KENOSHA, Wis. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball led from start to finish in a 79-60 win over Carthage College Saturday afternoon, Jan. 8, at Tarble Arena. With the win, the Titans remain undefeated in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play at 4-0 and are 7-6 overall. Meanwhile, the Firebirds fell to 8-6 on the season and 3-3 in league games.

Five Titans finished with nine-or-more points, led by freshman Lauren Huber's (Lombard, Ill.-Glenbard East) game-high 23-point effort. Senior Brooke Lansford (Leawood, Kan.-Blue Valley West) scored 16 points, including a trio of three-pointers, while seniors Catie Eck (Springfield, Ill.-Sacred Heart-Griffin) and Kaia Bowen (Rantoul, Ill.-St. Thomas More) added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Freshman Kate Palmer (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) finished with nine points.

Huber also paced the Titans with a game-high nine rebounds, while Bowen added seven as IWU held a 37-34 rebounding advantage. Elsewhere, Eck tallied a season-high five assists and added a pair of blocks, while Lansford notched three steals. Bowen, Huber, and Palmer tallied two steals apiece. 

Illinois Wesleyan finished the day 30-for-63 from the floor (47.6 percent) and 6-for-15 (40 percent) from distance. The Titans also converted on 13-of-16 free throw attempts. Carthage shot the ball at a 37.5 percent clip (21-of-56), but used 10 three-pointers to close the gap late. The Firebirds went 10-for-29 from the long line and 8-for-12 at the charity stripe.

The Green and White created an 18-2 advantage in fast break points. IWU scored 24 points off turnovers, aided by 12 steals, and also held the edge in points in the paint (44-18) and second chance points (14-8).

It was all Illinois Wesleyan in the early goings, as the Titans opened up a 7-0 lead while the Firebirds went 0-for on their first eight shot attempts. 

Carthage pieced together a 6-0 run, but Lansford halted it with a pull-up jumper from the elbow with 2:07 to play in the period. Lansford connected on a corner three moments later, and Eck found Palmer for a step-back triple to up the IWU lead to 19-8 with less than a minute left. The Firebirds made the most of an offensive rebound, closing the first quarter with a buzzer-beating three to trim the Titan lead to 19-11. 

Illinois Wesleyan's daunting press had Carthage flustered to start the second. Junior Katelyn Heller (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard West) knocked down a floater from the paint and Huber converted a jumper off a Lansford steal to give IWU a 12-point lead and force a Firebirds timeout with 7:27 on the clock.

Illinois Wesleyan stretched its advantage to 20 on an Eck three-pointer with 1:13 left, before taking a 42-23 lead into the break. 

The Green and White forced 10 first-half turnovers by the Firebirds, resulting in nine IWU points, while the Titans committed just two miscues over the span. 

The Titans continued to pile it on in the second half, leading by as many as 33 en route to the 79-60 victory.

Illinois Wesleyan has a short turnaround as the Titans return to action Monday night, Jan. 10, at Elmhurst University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at R.A. Faganel Hall.