BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- The No. 17-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team earned the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin's automatic qualifier on Saturday, February 24 with a 62-60 victory over Wheaton College in the CCIW tournament championship game. Senior Rebekah Ehresman led the Titans with 14 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. The leagues "Most Outstanding Player" scored eight of her 14 points in the fourth quarter.

With a win the Titans improved to 24-3 on the season, their highest win total since the 2011-12 season in which they finished with a record of 28-5. Wheaton fell to 22-5 following the loss.

Meanwhile, the Titans are making their 10th overall NCAA Division III tournament appearance and first since 2012, when IWU won the national championship. Illinois Wesleyan has a 15-9 tourney record with the national title in 2012 and a fourth place finish in 2011. IWU made six consecutive appearances from 2007-12, advancing to the round of 16 in 2010 and the round of eight in 2009. Go here for all IWU tournament games.

The full national field will be announced on Monday, February 26 at 2:30 p.m. EST via an NCAA.com Selection Show.

Illinois Wesleyan earned the victory on Saturday despite shooting just .375 from the field on 21-of-56 shooting. Following an 8-of-30 shooting performance in the first half, IWU shot 13-of-26 in the second half. The Titans were 2-of-12 from distance in the contest. Wheaton shot .451 for the game and nailed seven 3-pointers. Illinois Wesleyan held a significant advantage at the charity stripe going 18-for-26 compared to 7-of-13 for the Thunder.

Wheaton held a 39-34 advantage on the glass, but the Titans hauled in 12 offensive boards to 10 for the Thunder. Illinois Wesleyan scored 11 second chance points off those 12 rebounds. IWU won the turnover battle forcing the Thunder to commit 21 turnovers which they turned into 17 points in transition.

Three Titans finished in double-figure scoring, including the 14 from Ehresman. Senior Molly McGraw and junior Nina Anderson each scored 11 points apiece. Off the bench, senior Kelsey Walsberg added eight points and freshman Riley Brovelli scored seven. Brovelli was second on the team in rebounding with five (three offensive).

Illinois Wesleyan held a narrow 6-0 lead for the first six minutes of action as they held the Thunder scoreless prior to a 3-pointer from Devin Kyler. The Titans led by as many as eight points in the first half, but a 10-1 run by Wheaton gave the Thunder a 24-22 lead at the break.

Wheaton went on a small 6-0 run in the early stages of the third quarter to take a six point lead over the Titans. IWU responded with a 7-0 run of their own to briefly claim a 33-32 edge as the teams went back and forth for the remainder of the third. An 8-0 run by Wheaton to open the fourth quarter gave the Thunder a 47-40 lead, their largest of the evening.

Illinois Wesleyan slowly chipped away at the Thunder lead, leading the Titans up until the 1:50 mark in the fourth. Ehresman was key during this stretch converting on two and-one opportunities. An 8-0 run from the Titans which lasted for 2:20 gave IWU a 61-57 lead with just six seconds remaining. Wheaton's Kyler cut the lead to one with two seconds on the clock, but a free-throw from McGraw iced the game and took the remaining seconds off the clock for IWU.

Wheaton was led in scoring by Kelly Lawson's 13. Kyler finished with a double-double featuring 11 points and 11 rebounds. Illinois Wesleyan held the Thunder's leading scorer, Hannah Frazier, to nine points. Off the bench Jill Berg finished with six points, six rebounds, and five blocked shots.

What's Next?
Illinois Wesleyan will find out their NCAA tournament fate on Monday, February 26 at 1:30 p.m. Information about whether or not the Titans will host the first and second round of the tournament is not available until the live selection show. The selection show can be viewed here.