Box Score

The Carthage College women's basketball team (11-2, 1-1 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked eighth in the Jan. 5 Women's Basketball Coaches Association/USA Today/ESPN NCAA Division III poll and 11th in the Jan. 5 “D3hoops.com” poll, lost to CCIW-opponent and No. 1 Illinois Wesleyan University (13-0, 2-0 CCIW), 76-48, on Saturday, Jan. 9 at the Shirk Center in Bloomington, Ill. 

 

Illinois Wesleyan broke open a close game at 11:57 first half when Nikki Preston drained a three pointer, was fouled and converted the free throw for a four-point play and a 21-14 Titan lead. Illinois Wesleyan made it a 10-point game, 26-16, at 9:39 and led by as much as 23 points in the first period, 45-22, at 1:55. Leading by 11 points, 31-20, IWU closed out the half on a 14-3 run to lead by 22 points at the break, 45-23. In the second half, the Lady Reds closed to within 17 points, 47-30, at 17:47, before the Titans went back up by 23, 53-30, at 14:57. From the 47-30 mark, the Titans took off on a 15-0 run to make it a 32-point game, 62-30, at 12:42. Illinois Wesleyan went on to win by 28 points, 76-48.

 

Carthage shot 34 percent (15-44), while Illinois Wesleyan shot  48 percent (29-60), including a blistering 59 percent in the first half (16-27).  The Titans out-rebounded the Lady Reds, 44-26.  Diana Jacklin (So., Berwyn, Ill./Morton West) had 11 points and five rebounds for Carthage, while Heather Gilmore (Sr., Des Moines, Iowa/Pleasant Hill-Southeast) scored 11 points. Four Titans scored in double figures. Nikki Preston had a game-high 17 points and four rebounds. Christina Solari had 12 points, a game-high 17 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, along with four assists. Hope Schulte and Stacey Arlis chipped in 10 points each. Carthage plays host to CCIW-opponent Elmhurst College (9-4, 2-0 CCIW) on Wednesday, Jan. 12 in a 7:30 p.m. game at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis.