent game against No. 25 UW-Whitewater at the Champions Classic Sunday, Nov. 16, by a final score of 60-51. Franciscan is already 3-3 this season, most recently falling to Denison University, 84-49, Nov. 19. Hope is 4-1 this season, earning the 1,000th victory in program history Tuesday, Nov. 18 with a win over Alma, 85-59.
A live stream and live stats of the contest will be available on the women's basketball page of iwusports.com.
TAKING ON THE BARONS AND DUTCH: Friday will mark the first time that IWU has competed against Fransican, while IWU and Hope have a limited history. A traditional powerhouse in women's hoops, HC holds a 3-1 advantage over the Green and White all-time with the Titans first win coming last season, Nov. 16, 2024 in Holland, Mich. IWU saw five players score in double figures in the win, as returners Ava Bardic and Sara Balli put up 13 and 12 points, respectively.
BREAKING OUT: Senior Martha Lipic was named to the Champions Classic All-Tournament team after several career-high performances in IWU's first two games of the season. In a win over Trinity (Texas) Saturday, Nov. 15, Lipic had a career-high in points with 12 and rebounds with eight. Then, in Sunday's bout with UW-Whitewater, Lipic posted a new career-high 14 points, landing herself a spot on the all-tournament team.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES GALORE: Senior Sara Balli and freshman Caitlin Leyden each posted a double-double in IWU's win over Trinity, Saturday, Nov. 15. Balli posted the first double-double of her career with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Leyden put up 10 points and 11 boards. Leyden is not the only Titan to record a double-double in their debut, as Noah Cleveland on the men's team posted 14 points and 13 rebounds in his first game as a Titan the day prior, Friday, Nov. 14.
LEGENDS: In Saturday's contest versus Hope, it will be a battle of two Division III women's basketball coaching legends. With 58 years of experience and three national championships between them, Mia Smith and Brian Morehouse bring a combined 1,262 wins to the table in Saturday afternoon's contest.
SHE'LL STILL TAKE THAT: Senior Sawyer White, who has been equally as well-known for her bench griddy celebration, was originally made famous for wreaking havoc on the defensive end throughout her Titan career. With 270 steals in her career, White needs just 26 steals to surpass current all-time steals leader Rebekah Ehresman, who accrued 296 during her outstanding career as a Titan from 2014-2018. White ranks second on the all-time steals list, ahead of Sydney Shanks (233). Her sophomore season, White set the program's single season steals record with 112 takeaways.
In the CCIW, White sits 134 steals behind Millikin's Jennifer Falbe, who had 404 takeaways in her career as a Big Blue from 1996-2000. In White's sophomore season, she set a single season steals record with 112, which ranks second all-time in a single season in league history.
THE 55TH YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan is in its 55th year of women's basketball and has compiled a 759-509 overall record. IWU's .599 all-time win percentage includes a 363-204 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.
THE DEAN OF THE CCIW: In her 27-year career at the helm of Illinois Wesleyan women's hoops, Mia Smith ranks second all-time in CCIW victories. With 292 wins to 95 loses in conference contests, Smith needs just four league victories to surpass Millikin's Lori Kerans and overtake the title of all-time winningest coach in CCIW history. Kerans holds the all-time record for wins with 556 in her 32-year career, as Smith lurks close behind with 525.
ON THE HORIZON: IWU enjoys a week off before returning to the Shirk Center Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 29-30, as hosts of the Midwest Challenge. The Titans will take on University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Saturday at 4 p.m. before facing either DePauw or WashU Sunday, Nov. 30.
