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2026 Women's Basketball CCIW Regular Season Champions
Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative
68
Augustana (IL) AUGIE 11-14,6-10 CCIW
86
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 20-5,15-1 CCIW
Augustana (IL) AUGIE
11-14,6-10 CCIW
68
Final
86
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
20-5,15-1 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Augustana (IL) AUGIE 15 13 17 23 68
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 15 26 31 14 86

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women’s Hoops Earns Share of CCIW Regular Season Crown

Palmer & White record double-doubles

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The No. 15 Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team earned its third consecutive College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Regular Season Championship Saturday, Feb. 21 inside the Shirk Center with an 86-68 win over Augustana College. Augustana's season comes to a close with a 11-14 overall record and 6-10 CCIW mark. With Carroll University's win over Carthage College, the Titans lock up the No. 2 seed in the CCIW Tournament and enter postseason play with a 20-5 overall record and 15-1 in CCIW play for the second consecutive season.

Senior Ava Bardic (Lincolnshire, Ill.-Stevenson) led the way with 26 points in 33 minutes of action. Bardic also led the defensive efforts, finishing with a team-high seven steals. Freshman Asia Kobylarczyk (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) added 15 points on a 3-of-6 performance from beyond the arc.

Redshirt freshman Leah Palmer (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) and senior Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) each recorded double-doubles. Palmer finished with a career-high 11 rebounds coupled with 11 points. White had 14 points and a career-high 10 assists. White's 10 helpers are the most by a Titan since Amanda Kelly had 10 at North Central College on Dec. 3, 2016. Palmer and White are the first duo in five years to record double-doubles in the same game. Riley Brovelli and Anna Lowis each recorded double-doubles with points and rebounds against Millikin Jan. 4, 2020. 

IWU converted on 10-of-26 three-point tries and went 32-of-72 (44.4 percent) from the floor. The Titans forced 22 Augie turnovers, leading to a 32-16 advantage in points off miscues and a 14-5 lead in fastbreak points. The Green and White won the rebounding battle 42-34, including an 18-10 lead in offensive boards.

Augie doubled up IWU, 10-5, before the Titans got on track. A pull-up from White followed by a free throw by Bardic got the Titans back on track. Palmer converted an and-one to tie the game at 15 all after the opening period.

Kobylarczyk drained a three-pointer to take the lead, 18-15, to start the second quarter. A five-point spurt from Bardic, which featured a steal into an and-one, powered the Green and White ahead, 23-16, into an Augie timeout.

A banked three gave the Vikings life, but Bardic answered back with a triple of her own. The Titans stretched their lead to double-digits as Kobylarczyk's offensive rebound set up a three by White. The bucket forced the Vikings to burn their second timeout of the quarter. Despite an Augustana run, the Titans kept the Vikings at an arms length and enjoyed a 41-28 run into halftime. 

Augustana came out of the halftime break with zest, cutting the IWU lead to single digits, 41-33, and forced an IWU timeout. However, the Titans would go on a 19-2 run following the timeout to take complete control of the game. In the run, Bardic went on a 7-0 run on her own, draining two threes on back-to-back possessions and subsequently stealing an inbounds pass for an easy lay-in. 

The fourth quarter featured the first career points for freshman Sophia Flynn (LaGrange Park, Ill.-Trinity) as the Titans ran away with the game, 86-68. 

The Titans earned the No. 2 seed in next week's CCIW Tournament and will hit the road to Waukesha, Wis. for a CCIW Semifinal next Friday, Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. The tournament officially kicks off with quarterfinal action Tuesday. 
 
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