BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Though tonight's game didn't go how the Firebirds hoped it would, they got some help with a North Park loss and secured a berth in the CCIW Women's Basketball Tournament as the No. 6 seed. The Firebirds struggled to score as Illinois Wesleyan shot the ball exceptionally in a 74-53 loss. Carthage will head to Rock Island to take on Augustana (Ill.) on Tuesday, February 21st at 7 p.m. 

Should the Firebirds win their first-round matchup with the Vikings, they would take on No. 1 Millikin in Decatur on Friday, February 24 at 7:15 p.m. 



 

• Final score: Illinois Wesleyan 74, Carthage 53.  
• Location: Shirk Center Arena - Bloomington, Illinois. 
• Records: Carthage 9-16 (5-11 CCIW), Illinois Wesleyan 15-10 (10-6 CCIW)

 

•  The Titans scored the first five points of the contest, with Carthage scoring its first points two minutes into the game with a pair of Morrissey conversions from the foul line. 
• Points were at a premium in the first quarter for Carthage, which went eight minutes without scoring. Illinois Wesleyan rattled off a monstrous 16-0 run to completely seize control of the game. The Firebirds finished the first quarter with four points and found themselves in a 21-4 game after one. 
• The home team's run extended to 18-0 before Carthage finally converted offensively, as Ayanna Ester drilled a three off a feed from Morrissey. The Titan lead stretched to 22, leading 29-7 with just over six minutes to go in the second quarter. 
• Margueret Spear converted on a trio of free throws to bring the score to 37-21 in favor of Illinois Wesleyan, with the game headed into halftime. 
• Another offensive drought lasted 3:30 for the Firebirds to begin the second half as Illinois Wesleyan matched its largest lead of the night at 22. The lead ballooned to 31 with two minutes remaining in the third quarter as the Titans continued to convert from long distance. Carthage trailed 62-29 as the fourth quarter was set to begin. 
• After the Titan lead was extended to 35, the Firebirds began to execute offensively - going on an 11-2 run. Another 8-0 run from Carthage later in the quarter nearly halved the deficit from the beginning of the quarter. The Firebirds trailed 72-53 before ultimately falling 74-53. 

 

• Margueret Spear led Carthage in scoring with 13 points while also recording three steals. Spear went 5-5 from the charity stripe. 
• Alyssa Orozco scored a career-high ten points tonight in only ten minutes of playing time. 
• Daelah Edwards and Grace Wamser each scored two points in five minutes of action off the bench. Edwards also recorded an assist and a rebound, while Wamser recorded an assist. 

 

• Carthage will play at least one more game this season, taking on No. 3 Augustana College (Ill.) in a first-round CCIW Women's Basketball Tournament matchup in Rock Island, Illinois. The game is scheduled for Tuesday, February 21 at 7 p.m.