Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative

Box Score

Ill. Wesleyan IWU 6-2,2-0 CCIW

North Central (IL) NCC 5-3,1-1 CCIW

Ill. Wesleyan IWU

6-2,2-0 CCIW

Final

Dec. 06, 2025

North Central (IL) NCC

5-3,1-1 CCIW

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU	10	14	27	24	75
North Central (IL) NCC	14	16	7	29	66

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 12/6/2025 8:14:00 PM

Women’s Hoops Knocks Off North Central

Bardic goes for 26, Leyden posts double-double

Next Game:

at Elmhurst

12/13/2025 | 2 p.m.

Next Game

Full Schedule

Dec. 13 (Sat) / 2 p.m.

at Elmhurst

History

Roster

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - A big third quarter lifted the 13th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team to its sixth win of the season Saturday, Dec. 6, at Gregory Arena. The Titans (6-2, 2-0 CCIW) downed North Central College, 75-66, in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play.

Senior Ava Bardic (Lincolnshire, Ill.-Stevenson) was unstoppable for the Green and White as she put up her second straight 20-point performance. Bardic scored a game-high 26 points, while adding in five rebounds, five steals, and four assists. The senior guard was shifty, getting the NCC bigs into foul trouble as she carved up the line. Bardic went 6-for-15 from the field and 13-of-16 at the free throw line.

Freshman Caitlin Leyden (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) posted an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double. She added six steals to lead the team as she notched her third double-double of the year. Senior Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) finished with 16 points.

Illinois Wesleyan overcame a slow first half shooting, finishing at 41.7 percent on the evening (25-of-60). IWU hit just two three-pointers, but went 23-for-30 at the free throw line. NCC was limited to 19-of-52 shooting (36.5 percent), as the Cardinals went 7-of-27 from beyond the arc and 21-for-27 at the charity stripe.

North Central outrebounded the Green and White, 42-31, leading to a 12-5 advantage in second-chance scoring. Illinois Wesleyan's defense was as disruptive as ever, forcing the Cardinals to cough it up 29 times. The Titans turned the miscues into a 32-15 advantage in points off turnovers.

The Green and White got off to a slow start as a seven-point run by NCC lifted the home team to its largest lead of the day, 30-22, with 1:15 left in the first half.

An offensive rebound by Leyden cued up an assist from senior Sara Balli (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) as freshman Asia Kobylarczyk (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) hit a jumper in the paint to cut the halftime deficit to six, 30-24.

Bardic found Kobylarczyk on the first possession of the second half for a triple to quickly cut the NCC advantage in half, 30-27.

Another assist from Bardic, this one to Leyden, sparked a Titan run. Four free throws from Bardic were accompanied by one from sophomore Alyssa Epps (Berkeley, Ill.-Montini Catholic) as IWU claimed a 34-32 edge with 6:18 to go in the third quarter.

Illinois Wesleyan closed the period with 10 straight points to take control, 51-37, as North Central was held scoreless for the final 2:45 of the quarter.

Leyden's jumper opened the final stanza and gave IWU its largest lead of the day, 53-37, but NCC rattled off a 10-point run to claw back within five.

With just over five minutes remaining, the Cardinals cut the Titans' advantage to three, 58-55, but the Green and White used a jumper from Leyden and three-ball from Bardic to reclaim control.

Timely free throws from Bardic and a fastbreak layup by Balli polished off a 75-66 win as IWU moved to 6-2 overall and 2-0 in league play.

Illinois Wesleyan takes a break for final exams before returning to action at Elmhurst University next Saturday, Dec. 13. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and will serve as the front end of a doubleheader with the IWU men's basketball team.

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