BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The final stop on the Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team's four-game travels takes place in Decatur, Ill. as the No. 19 Titans pay a visit to the Griswold Center. IWU will tipoff against College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe, Millikin University at 7 p.m.
    The Green and White dropped its first game of the calendar year Saturday, Jan. 24, at Carroll Univesity. IWU was unable to overcome a slow shooting night as its record dipped to 13-5 overall and 8-1 in CCIW play. Millikin sits at 7-11 on the year and 2-7 in league play ahead of Wednesday's rematch. Opposite of the Titans, the Big Blue have gone 1-5 since the New Year. MU most recently came up short against North Central College, 80-69, Jan. 21, and will return to the court following a weekend off.
    Matt Sosler will call the action in an audio only broadcast with a live stream also available on the CCIW Network, while live stats will also be provided. Links can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

MATCHIN' UP WITH MILLIKIN: Wednesday's matchup will mark the 111th edition of the Illinois Wesleyan-Millikin rivalry, a series that dates back to the 1972-73 season. IWU held off MU in the initial meeting, 38-33, and won the first four games between the two conference foes. Overall, Millikin owns a 59-51 edge in the all-time series. However, IWU is 40-24 against MU under the direction of Mia Smith.
    The Titans took down the Big Blue, 76-48, in this season's initial meeting Jan. 14. Nine players scored in the win for IWU, with Ava Bardic's 30-piece serving as a game-high. Asia Kobylarczyk and Sawyer White posted 18 and 11 points, respectively.

GOING INTO GRISWOLD: Illinois Wesleyan will look to get back into the win column Wednesday, Jan. 28, when the Titans travel to Millikin. The Griswold Center, home of the Big Blue, has been one of the harder road venues for IWU in recent years. In fact, the Green and White have dropped six of its last nine contests at Millikin. The Titans' first win over the stretch came in OT during the 2020-21 season, while the others came in 2021-22 & last year.

PUMP THE BRAKES: The Titans head into the week off a loss at Carroll, Jan. 24, as IWU's win streak was snapped at five. With Illinois Wesleyan and CU in a battle for the conference title, and more importantly CCIW Tournament hosting rights, the loss hit hard. However, with seven games to go, there is plenty of season ahead in the race for the championship. Notably, Illinois Wesleyan has not lost back-to-back games since falling in a pair of top-25 bouts with No. 21 Hope and No. 9 UW-Whitewater Nov. 18-21, 2023.

GIVE & TAKE: Through 17 games, Sawyer White has thrived as a facilitator while also feasting on opposing ball handlers. White has dished out 83 assists on the year, a number that ranks 19th across Division III. On the other end of the floor, White has swiped a CCIW-best 64 steals. Her thefts are 12th-most nationally.
    White's exceptional all-around play puts her in limited company as one of four Division III women's basketball players nationally to rank in the top-40 in both assists and steals. She joins Brookyln's Brianna Johnson (steals -11th & assists 2nd), Penn-State Abington's Amina Reed (steals - 7th & assists - 6th), Penn College's Breana Valentine (steals - 15th & assists - 9th), and Oberlin's Angela Kumler (steals - 6th & assists - 24th).

NOBODY HAS WON MORE: In her 28-year career at the helm of Illinois Wesleyan women's hoops, Mia Smith has won more CCIW games than any women's basketball coach in league history. Smith notched the 296th CCIW win of her career with Illinois Wesleyan's 85-52 win over Carroll, Jan. 3, taking sole possession of the top spot in conference history.
With 300 wins to 96 losses in conference contests, Smith sits ahead of Millikin's Lori Kerans (295) for the title of all-time winningest coach in CCIW history.
    Overall, Kerans holds the all-time record for wins with 556 in her 32-year career, as Smith lurks close behind with 538.

SHE TOOK IT: Senior Sawyer White snatched her 297th career steal six minutes into Illinois Wesleyan's game against Wisconsin Lutheran, Dec. 29, breaking the program's all-time steals record. White overtook the top spot on the all-time list as she surpassed Rebekah Ehresman, who accrued 296 during her outstanding career as a Titan from 2014-2018. This season, White has amassed 64 thefts, good for 12th-most in Division III this season as of Jan. 26.
    In the CCIW, White sits 78 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.
    Moreover, White's 326 career thefts ranked eighth-most among active women's basketball players across Division I, II, and III. She has the second-most steals to her name of any current NCAA Division III student-athlete, trailing only Hunter's Alexa Charles.

POLLING PLACE: Illinois Wesleyan remains in the national polls midway through the season. The Titans are 19th in the D3hoops.com Top-25 and 22nd in the WBCA poll.
    IWU is one of two College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin teams featured in both polls, as  Carroll is 16th in the D3hoops rankings and 23rd in the WBCA poll.

THE 55TH YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan is in its 55th year of women's basketball and has compiled a 771-513 overall record. IWU's .600 all-time win percentage includes a 371-205 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.

ON THE HORIZON: After playing nine of their last 12 games, and the past four straight, away from home, the Titans return to the hardwood inside the Shirk Center Saturday, Jan. 31, for a clash with North Central College. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and will serve as the program's annual PinkZone game.