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Women's Basketball Team Huddle at Hope 3-7-2026
Kody Hofer
85
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 23-6,15-1 CCIW
90
Winner Hope Hope 26-3,14-2 Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
23-6,15-1 CCIW
85
Final
90
Hope Hope
26-3,14-2 Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 OT 1 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 8 20 27 22 8 85
Hope Hope 18 16 26 17 13 90

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women’s Hoops Drops Overtime Heartbreaker at Hope

Titans finish season 23-6

HOLLAND, Mich. - The No. 10 Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker at No. 7 Hope College in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday, March 7. With the loss, the Titans end their season with a record of 23-6. 

Illinois Wesleyan saw four Titans finish with 10+ points. Senior Ava Bardic (Lincolnshire, Ill.-Stevenson) led the way with 26 points, while fellow senior Sara Balli (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) ended her career with a personal-best 20 points. Senior Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) capped off her career with 18 points, and freshman Asia Kobylarczyk (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11. Kobylarczyk notched a team-best five assists, while White added four, and Bardic finished with a pair. 

Redshirt freshman Leah Palmer (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) led the way with nine rebounds, followed by Balli's six, and five each from Kobylarczyk and freshman Caitlin Leyden (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South). Kobylarczyk led the team with two blocks, while White did what she does best, finishing with four steals. 

The Green and White finished the night shooting 32-of-76 from the field (42.1 percent). IWU went 8-for-29 from three (27.6 percent) and 13-of-20 from the charity stripe (65.0 percent). Hope ended with a 28-of-64 showing (43.8 percent), including a 4-of-13 mark from deep (30.8 percent). The Flying Dutch were 30-of-37 from the line, good for 81.1 percent. 

Free throws by Hope's Katie Blazei put the home team up by 14, 49-35, with 5:53 left to play in the third quarter. The Titans quickly responded, as Balli banked in a layup off a pass from Bardic 10 seconds later, bringing the gap back down to 12. HC turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, and Balli made the Flying Dutch pay with another layup, cutting the margin to 10 at the 5:23 mark.

Following a two-pointer by the home team, White made the most of an and-one opportunity, as her layup and made free throw cut the gap to nine with just under five minutes left in the quarter. Hope turned the ball over, and Bardic drained a three to make it a six-point game, 51-45, at the 4:34 mark. Hope stopped the IWU scoring run thanks to two made free throws, but the Titan offense stayed hot. Kobylarczyk kicked a pass out to White for a three-pointer, bringing the score to 53-48 with 4:02 to go in the quarter. 

The Green and White defense got a stop on defense, and Kobylarczyk found Palmer for a three to make it a one-possession game, 53-50. Hope brought its lead back up to eight, but Illinois Wesleyan stayed poised at the end of the quarter. Leyden hauled in a rebound to get the visiting offense and transition, and found White for a three-pointer to close out the third period, 60-55.

The Flying Dutch extended their lead to eight to begin the fourth quarter, but free throws by White sparked a 9-0 run for the Titans. The senior did her signature move, picking the pockets of Hope, and found Balli for a quick bucket. After HC missed a three, White hit Balli up for another layup to make it a two-point differential, 65-63, with 7:17 to go. 

A three-ball from Kobylarczyk gave IWU its first lead since the opening bucket of the game with 6:49 to play, as the score stood at 66-65. HC went 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to bring the score to a tie, but a three from Balli via a Bardic assist put the Titans ahead by six, 72-66. 

Hope trimmed the visitors' lead to one, and after a missed shot, Balli hauled in an offensive board to keep possession for the Titans. Bardic made the most of the extra opportunity, as she polished off an and-one to make it 77-71 at the 2:13 mark. 

HC came back to tie it at 77, and IWU could not get a shot to fall in the final possession of regulation. 

For the second time this season, the two teams would enter overtime inside DeVos Fieldhouse. Hope went up one via a free throw to open the extra time, but the Titans responded with their own opportunity from the charity stripe. Kobylarczyk drained both of her free throws to make it 79-78 in favor of Illinois Wesleyan. 

That would be the last time the Titans led, as Hope closed out overtime to take a 90-85 win. 

The loss concludes the incredible careers of seniors Ava Bardic, Sawyer White, Sara Balli, Laura Mahlum, Payton Jacobs, and Martha Lipic. Together, the group made three NCAA Tournaments, won three College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin regular season championships and two CCIW tournament titles. The group amassed an overall record of 90-25.
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