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Wheaton, IL - January 04 - NCAA Basketball - #3 Illinois Wesleyan at Wheaton (Photo by Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative)
Kodiak Creative
65
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 24-1,15-1 CCIW
54
Augustana (IL) AUGIE 10-15,6-10 CCIW
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
24-1,15-1 CCIW
65
Final
54
Augustana (IL) AUGIE
10-15,6-10 CCIW
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 14 18 15 18 65
Augustana (IL) AUGIE 12 13 10 19 54

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Huber Breaks Career Scoring Record as Titans Down Augustana

Titans move to 24-1 overall, 15-1 in CCIW play

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - The fourth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team closed out the regular season with a 65-54 road win over Augustana College Saturday afternoon, Feb. 22. The Titans finish the regular season with a 24-1 overall record and complete College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play with a 15-1 mark. Meanwhile, the Vikings' saw their season come to an end at 10-15 and 6-10 in league play.

Senior Lauren Huber (Lombard, Ill.-Glenbard East) broke the program's career scoring record with a bucket in the third quarter. With 1637 career points, Huber passed Traci Butler for No. 1 on the all-time scoring list. Butler accrued 1632 points during her career from 1992 to 1996, having held the record for nearly 30 years.

Seniors Mallory Powers (Amboy, Ill.-Amboy) and Kate Palmer (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) led the Titans with 15 points apiece, while Powers completed a double-double with 11 rebounds. Huber added 12 points and eight boards, with junior Ava Bardic (Lincolnshire, Ill.-Stevenson) finishing with 13 points and a team-high four steals. Bardic, Powers, and Huber dished out three assists apiece to pace the Titans.

The Titans overcame a slow shooting performance by rallying behind the play of their full-court press. Illinois Wesleyan shot just 33.3 percent from the floor and 16.5 percent from beyond the arc, but fared better at the charity stripe where it hit 16-of-22 attempts. Augie shot slightly better overall at 34.5 percent, but kept within striking distance behind a 10-of-28 performance from beyond the arc. The Vikings went 6-for-6 at the free throw line.

The Green and White dominated the glass, 47-33, which helped the Titans to an 8-0 lead in second-chance scoring. IWU forced 21 AC miscues, cashing in for a 14-13 edge in points off turnovers, and also held leads in points in the paint (26-12), steals (11-9), and fastbreak scoring (20-0). Augie led in bench scoring, 15-6.

A slow start saw the Titans take a 14-12 lead into the second quarter, where a Powers three-pointer off the Huber dish extended the lead to three, 17-14. Bardic followed with a bucket in transition, speeding past the Augie defense and completing an and-one at the free throw line for a 20-14 advantage.

The Vikings clawed back within one in the period with a deep three-ball of their own, but junior Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) found Palmer for a fastbreak bucket. Palmer came right back with a tough finish and the Titan defense swiped the ball on the ensuing inbounds. With Augie reeling and nearing a 10-second call, senior Caite Knutson (Maryville, Ill.-Collinsville) stepped in front of a desperation pass and dished to Bardic for an easy layup to drive IWU ahead, 28-23.

Illinois Wesleyan stretched its lead to seven as Palmer collected a steal and junior Sara Balli (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) hit Powers for a pullup, but Augustana answered right back with time winding down on the half. With a short clock, White carved her way through the lane and drew a foul with three seconds left in period. She converted both at the line, giving IWU a 32-25 advantage into the break.

The Titans stretched their lead to as many as 17 points in the third quarter, but the Vikings would not let up. Battling to keep its season alive, Augie pulled within eight late, but IWU finished off the win, 65-54.

Illinois Wesleyan will enjoy a first-round bye before returning to action as host of the final two rounds of the CCIW Tournament Friday-Saturday, Feb. 28-March 1, at the Shirk Center. The Titans will play in the 7:30 p.m. semifinal game Friday, Feb. 28, with second-seeded Carroll University set to play in the 5 p.m. bout. Quarterfinals are set for Tuesday, Feb. 25.
 
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