BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The No. 15 Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team hosts Wheaton College Wednesday night, Feb. 18, in its penultimate game of the regular season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.
    The Titans return to action after a weekend off courtesy of their second bye of the league slate. Illinois Wesleyan stands at 18-5 on the season and is 13-1 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play and are amid a five-game win streak. The Green and White used a strong second quarter to defeat Carthage College, 64-52, in its last outing Feb. 11. On the flip side, Wheaton travels to Bloomington sporting a 10-13 ledger overall. The Thunder are 6-8 in league play following a 52-39 win at North Park University, Feb. 14, to extend their win streak to three.
    Matt Sosler and Brittany Carper call the action 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.
GOOD WORK, WORKS: Titan Athletics will recognize senior track & field student-athlete Ashtin Elder at halftime of Wednesday's game, Feb. 18. Elder was named to the Allstate NACDA Good Works Winter Team, Feb. 17, becoming the first IWU student-athlete to earn the honor since the program expanded across all sports. Earning the recognition for his tremendous commitment to volunteer and community work, Elder will sponsor a shoe drive at the game. Fans are encouraged to bring shoes to donate as part of his initiative.
R-N-J BRINGS IN STEALS ALL DAY: Illinois Wesleyan's full-court run-and-jump press has rattled opponents this season, specifically in conference play as IWU has been +121 in the turnover margin over 14 games. The Titans' tenacious defensive effort has come on the back of the top-three swipers in the CCIW. Sawyer White leads the league with 54 steals, good for a 3.9 average per game, while Caitlin Leyden sits second with 41 (2.9 spg). Ava Bardic rounds out the one-two-three sweep with 38 thefts (2.7spg).
For the season, Illinois Wesleyan has compiled a +6.91 turnover margin, good for 24th-best nationally. The Green and White sits 30th with 23.0 turnovers forced per game and is 27th with 13.5 steals per contest.
PICTURE BECOMING MORE CLEAR: With two games left in the regular season, Illinois Wesleyan's seeding in next week's conference tournament has yet to be determined. Through 14 games, IWU is guaranteed a top-two seed and will receive a bye into the semis alongside Carroll. The Titans and Pios are currently tied atop the league standings at 13-1. Should the two finish the season with the same record, CU will earn the No. 1 seed and hosting rights for the CCIW Tournament by virtue of the tiebreaker (record in last eight games). Illinois Wesleyan would be the second-seed.
    After that, Elmhurst, North Central, and Carthage have wrapped up spots in the conference tournament with seeding yet to be settled. Augustana, Wheaton, and Millikin are vying for the final spot.
AVA BARDIC APPRECIATION POST: In her final season donning the Green and White, Ava Bardic has put together a sensational senior year. Bardic has scored 445 points this season, just six points off her 30-game total from 2024-25. The Lincolnshire, Ill. native has already made a career-best 160 field goals and is carrying a career-high 46.65 field goal percentage into the final week of the regular season. Bardic's numbers have been even better in conference play, where is converting 47.9 percent of her shot attempts and 34.2 percent of her three-point tries. She is averaging 20.9 points per game and has cleared 20 points in 10 of 14 CCIW games.
    Overall, Bardic's 445 points rank 21st-most in Division III this season, while her 19.3 average is 23rd-best.
AGAINST THE THUNDER: Wednesday night's CCIW showdown between Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton will be the 95th all-time meeting between the two conference foes. The Thunder hold a 56-38 edge in the all-time series, but the Titans have won 10 of the past 11 tilts including seven straight.
    Illinois Wesleyan used a strong second half to upend the Thunder, 77-71, back in the suburbs Jan. 17. The senior tandem of Ava Bardic and Sawyer White combined for 51 points on 21-of-41 shooting with five triples. Bardic went for a game-high 26 points, while White tacked on 25 points and six steals. Asia Kobylarczyk added a near double-double (8p-8r), while Leah Palmer scored 10 points off the bench.
GIVE & TAKE: Through 23 games, Sawyer White has thrived as a facilitator while also feasting on opposing ball handlers. White has dished out 100 assists on the year, a number that ranks 39th across Division III. On the other end of the floor, White has swiped a CCIW-best 81 steals. Her thefts are 16th-most nationally.
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 81 thefts, good for 16th-most in Division III this season as of Feb. 17.
    In the CCIW, White sits 61 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 343 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 15th in the D3hoops.com Top-25 and 17th in the WBCA poll.
  IWU is one of two College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin teams featured in both polls, as Carroll is 13th in the D3hoops rankings and 20th in the WBCA poll.
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 309 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 543.
THE 55TH YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan is in its 55th year of women's basketball and has compiled a 776-513 overall record. IWU's .600 all-time win percentage includes a 376-205 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.
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 282 of 368 of its home games, good for a .767 win percentage.
ON THE HORIZON: The Green and White's regular season comes to a close Saturday, Feb. 21, with a home game against Augustana College inside the Shirk Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
