Wheaton, Ill. -- The Millikin women's basketball team came into King Arena on Saturday evening looking to win their 15th consecutive regular season conference game and further cement their position atop the CCIW standings, but the Wheaton Thunder had other plans for a special occasion. Before the Senior Night contest tipped off, the Thunder recognized three veteran players for their contributions to the program over the last few years. The celebrations did not end there, however, as the home side sprang an emphatic upset with a 66-48 win over the #25 team in the country and ended Millikin's bid to earn a perfect conference record. Senior Ellie Cassel had a performance to remember in her King Arena send-off, and rookie Anna Fernandez joined her as the second Thunder player to earn a double-double in Saturday's win. The result moves Wheaton to a 13-9 overall record and an 8-5 mark in CCIW action.

The hosts knew they would need to start the game on the front foot if they wanted to hang with their talented visitors this evening, and that's exactly what Wheaton did when Cassel earned a layup in the paint to open the scoring. A converted free throw and fast break layup gave Millikin a 3-2 edge approximately two minutes in, but remarkably, this would prove to be the only point in the contest that the Big Blue held the lead. Caroline Sikkink nudged Wheaton back in front courtesy of an old fashioned three-point play, and the momentum firmly rested with the home side from that moment onward. The Thunder parlayed Sikkink's tough basket into an 11-0 run that was capped by another bucket from the junior, and the sizable King Arena crowd was on its feet. Millikin's Elyce Knudsen, who led all players with 29 points tonight, registered the next basket, but eight points was as far as the guests managed to trim down the deficit. A three-ball by Annika Richardson gave Wheaton a 23-8 lead with just under two minutes left in the opening frame, and Sikkink answered Millikin's subsequent response with another lane layup as the horn sounded.  

The second quarter was the most evenly matched period of Saturday's contest, with the two teams combining for 30 points and Millikin finally managing to slow down Wheaton's breathless offensive pace. But the Big Blue failed to cut into the Thunder's lead thanks to resolute defending from the hosts and a barely-improved shooting performance after the opening frame. Knudsen picked up her third foul of the game before halftime which made any hopes of a second half comeback for the conference leaders all the more challenging. Wheaton's lead was expanded up to 17 with three minutes left in the half, and the hosts held Millikin to just three points in the closing stretch.
A triple by Anna Fernandez gave Wheaton their final basket of an impressive opening two periods, and the Thunder went into the locker room with an eyebrow-raising 41-24 advantage.

While the home side got on the board first in the second half thanks to a strong layup by senior Caylee Hermanson, the Big Blue went on a seven-point run to draw back within 12 points and place a bit of pressure on the underdogs. Wheaton responded with a basket, but Knudsen drained another three-point shot to make it 45-34 with just under six minutes remaining in the third quarter. The game was won in the home stretch of the third period, however, as Millikin came up empty on ten consecutive possessions, and Wheaton scored the last 13 points of the quarter to build an unassailable 58-34 lead heading into the final frame. Knudsen earned the first six points of the fourth quarter, but Wheaton only needed one basket to push the edge back up to 20 points. The Thunder played like a team that had one thing on its mind, and despite being the clear underdogs coming into Saturday's meeting, the hosts showed excellent game management and grit to finish the job and send the seniors out with a memorable statement.

Millikin shot below 34% in all four quarters on Saturday and finished the game with an underwhelming mark of 30.5% from the floor. Wheaton posted a healthy 43.5% figure and went 10-18 in a pivotal first quarter, and while neither team lit it up from beyond the arc, the Thunder's seven three-pointers were a comfortable advantage over the Big Blue's three. The hosts only attempted eight free throws in the game but made five of them, while Millikin left seven points at the foul line. The Big Blue won the turnover battle by a significant margin, but the Thunder's considerable advantage in offensive efficiency and shooting made up for the imbalance. Rebounding was the name of the game for Wheaton in Saturday's win, as the hosts limited Millikin to only 26 boards and gathered in an astonishing 58 of their own. Second chance points also played a key role in the final scoreline, as Wheaton earned 20 off of follow-up opportunities and held Millikin to five.

Ellie Cassel posted 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds to lead the Thunder in her Senior Night bow, and her double-double was matched by Anna Fernandez who compiled 12 of each coming off the bench. Cassel also earned a game-high three blocks, four assists, and two steals in a complete performance. Annika Richardson and Caroline Sikkink led the team in scoring with 15 points apiece. The former grabbed six boards and dished out four dimes, while the latter tallied seven rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals. Caylee Hermanson chipped in with eight points, four boards, and two takeaways in her Senior Night showing. Lily Schwen led Wheaton with five assists in the win despite only playing 21 minutes due to early foul trouble.

Buoyed by an ideal Senior Night result and performance, the Thunder will head back out on the road next week for their first of three straight away games to close out the regular season. Wheaton and North Park are scheduled to face off at 7 PM on Wednesday night in the Windy City.