The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team saw a fourth-quarter lead slip away Saturday afternoon, Dec. 17, in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin bout with Wheaton College inside the Shirk Center. With the 63-57 loss, the Titans slipped to 7-4 on the season and 2-2 in league play. Wheaton upped its record to 7-3 overall (2-1 CCIW).
Sophomore Lauren Huber (Lombard, Ill.-Glenbard East) recorded a 19-point, 14-rebound double-double to pace the Green and White. Fellow sophomore Mallory Powers (Amboy, Ill.-Amboy) added nine points and nine rebounds.
The Titans finished the game just 16-for-61 from the floor, a 26.2 percent clip. IWU's shooting woes carried to the free throw line, as the Green and White converted 20-of-35 attempts. Wheaton fared better from the floor, using a strong inside presence to connect on 40.3 percent of its shot attempts and build a 34-16 lead in points in the paint. The Thunder went 4-for-13 from three and 9-for-16 at the charity stripe.
IWU turned the ball over 20 times, while forcing 17 WC miscues. The Titans held a 14-4 lead in second chance points behind 20 offensive rebounds, as Illinois Wesleyan won the rebounding battle, 50-43. The home team also held a 14-12 edge in fast break points, while Wheaton welcomed a 25-7 advantage in bench scoring.
It was a defensive battle from the jump, as seven combined turnovers led to a 4-4 stalemate halfway through the first quarter. After hitting a crafty turnaround jumper, junior Caite Knutson (Maryville, Ill.-Collinsville) kicked a pass out to the wing on a baseline drive for a three-ball by freshman Laura Mahlum (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington). The triple gave IWU a slim 9-8 edge before a Palmer three-pointer stretched the lead to four, 14-10. Wheaton had a chance to cut into the Green and White's lead, but a strong defensive stand by the home team held the Thunder without a shot.
Illinois Wesleyan was stymied offensively in the second quarter, as the Titans went just 1-for-14 from the field. IWU garnered 11 trips to the charity stripe in the period, converting seven, but WC took a 24-23 lead into halftime.
The Green and White found its groove out of the break, putting up 23 points to Wheaton's 16. Palmer evened the score at 26 and got IWU off on a 7-0 run. A heady pass up court in transition by freshman Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) led to a Powers layup. The sophomore guard then hit a three-pointer, which was followed by a strong bucket by Knutson to give IWU its largest lead of the day, 37-29. The latest bucket brought about a Wheaton timeout with five minutes to go in the period.
The Thunder chipped away at the Titan advantage, but free throws from Knutson and Huber had IWU clinging to a one-point lead. White capped the quarter with a swipe and score at halfcourt to send the game to the final period with the home team leading, 46-40.
IWU ran out of steam in the fourth quarter as fouls piled up and the offense slowed. Meanwhile, the Thunder went 9-for-15 from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point range en route to a 23-point quarter. The Titans held a six-point advantage on a Huber bucket, but Wheaton used seven straight points to take a 50-49 lead with 5:40 to play. The one-point edge proved to be IWU's last lead of the day, as a late push came up short, 63-57.
Illinois Wesleyan takes some time off for the holidays before heading out to California for a two-game roadtrip, Dec. 29-30. There, IWU will take on the University of La Verne and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
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