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Sawyer White making a three-pointer
© AshtinElder
52
Carroll (WI) CAR 8-4,2-1 CCIW
85
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 9-4,4-0 CCIW
Carroll (WI) CAR
8-4,2-1 CCIW
52
Final
85
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
9-4,4-0 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Carroll (WI) CAR 10 15 17 10 52
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 21 11 28 25 85

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women’s Hoops Powers Past No. 14 Carroll

White pops off for career-high 37 points

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Illinois Wesleyan University head women's basketball coach Mia Smith won her 296th career College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin game Saturday, Jan. 3, as senior Sawyer White's (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) career day led the 13th-ranked Titans (9-4, 4-0 CCIW) to an 85-52 win over No. 14 Carroll University inside the Shirk Center.

Smith's 296th career conference victory surpassed Millikin's Lori Kerans' total of 295 amassed from 1986 to 2018. 

White was fantastic in a top-25 battle between the conference front-runners, as the senior guard popped off for a career-high 37 points on 13-of-19 shooting with eight three-pointers. She added eight steals, four assists, and three rebounds in an all-around effort. White's 37-piece is the most points by a Titan since Kendall Sosa dropped 47 against Millikin during the 2020-21 season, while her eight triples are the most since Mallory Heydorn versus Augustana during the 2008-09 season.

Joining White in double figures were classmates Ava Bardic (Lincolnshire, Ill.-Stevenson) and  Sara Balli (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park). Bardic used a big second half to finish with 18 points, while Balli chipped in 13. 

Freshman Caitlin Leyden (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) led the Titans with 12 boards, while tying for the team lead with four assists.

Illinois Wesleyan shot 47.1 percent for the game, hitting 32-of-68 shots. IWU connected on 12-of-25 three-point tries and 9-of-11 free throws. Carroll was limited to 16-of-46 from the field (34.8 percent) and just 1-of-13 from distance (7.7 percent). CU went 19-for-21 at the charity stripe, but was doomed by 27 turnovers. 

The Pios pulled off a 35-34 edge on the lass, but IWU corralled an 8-6 lead in second-chance scoring as well as leads in the points in the paint (34-28), points off turnovers (35-4), and fastbreak scoring (21-9).

Carroll held the upperhand early, but White and the Titans got their feet under them halfway through the opening period to take control. Balli hit a fastbreak layup and White followed with a swipe and score to send IWU into the media timeout leading, 9-6.

The Green and White doubled up the Pios as Bardic found White on a pick and pop for a deep-wing three-pointer. A signature one-footed floater from White stretched the lead to eight, 14-6.

Illinois Wesleyan closed the half with a five-point spurt to expand its advantage to double digits. White drilled a heat-check triple and Bardic knocked down a mid-range stepback at the buzzer to give IWU a 21-10 lead after one quarter.

The Pioneers rattled off the first five points of the next period to cut into the Titans' lead but Leyden kicked out to White for a three-ball to put the home team back on track. Freshman Rena Robinson (San Jose, Calif.-Archbishop Mitty) made a slick pass out to Balli for a three and White and Bardic tacked on free throws to tie Illinois Wesleyan's largest lead of the game, 32-21, with 2:13 remaining in the half.

Carroll scored the last four points of the quarter to pull back within single digits, 32-25, at the intermission.

The Green and White blew the game open in the third quarter with a 12-0 run. Bardic came out of the break with a shifty layup and White converted an and-one before the duo teamed up for a Bardic triple. The three-ball off White's dish stretched the lead t0 40-25 and forced a CU timeout with 8:56 on the clock.

Out of the reset, White picked the pocket of the Pioneers just inside half court and cashed in for a layup on the other end. The swipe and score brought about another Carroll timeout 26 seconds later.

With IWU firing on all cylinders, the Pios only offense came at the free throw line until a Natalie Gricius layup at the 4:23 mark cut the home team's edge to 50-31.

White drained a three-pointer late in the shot clock and Bardic dialed up a swipe and score to push the Titans' cushion back over 20. A five-point run by CU was halted by a shifty reverse layup by senior Martha Lipic (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) closed the period.

Illinois Wesleyan kept its foot on the gas in the fourth to close out a crucial CCIW victory.

The Titans are back in action Saturday, Jan. 10, against North Park University. Game time is set for 2 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.

 
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