Dupage Policy Journal

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team secured a significant victory on Saturday, February 15, clinching at least a share of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Regular Season Championship. The Titans defeated Millikin University with a decisive score of 83-52 at the Shirk Center in Bloomington, Illinois. This win improved their record to 22-1 overall and 13-1 in conference play, while Millikin's record fell to 8-15 overall and 7-7 in the conference.

Senior players were instrumental in this triumph for the Titans. Mallory Powers led with 18 points, hitting six out of nine three-point attempts. She also contributed seven assists, five rebounds, and one steal. Lauren Huber added 17 points and nine rebounds while matching the team lead with three steals. Caite Knutson scored 12 points with five rebounds, and Kate Palmer contributed seven points alongside three assists. Junior Sawyer White rounded out the top performers with 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists.

Illinois Wesleyan had an effective shooting game, making 47 percent of their shots from the field and converting nine out of twenty-five three-point attempts. They were successful on twelve out of fourteen free throws. Conversely, Millikin struggled offensively, shooting just over thirty percent from the field and making only six out of twenty-six three-point attempts.

The Titans dominated various aspects of play including points off turnovers (21-13), points in the paint (40-28), second-chance scoring (12-10), and fastbreak scoring (17-2). Millikin had a slight advantage in bench scoring by one point.

A pivotal moment came during a dominant run that spanned across quarters. Leading by four after a media timeout in the first quarter, Illinois Wesleyan surged ahead with contributions from Knutson and White followed by Powers' scoring efforts which extended their lead significantly by halftime.

In the second quarter, Illinois Wesleyan continued to widen their lead as Huber initiated scoring followed by strategic plays involving Ava Bardic and White which forced Millikin into taking a timeout as they trailed significantly.

Despite breaking their lengthy scoring drought later on, Millikin was unable to close the gap substantially as Illinois Wesleyan maintained control throughout much of the game extending their lead further into double digits during subsequent quarters.