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2026 Women's Basketball Senior Day
Kodiak Creative
59
Elmhurst ELM 11-10,7-6 CCIW
77
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 17-5,12-1 CCIW
Elmhurst ELM
11-10,7-6 CCIW
59
Final
77
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
17-5,12-1 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Elmhurst ELM 17 14 14 14 59
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 28 10 20 19 77

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women’s Hoops Soars Past Elmhurst on Senior Day

Titans recognized six seniors prior to tipoff

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The 18th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team defeated Elmhurst University in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin action, 77-59, Saturday night, Feb. 7, on Senior Day inside the Shirk Center. The win boosted the Titans to 17-5 and 12-1 in league play, while the Bluejays now sit at 11-10 and 7-6 in the CCIW.

Senior Ava Bardic (Lincolnshire, Ill.-Stevenson) put up a game-high 28 points to lead the Green and White as one of four double-digit scorers. Bardic added in four boards, five assists, and three steals. Freshman Caitlin Leyden (Park Ridge, Ill.-Park Ridge) posted an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double, while seniors Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) and Sara Balli (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) chipped in 10 points each.

The Titans absolutely dominated the boards, 42-19. Behind Leyden's 11, Balli pulled in eight and redshirt freshman Leah Palmer (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) tacked on six. IWU also scored leads in points off turnovers (15-11), points in the paint (42-34), second-chance scoring (14-8), fastbreak scoring (11-7), and bench scoring (12-6). 

Elmhurst scored the first bucket of the night, but IWU bounced back with consecutive scores. After Leyden pulled in a steal, Balli hit Bardic for a wing three to get the Shirk crowd going early. The 5-0 spurt was part of a larger 10-2 run over the first five minutes that pushed the Titans ahead, 17-8, into the media.

After a tough layup by sophomore Alyssa Epps (Berkeley, Ill.-Montini Catholic), Bardic converted two tough drives to push IWU ahead, 28-17, after 10 minutes.

The Bluejays battled back, using second chances and Titan turnovers to claw back within five, 33-28. Balli got the Green and White back on track with a layup off a dime by Leyden to give Illinois Wesleyan a 38-31 cushion at halftime.

The hot-handed Bardic remained on fire out of the break, as freshman Rena Robinson (San Jose, Calif.-Archbishop Mitty) found the senior for a triple. Following a Leyden and-one, Balli connected with Bardic on a layup as IWU reclaimed a 10-point lead, 48-38, with 4:45 left in the period.

Momentum remained with the home team as the Green and White pushed its lead to as many as 20 from that point on before securing the 77-59 victory.

The Titans host Carthage College Wednesday night, Feb.11, for a 7 p.m. tipoff inside the Shirk Center.
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