BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A busy day inside the Shirk Center will see the 18th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team celebrate its six seniors as part of Senior Day Saturday, Feb. 7. The Titans will recognize the senior class prior to a 5 p.m. tipoff against Elmhurst University.
    Illinois Wesleyan returns home standing at 16-5 overall and 11-1 in CCIW play. The Titans, who will kickoff a four-game homestand Saturday, most recently toppled North Park University, 71-32, Feb. 4. Elmhurst travels to the Shirk with an 11-9 record on the year and is amid a battle for a top-four seed in the conference tournament with a 7-5 league mark. The Bluejays dropped a home contest, 63-50, to 16th-ranked Carroll University, Feb. 4.
    Matt Sosler and Tyler Swanson 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.

SALUTING THE SENIOR SIX: The Titans will celebrate seniors Sawyer White, Sara Balli, Payton Jacob, Laura Mahlum, Ava Bardic, and Martha Lipic prior to tipoff Saturday evening.
    Over the past four years, the Green and White have amassed an 83-24 overall record and a 50-10 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark. IWU has won two CCIW Regular Season titles, one CCIW Tournament Championship and made two NCAA Tournament appearances, with a Sweet Sixteen showing in 2025.

SHE'S GOLDEN: At halftime of Saturday's game, Illinois Wesleyan will present former Titan softball standout Jen Kuhn with her Gold Glove Award. Kuhn capped off her career with a tremendous senior season in 2025. She reeled in Gold Glove honors at shortstop and was a First Team All-American. She is the third Gold Glove winner in program history.
Additionally, Kuhn will be part of IWU's record-setting College Sports Communicators Academic All-America group from the 2025-26 academic year that will be recognized at halftime of the Titan men's basketball game. The group also includes four-year IWU women's basketball letterwinners Mallory Powers and Lauren Huber.

THIRD QUARTER DOMINANCE: Since switching from halves to quarters prior to the 2015-16 season, Illinois Wesleyan has limited opponents to single digits countless times, but Wednesday's defensive onslaught took things to another level. IWU limited NPU to just three points in the third quarter, Feb. 4, marking the lowest scoring period by an opponent in program history. North Park went 1-for-9 from the field, 0-for-3 from three-point range, and 1-for-2 at the free throw line over the 10-minute segment. The Titans stymied the Vikings as NPU turned the ball over 11 times in the quarter alone. On the flipside, IWU converted 11-of-16 shot attempts, including 3-of-4 three-point tries.

(N)O (P)OINTS FOR YO(U) - ROUND II: The Green and White used exceptional defense, especially in the middle quarters, to topple North Park, 71-32, in the Windy City, Feb. 4. It represented the third time this season IWU has held an opponent below the 50-point mark, but moreover it tied for IWU's fewest points allowed in a game since the 1977-78 campaign.
    Illinois Wesleyan's 32 points allowed in the win were the fewest by a Titan opponent in a game since limiting Millikin to 32 points Feb. 18, 2003. Additionally, it marked the 19th time since 1977-78 that IWU has held an opponent below 40 points.

BATTLING THE BLUEJAYS: Saturday's CCIW clash will mark the 87th all-time meeting between Illinois Wesleyan and Elmhurst since the two first tangled during the 1981-82 campaign. The Titans own a 70-16 edge in the all-time series and have won 18 straight against Elmhurst. Additionally, IWU is 52-6 against EU under Mia Smith.
    Earlier this season, Illinois Wesleyan used a 56-point second half to defeat Elmhurst, 81-59, Dec. 13, 2025. Ava Bardic led a lineup of five double-digit scorers with 24 points. Asia Kobylarczyk posted 15 points, while Rena Robinson tossed in a career-high 14. Sawyer White and Caitlin Leyden chipped in 11 apiece.

POLLING PLACE: Illinois Wesleyan remains in the national polls midway through the season. The Titans are 18th in the D3hoops.com Top-25 and 20th 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 21st in the WBCA poll.

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 280 of 366 of its home games, good for a .764 win percentage.

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 303 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 541.

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 68 thefts, good for 15th-most in Division III this season as of Feb. 3.
    In the CCIW, White sits 74 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 330 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.

GIVE & TAKE: Through 20 games, Sawyer White has thrived as a facilitator while also feasting on opposing ball handlers. White has dished out 91 assists on the year, a number that ranks 27th across Division III. On the other end of the floor, White has swiped a CCIW-best 74 steals. Her thefts are 12th-most nationally.
    White's exceptional all-around play puts her in limited company as one of six Division III women's basketball players nationally to rank in the top-30 in both assists and steals. She joins Brookyln's Brianna Johnson (steals -8th & assists 2nd), Penn-State Abington's Amina Reid (steals - 9th & assists - 10th), Cedar Crest's Ginger Kerdock (steals - 23rd & assists & 17th), Penn College's Breanna Valentine (steals - 15th & assists - 14th) and Neveah Yokr of St. Joe's (Conn.) (steals - 28th & assists - 27th).

THE 55TH YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan is in its 55th year of women's basketball and has compiled a 774-513 overall record. IWU's .600 all-time win percentage includes a 374-205 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.

ON THE HORIZON: The Green and White's home stay resumes Wednesday, Feb. 11, as IWU hosts Carthage College inside the Shirk Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.