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Illinois Wesleyan vs. North Park | NCAA Division III Women's Basketball | College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin | Jan. 10, 2026 | Photos by Ashtin Elder
© AshtinElder
86
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 14-5,9-1 CCIW
54
Millikin MIL-U 7-12,2-8 CCIW
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
14-5,9-1 CCIW
86
Final
54
Millikin MIL-U
7-12,2-8 CCIW
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 25 20 20 21 86
Millikin MIL-U 5 10 17 22 54

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women’s Hoops Races Past Millikin

Titans return home, take on North Central Saturday, Jan. 31

DECATUR, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball never trailed in a lopsided, 86-54, College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over Millikin University Wednesday night, Jan. 28 in Decatur, Ill. The Titans climb to 14-5 on the season and 9-1 in the CCIW. Millikin falls to 7-12 this season and 2-8 in league play.

Seniors Sara Balli (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) and Ava Bardic (Lincolnshire, Ill.-Stevenson) led the team in scoring with 17 points apiece. Redshirt freshman Leah Palmer (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) finished in double-digits as well with 12 points. Freshman Ashley Mahlum (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington) recorded a career-high nine points in seven minutes of action off the bench.  

Senior Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic), Bardic, and Balli tied for the team-high in steals with three each. Freshman Caitlyn Leyden (Park Ridge, Ill.-Main South) and Palmer each grabbed five rebounds, as Leyden earned three offensive boards. 

The Illinois Wesleyan defense wreaked havoc on the Big Blue, as the Titans forced 24 turnovers, resulting in 22 points off turnovers, compared to six off 14 IWU errors. The Green and White also held the advantage in second chance points (14-13), bench points (36-18), and fast break points (22-5), while each team scored 38 points in the paint. Illinois Wesleyan finished the night shooting 49.2 percent off a 30-of-61 showing. The Titans went 9-of-23 from deep (39.1 percent) and 17-of-24 (70.8 percent) from the charity stripe. 

A three from Bardic on the Titans first possession of the game started the Green and White on a run that would span the first six and a half minutes. Illinois Wesleyan began the game with 17 straight points, forcing 11 turnovers during the span. It took the Big Blue over six minutes to earn their first score of the game, which was quickly silenced by a three-ball from freshman Rena Robinson (San Diego, Calif.-Archbishop Mitty) to make the score 20-2. 

The Titan offense continued to roll into the second quarter after allowing just five Big Blue points in the first 10 minutes. A smooth Palmer jump shot followed by a three-pointer from Bardic upped the IWU lead to 23 at the midpoint of the second quarter. White beat the halftime buzzer on a fastbreak layup, off of a pass from sophomore Alyssa Epps (Berkeley, Ill.-Montini Catholic) to give the Green and White a hefty 45-15 advantage. 

Millikin's first-half scoring total marks the least amount of points IWU has allowed in a half since Feb. 16, 2019 against Carroll where the Titans held the Pios to 15. 

Illinois Wesleyan did not let up in the second half, pushing the margin to as high as 37, as the Titans worked their way back into the win column.

After two weeks on the road, the Green and White returns to 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, while the Titans will also welcome back several alumni for the pivotal league contest.
 
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