Wheaton, Ill. - In a matchup of the top two teams in the CCIW standings, the Wheaton College women's basketball team hung tough but fell in the final seconds to Illinois Wesleyan University 65-63 on Saturday.

The Thunder run its record to 16-6 overall and 9-3 in conference play. The No. 9-ranked Titans improved to 17-5, 10-1 in the CCIW.

Illinois Wesleyan came out of the gate with its full-court man press, but Wheaton countered it by driving straight to the basket and through the trap at mid-court. The Thunder guards were running hard from the onset, led by Laura Karsten, who did a lot of ball handling on the press break. Wheaton's team speed and fast pace kept the offense running effectively.

In the halfcourt offense, the Titans used their tall, athletic lineup to penetrate the lane. The Thunder doubled and hedged, but IWU then hit the open post player for shots around the basket.

The visitors held a 22-16 lead in the first nine minutes when Karsten got Wheaton on the comeback trail. The sophomore guard was draining three-pointers and streaking in for rebounds as she scored 15 points and pulled down six boards in the half. Soon enough, the Thunder had trimmed the deficit to 24-23. Elisabeth Potts was also effective with her jumper, tallying nine points in the half.

While IWU played with good physicality on defense, Wheaton matched the intensity and started to draw fouls effectively, putting the Titan post players in foul trouble. The breakneck pace of the game started to visibly wear on both teams, which hampered their execution. Illinois Wesleyan went into halftime leading 40-38.

The second half saw both teams delibrately slow the game down to stay fresher for the stretch run. Subsequently, offense was harder to come by. Wheaton got up early 45-42, but the Titans executed efficiently by pounding the ball the ball down low. Stacey Arlis was the main beneficiary as the senior post scored 15 of her team's first 19 points of the half.

The Thunder offense hit a lull for a stretch in the second half and the Titans buit a narrow 57-55 advantage. It was nip and tuck the rest of the game. Karsten and Brooke Olson drove the lane with purpose, drew fouls, and hit four free throws to tie the game back up at 61-61 with 1:27 remaning.

Another layup by Arlis with a minute to go put IWU back up 63-61. However, the Thunder couldn't counter and several crucial layups bounced to the Titans in the game's final seconds. Two free throws from Nikki Preston extended the lead to four points with 4.4 seconds left. Potts hit a jumper with one second remaining, but the Titans successfully inbounded the ball to end the game.

The Thunder shot 21 of 51 from the field (41 percent), 14 of 20 from the free throw line (70 percent) and 7 of 22 from beyond the arc (32 percent). Karsten led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Potts tallied 17 points, and Olson added seven points with five assists.

The Titans shot 16 of 39 from the field (41 percent), 10 of 15 from the charity stripe (67 percent) and 5 of 25 from three-point range (20 percent). Illinois Wesleyan held a 46-36 rebounding edge and won the turnover battle 15-10. Arlis paced the team with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Hope Schulte and Preston scored 10 points apiece, and Karen Solari collected 11 rebounds.

Wheaton next hits the road to go to Millikin University at 6 PM on Wednesday.