WHEATON, Ill. - The No. 22-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team had its 11-game winning streak snapped and suffered its first league loss, falling 76-74 in two overtimes at Wheaton on Saturday (Jan. 28).

The Titans slipped to 14-5 overall and 7-1 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin while the Thunder improved to 13-6 this season and 6-2 in the CCIW.
The loss was the Titans' first in conference play since Jan. 29, 2011 and ended a 13-game league winning streak for IWU.

In the second overtime, sophomore Colleen McMahon put IWU ahead with 1:12 to go 74-73 but Wheaton freshman Lauren Graham made a free throw to tie the game at 74-74 with 40 seconds remaining.

Wheaton's Elisabeth Potts made free throw to give WC 75-74 lead with 39 seconds left as IWU senior Olivia Lett fouled out, and Graham added another free throw with 16 seconds left to provide the Thunder with their 76-74 lead.

Lett, who scored all eight IWU points in the first overtime and two in the second OT, led the team with 24 points, a game-high 12 rebounds and four assists.

Junior Melissa Gardner made five 3-pointers and finished with 15 points and McMahon added 11.

The Titans, who went the final 5:52 of the second half and the first 2:11 of the overtime without a field goal, went ahead 65-64 in the first extra session on a Lett basket and free throw with 1:02 to go but Maris Hovee scored to give Wheaton a 66-65 lead. Lett came back with 16 seconds left on another conventional 3-point play (basket and free throw) to give IWU a 68-66 lead before Brooke Olson made a bucket with 7 seconds left to tie the game and force a second overtime.

The Titans trailed at halftime 32-24 and fell behind by as many as 10 at 36-26 with 17:46 to play in the game. But the Titans scored 10 straight points to tie the game at 36-36 on a 3-pointer by sophomore Lexi Baltes wth 13:55 to go.

Wheaton took a 57-56 lead on a 3-pointer by Olson with 1:47 to play and the Titans took a 58-57 lead after two free throws by senior Brittany Hasselbring with 51 seconds to play.

Laura Karsten made a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left to give the Thunder a 60-58 edge but Wheaton committed a foul with 12 seconds to play and Hasselbring sank another pair of free throws to tie the game at 60-60 and send it to the first overtime.

The Titans shot .347 percent from the field (25 of 72) and connected on 7 of 18 3-point field goal tries (.389). IWU made a superb 17 of their 18 free throw attempts (.944).

Wheaton shot .356 percent (26 of 73) from the field and made 12 of 33 3-point efforts (.364) while sinking 12 of 19 free throws (.632). The Titans outrebounded the Thunder 49-48 and Potts was the Wheaton leader with 10.

Olson led Wheaton with a game-high 25 points while Potts and Breanna Bohlen each had 11.

IWU will play next at Augustana on Wednesday (Feb. 1) at 7:30 p.m.