No. 18/No. 19 Illinois Wesleyan 64, Carthage 52
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Carthage women's basketball team faced off against the nationally ranked Illinois Wesleyan Titans in the Shirk Center on Wednesday evening. After a strong start for the Firebirds, the Titans rallied back late in the first half to take the lead and come away with a win over the Firebirds.



Whitney Thompson scored first for the Firebirds on the opening possession, with the Titans responding quickly with a score from Sawyer White and a layup from Caitlin Leydon to take a 4-2 lead. The two teams traded baskets over the next four minutes with the Titans leading 12-8 with 3:17 left in the quarter. A basket from Nora Ahram and a three pointer from Malia Green gave the Firebirds a 13-12 lead. Another basket from Green gave the Firebirds a 15-12 lead to end the quarter.

A basket from Ava Bardic brought the Titans back within one point of the lead to begin the second quarter. A jumper for Cord and a pair of free throws from Ahram extended the lead to 19-14 with 8:01 to play in the half. The Titans found momentum on the offensive end of the floor, tying the game at 21-21 with 5:30 on the clock. A score from Green would give the Firebirds back the lead momentarily before a 9-0 run gave the Titans a 30-23 lead. The Titans took a 34-28 lead into the halftime break.

The Firebirds opened the second half with a 6-0 run with scores from Cord and Ahram, tying the game at 34-34. A 7-0 run for the Titans rebuilt the home squad's lead to 41-34. The Titans then utilized a 9-0 run to end the third quarter, building a 51-38 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Titans scored on the opening possession of the fourth quarter, extending the lead to 15 points over the Firebirds. The lead reached as high as 18 points before back to back three pointers for Delaney Elsmore ended the game at 64-52.


 

• Nora Ahram - 15 points*, 4 rebounds, 4-4 FT
• Malia Green - 12 points, 5-9 FG*
• Delaney Elsmore - 11 points, 2 assists, 3-6 3PT*
• Grace Cord - 10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

*led team in stat category
^career high



"It was a tough road loss tonight but I'm really proud of our fight," said Head Coach Megan Jones. "We came out aggressive in the first quarter but we struggled to take care of the ball throughout. Wesleyan is so effective at forcing multiple turnovers in a row and scoring quickly. We also gave up far too many offensive boards and they were able to get to the free throw line frequently after an O board and a foul. But overall I was really proud of our fight to finish out the game the way that we did. We have to get refocused and take care of us in another crucial conference game at Augie on Saturday."



The Firebirds (12-10, 6-7 CCIW) return to action on Saturday, Feb. 14 as the team heads to Rock Island, Ill. to take on Augustana at 2 p.m. Carthage women's basketball returns to Tarble Arena on Wednesday, Feb 18 to host North Central College (Ill.) For more information, visit athletics.carthage.edu.