KENOSHA, Wis. - For the fifth straight season, the Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team owns a share of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin title after a 57-53 win at Carthage on Saturday (Feb. 11).

The Titans improved to 11-1 in the CCIW (18-5 overall) and hold a two-game lead over Wheaton (9-3 CCIW, 16-7 overall) with two games to play. Carthage fell to 17-6 overall and 8-4 in the CCIW.
Second-place Wheaton was a 72-54 winner over North Central on Saturday.

"As ugly as (the game) was, getting a conference championship is fantastic," IWU head coach Mia Smith told WJBC Radio in a postgame interview.

Illinois Wesleyan shot only 23 percent from the field, making 12 of 52, and connected on only 5 of 24 3-point field goal attempts (21 percent) while making 28 of 44 free throws (64 percent). The 44 free throw attempts is an IWU game record, topping the old mark of 41 free throws tried vs. Illinois College on Dec. 7, 2002.

Carthage built up a 9-point lead at 17-8 with 11:23 to play in the first half but the Titans chipped away at that lead with a 12-3 run to tie the game at 20-20 with 2:34 left and carried a 24-21 lead into the locker room.
Carthage again assumed the lead and was up 36-31 with 11:40 to play before IWU tied the game at 36-36. The game was also tied at 40 and 41 prior to the Titans outscoring the Lady Reds 16-12 in the final 5 minutes.

Senior Olivia Lett scored 25 points to lead IWU and sophomore Shelby Jackson scored 14 points, including four free throws in the final 2:01. Jackson also hit three 3-pointers and grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds.
"While others on our team were a little more tentative, Jackson was the most confident player on the floor," Smith said.

Sophomore Colleen McMahon also got 6 rebounds with 5 points.

Carthage, who was guilty of 29 turnovers, shot 41 percent (16 of 39) from the field and made 3 of 13 (23 percent) from 3-point range. The Lady Reds made 18 of their 29 free throw attempts (62 percent).

Carthage held a 43-34 rebounding lead in the game led by Diana Jacklin with 13. Jacklin and Stephanie Kuzmanic each scored 15 points to pace the Lady Reds.

NOTES: The Titans can wrap up sole possession of the league title when they play at Millikin on Wednesday (Feb. 15)...In 23 games, Lett has 488 points this season, just three away from breaking the record of 490 set by Katie Cantrell in 29 games in the 2002-03 season...Lett also has 116 free throws this year, tied for third most with Gwynne Roberts (25 games, 1990-91). The season record is 121 by Christina Solari in 31 games in 2008-09.