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The Carthage College women's basketball team (19-6, 10-4 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) travels to Bloomington, Ill., on Friday, Feb. 24 to play Wheaton College (Ill., 18-7, 11-3 CCIW) in a CCIW Women's Basketball Tournament semifinal game at the Illinois Wesleyan University Shirk Center, beginning at 5 p.m.  Top-seeded and No. 17 Illinois Wesleyan (20-5, 13-1 CCIW) will play fourth-seeded Millikin University (15-10, 7-7) in Friday's other semifinal contest at 7 p.m.  The tournament-championship game will be on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.
 
Illinois Wesleyan clinched the CCIW title outright last Wednesday with a 75-63 win at Millikin University.  For the Titans, the conference championship is its sixth overall and its fifth in a row. 
 
Carthage has qualified for the CCIW Women's Basketball Tournament nine times in 10 years since the event began in 2003.  Only the 2005 team failed to qualify.  Of the nine teams, only the 2009 squad advanced to the championship game.  This will be Carthage's seventh conference-tournament trip to the Illinois Wesleyan University Shirk Center. 
 
Tickets are $6 for adults, $3 for students and seniors and free for children under 8.  Students of CCIW schools get in free with their valid ID, but no CCIW parents passes will be accepted for the tournament.

Looking at the CCIW Tournament:  Kent Madsen (37-14, 2 years thru Feb. 23) coaches the Wheaton College (Ill.) Thunder, who went 19-7 last year (11-3, 2nd CCIW) before losing to Illinois Wesleyan University, 67-57, in the title game of the CCIW Women's Basketball Tournament.  This year's team brings an 18-7 mark (11-3, 2nd CCIW) into the tournaments.  The Thunder lead the series with the Lady Reds, 45-19, and Wheaton (Ill.) won both Carthage games during the regular season.  The Thunder won the first contest, 66-51, on Jan. 18 in Wheaton, Ill., and the second game, 51-49, on Feb. 8 at Tarble Arena.  Carthage has played Wheaton (Ill.) five times in the CCIW tournament semifinals and lost four of those five games.  The Lady Reds' lone win over the Thunder in tournament play was a 65-50 decision at the 2009 event, also in Bloomington, Ill.…Mia Smith (274-108, 14 years thru Feb. 23) coaches the Illinois Wesleyan Titans, who went 27-6 last year (13-1, 1st CCIW).  Illinois Wesleyan advanced to the semifinals of last year's NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship before losing to Washington University (Mo.), 87-77.  This year's team, ranked 17th in the Feb. 21 "D3hoops.com" poll, brings a 20-5 mark into Friday's semifinal game against Millikin University…Lori Kerans (496-186, 26 years thru Feb. 23), the dean of the CCIW women's basketball coaches, guides the Millikin Big Blue, who compiled a 17-9 mark last year (9-5, 3rd CCIW) before losing to Wheaton (Ill.), 58-55, in the tournament semifinals.  This year's team brings a 15-10 record into the conference tournament.