BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Shirk Center will serve as the stage for a critical College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin showdown Wednesday night, Feb. 5, as the _-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team host Carroll University. Tipoff between the top-two teams in the league is set for 7 p.m.
    Illinois Wesleyan returns to its home floor with a 19-0 overall record and 10-0 CCIW standing. The Titans most recently escaped Elmhurst University's upset bid, 64-61, in the suburbs, Feb. 1. Winners of eight in-a-row, Carroll carries a 14-5 overall record and 9-1 CCIW mark into Wednesday's matchup. The Pioneers most recently topped Millikin University, 86-74, Feb. 1, and will hit the road for the first time in two and a half weeks.
    Matt Sosler and Brittany Carper will have the call on the live stream, while live stats will also be provided. Links on can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.
HIGH STAKES: Wednesday night's clash will pit the top-two teams in the CCIW against one another. IWU currently leads the league with a 10-0 record, but CU is right on its heels at 9-1 in league play. The game will have significant implications in the CCIW title race, while it could be the determining factor come CCIW Tournament time.
ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR NO. 161: Junior libero Kannyn Boyd of the Illinois Wesleyan women's volleyball team became the 161st College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-America selection in school history last month and will be recognized at halftime of Wednesday night's game. Boyd garnered CSC Academic All-America Third Team honors, becoming the first player in the program to earn the prestigious honor since 1998. She is the sixth selection and fourth player in program history to receive the accolade.
HUNGRY FOR MORE: With their win over No. 18 Chicago, Dec. 17, the Titans ran their record to 10-0 on the season. Now at 19-0, IWU's off to its best start since the 2008-09 season. That year, the Titans won their first 30 games before stumbling, 58-53, against WashU in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
LET IT FLY: Junior Ava Bardic was the catalyst for Illinois Wesleyan's 64-61 win over Elmhurst Saturday, Feb. 1. Bardic went for a game-high 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting, while knocking down 6-of-7 three-point tries. It marked the fourth 20-point game of the season for Bardic, with her six triples marking a new career-high.
Bardic became the 13th Titan in program history to hit six-or-more threes in a game. Her showing was the best since Sawyer White drilled six at Wheaton Feb. 21, 2023.
POINTS WILL BE SCORED: Saturday's showdown between the two CCIW preseason favorites is sure to see plenty of points scored. IWU is ranked first in the league and 15th nationally with 77.1 points per game, just ahead of Carroll (76.6 - 17th nationally). The Titans and Pios are also atop the CCIW in point total with 1464 (25th nationally) and 1455 (29th nationally), respectively.
BALL SECURITY GOING TO BE THE KEY: The CCIW's top-three steals leaders will take the floor Wednesday when IWU and Carroll collide at the Shirk Center. Carroll's Olivia Rangel leads the league with 62 thefts, while Sawyer White (58) and Ava Bardic (50) are second and third, respectively.
    Not shockingly, the Pioneers and Titans are one-two in steals per game with marks of 13.3 and 12.9, respectively. Both averages rank inside the top-40 nationally. Carroll leads the conference with its 22.47 turnovers forced per game, while IWU is third with 22.26 miscues forced per game.
PLAYIN' THE PIOS: Illinois Wesleyan and Carroll will square off for the 32nd time when the two battle Wednesday night. The Pios hold a 17-14 edge in the all-time series, but the Titans have held the upper hand since Carroll rejoined the CCIW. IWU has won 14 of the past 16 meetings, but CU took down the Titans the last time the two tangled at the Shirk Center.
    Illinois Wesleyan used a strong finish to collect an 80-71 win at Carroll, Dec. 7. The Titans outscored the Pios 52-34 in the second half to grab a key win. Ava Bardic paced the Green and White with 23 points, while Lauren Huber (19) and Caite Knutson (15) also added double-digit point totals.
IN RARE AIR: Lauren Huber eclipsed the 1500-career point mark in IWU's win over Carthage, Jan. 15. She is just the third player in program history to clear 1500 points. Huber's career point total of 1550 is 27 points behind Molly McGraw (1577) and 82 behind the program's all-time leading scorer, Traci Butler.
Nationally, Huber is one of 12 active Division III women's basketball players with 1500+ points and 750+ career rebounds. She is 23rd across Division III among active players in scoring and is 25th among active players with 793 career rebounds.
HOME COOKING: One of the greatest venues in NCAA Division III, the Shirk Center has been home to more than 750 Titan basketball games between the men and women. In its 30-year history, the women have won 266 of 350 of its home games, good for a .760 win percentage.
    This season, IWU is 7-0 inside the friendly confines of the Shirk Center. The Titans posted an 8-3 record on their home floor during the 2023-24 campaign.
POLLING PLACE: Illinois Wesleyan held steady inside the top-five in both the D3hoops.com and WBCA Top-25 polls as of Feb. 4. IWU ranks second in the D3hoops.com poll and held at third in the WBCA list announced Feb. 4. IWU's ranking in D3hoops is the program's highest since being No. 1 following the conclusion of the 2011-12 season.
EXPERIENCE PAYING DIVIDENDS: Through 19 games, Illinois Wesleyan has shown immense poise by way of ball security. The Titans have dished out 304 assists to 275 turnovers, good for a 1.11 assist-to-turnover ratio. IWU's mark is ranked 22nd nationally, while its 14.5 turnovers per game are slotted 57th-best and its 16.1 assists per game are 41st across Division III.
SHE'LL TAKE THAT X200: The Green and White's high-motor pressure, especially in its run-and-jump, has caused opponents fits this season. Leading the effort for the Titans has been junior Sawyer White, who has become equally well-known for her thieving abilities on the court as she is for a good celebration griddy on the bench. With four steals in Illinois Wesleyan's win over No. 18 Chicago, White hit 200 steals for her career, becoming just the fifth Titan in program history to do so. Her career total currently stands at 224 as of Feb. 3. Rebekah Ehresman holds the record with 296 accrued during her career from 2014 to 2018, while Sydney Shanks is second with 233. Hope Schulte (223) and Christina Solari (216) are the only other two Titans to surpass 200 steals in their careers, with White ranking third all-time, nine behind Shanks.
    The Downers Grove, Ill. native, who set the program's single-season steals record a season ago, is 35th across Division III with 3.05 thefts per game, while her 58 steals are 31st-most.
FEAR THE SECOND TEN LIVES ON: Illinois Wesleyan has commonly used the second quarter to distance itself from opponents. Through 19 games this year, IWU has outscored opponents 370-249, a difference of 121 points. The Titans have lost the quarter just twice over 17 games - 26-12, at Carroll, Dec. 7 and 24-9, at Trinity (Texas), Dec. 27.
DEAN OF THE CCIW: Veteran head coach Mia Smith earned her 500th career win as Illinois Wesleyan rolled past Edgewood, 88-57, in its home opener Saturday, Nov. 23. Smith, who has accrued all of her wins at the helm of the Titans, is just the second coach in CCIW history to win at least 500 games. She carries a career record of 516-207. The current conference leader in wins among active head coaches, Smith's career win total ranks second in league laurels. Additionally, her win total is 21st-most across all of active Division III head coaches.
  Under the tutelage of Smith, IWU has won 10 CCIW Championships and made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances. The Titans won the 2012 NCAA Division III Championship following a fourth-place finish in 2011.
ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan is back on the road this weekend as the Titans trek to Kenosha, Wis. for a bout with Carthage College. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at Tarble Arena. Those wanting to stream the game will only be able to do so through the Marquee Sports Network App or through the Marquee Sports Network channel. The game will kickoff a a double feature with the IWU men's basketball team, which is set for a 4:15 p.m. tipoff against the Firebirds.
