The Illinois Wesleyan women’s basketball team’s historic season has come to a close with a record of 28-2, going 15-1 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) play.
The Titans grabbed an amazing win in the CCIW semifinal against Millikin University on Feb. 28. In the Shirk Center, the Titans took advantage of the Big Blue’s 27 turnovers and secured the 89-62 win.
Senior guard Lauren Huber had a double-double–15 points and 10 rebounds–in addition to four steals. Junior guard Ava Bardic led the Titan’s scoring with 23 points and senior guard Kate Palmer followed close behind, posting 22 points herself. Junior guard Sawyer White led with a team-high of five assists.
First-year Luigi Lam closed the game out with back to back threes, further cementing the win against the Big Blue.
The Shirk Center hosted the CCIW tournament championship the following night, March 1, where Illinois Wesleyan went against Carroll University.
The Titans fought hard for a win, and Huber showed it with another double-double, 11 rebounds and a season high of 28 points. Senior Mallory Powers scored 22 points and obtained a career high of four blocks.
Carroll came back with more fight in the second quarter, cutting Illinois Wesleyan’s lead to single digits, but White had other plans when she passed the ball to junior guard Sara Balli for a corner triple. Balli then helped Bardic force a jump ball, which picked the Titan’s momentum back up.
The Pioneers put on the full-court press in an attempt for a comeback in the final quarter, but the Titans could not be stopped. With a 54.0% from-the-ground efficiency, the Titans won 95-86 and secured a ticket to the NCAA Division III tournament and the eleventh conference tournament title in program history.
Opening weekend of the NCAA tournament was hosted at the Shirk Center on March 7-8, with Illinois Wesleyan beginning the tournament being ranked fourth nationally in division III.
Illinois Wesleyan began their NCAA tournament journey against Centre College on March 7. Centre may have gotten the first bucket of the game, but the Titans came surging back with a 22-point run that began with a mid-range romper from Palmer and then back-to-back three from Powers. The first of the threes from Powers brought her into the 1000-point club for the program.
These Titans did not slow down in the second quarter, gaining a lead of 31 points. After halftime, 14 of 15 Titans got a bucket with sophomore guard Sophia Feeney getting five points. The second half also featured first-year guard/forward Alyssa Epps with a career high of nine points.
The Titans scored their first NCAA tournament win of 95-57 and advanced to the second round the following night against No.13 Trine University.
Illinois Wesleyan was led by Bardic in scoring, putting up 26 points with five made threes and fifth-year Caite Knutson getting 15 points and seven rebounds.
The Titans and Thunder fought a tough battle with the lead changing numerous times between them. Palmer helped secure a double-digit lead, forcing a Trine timeout with about three minutes left in the first half.
In the third quarter, the Titans put up 27 points with three triples from Bardic and one from Powers, instilling the Titans’ control.
Forcing the Thunder into another timeout with less than seven minutes on the clock, the Titans did not slow down. They led by as much as 34 in the fourth quarter.
Another great shooting night for the Titans, putting in 50 percent from the ground and 100 percent from the line, secured their 82-50 win over Trine. This win punched the ticket for the Titans at the Sweet Sixteen, the first time they have been there since 2012.
On Friday night, March 14, the Illinois Wesleyan Titans played against the eleventh-ranked University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh inside the Shirk Center.
Bardic led the team with 15 points and Powers owned the board with six rebounds. A slower-scoring night brought just 38.6 percent from the ground and 13.3 percent from three. Although the Titans outscored Oshkosh in the second quarter, 15-13, they still trailed by nine and unfortunately could not catch up.
The Titans ended their season that night with a 43-63 loss, marking the end of the careers of a successful senior class composed of Lauren Huber, Kate Palmer, Caite Knutson and Mallory Powers.
Lauren Huber was named an unanimous first team all-CCIW pick, first team all-region, and was selected to play in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) all-star game in Salem, Va. Huber was voted to the WBCA’s first team all-american honors, the first time a Titan has done so since 2021.
Mallory Powers and Ava Bardic were both named a first team all-CCIW pick and received second team all-region. Kate Palmer and Sawyer White were named second team all-CCIW picks.
Head coach Mia Smith was named Region 8 Coach of the year and a finalist for the WBCA’s national coach of the year accolade after leading one of the best seasons recorded.
The Illinois Wesleyan University women’s basketball team for the 24-25 season amassed 28 wins, the most since 2012, and swept both the regular season and tournament championships for the CCIW for the first time since 2018. These Titans fought for a historic season and brought great strength to the program.