The two teams played to a 28-28 tie at halftime. Illinois Wesleyan opened the second half with a 16-2 scoring surge that gave the guests a 44-30 lead with 15:00 left in the game. The Titans held onto their sizeable lead for most of the second half, continuing to hold onto a 14-point advantage at 58-44 with 2:35 left in the game. It was at that point that Wheaton center Jill Trenz scored a basket to spark a furious 12-3 Wheaton rally that cut the Titans’ lead to 61-58 when freshman Kathleen Fidelia scored a layup with 35-seconds left in the game. Illinois Wesleyan made one of two free throw attempts with nine-seconds remaining to increase its lead to 62-58, but Wheaton’s Chase Pouns countered with a field goal to cut the guests lead to 62-60 with three-seconds left. Illinois Wesleyan was fouled with five-tenths of a second left in the game and the Titans made one of two free throw attempts to increase their lead to 63-60. Wheaton’s in-bounds pass following the free throw was stolen by the Titans to secure the victory for an Illinois Wesleyan team that left with its second victory in three years at King Arena.
Pouns played well for the Thunder tonight scoring a career-high 21 points with four rebounds and five steals. The rookie shot 7-for-9 from the field, including 5-for-7 from three-point range. Junior Elizabeth Fox scored 12 points, with five rebounds. Brittany Cooper and Jill Trenz each scored 10 points. Trenz grabbed five rebounds and blocked three shots.
Val Fleishman led Illinois Wesleyan with 16 points and 12 rebounds, including five offensive boards. Heidi Harnisch scored 11 points, with three three-pointers. Claire Sheehan and Amanda Glerum each scored 10 points for the Titans.
Wheaton shot 36.2% (21-58) from the field, with 30.0% (6-20) from three-point range and 100% (12-12) at the free throw line. Illinois Wesleyan shot 34% (16-47) from the field, with 43.8% (7-16) from three-point range and 80% (24-30) from the free throw line. Wheaton out-rebounded the Titans 35-34, with a 15-13 edge on the offensive glass. A key factor tonight was the Titan bench out-scoring the Thunder reserves 19-4.
Illinois Wesleyan vs Wheaton College 1/17/06 7:30 PM at King Arena - Wheaton, Ill. At King Arena - Wheaton, Ill. ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 63, WHEATON COLLEGE 60 ILLINOIS WESLEYAN (11-5/3-2 CCIW) Fleishman, Val 2-6 12-13 16; Harnisch, Heidi 4-8 0-0 11; Glerum, Amanda 3-11 2-2 10; Sheehan, Claire 2-6 4-7 10; Baker-Carvell, B 3-5 1-1 7; Blonn, Katie 2-4 2-2 6; Heydorn, Mallory 0-4 2-4 2; Caplice, Colleen 0-1 1-1 1; Rogers, Thea 0-1 0-0 0; Gravlin, Kerri 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-47 24-30 63. WHEATON COLLEGE (12-2/3-1 CCIW) Pouns, Chase 7-9 2-2 21; Fox, Elizabeth 4-8 4-4 12; Trenz, Jill 4-14 2-2 10; Cooper, Brittany 3-7 4-4 10; Kim, Irene 1-7 0-0 3; Fidelia, Kathleen 1-5 0-0 2; Carwell, Emily 1-4 0-0 2; Edgecombe, Whitney 0-0 0-0 0; Richard, Michelle 0-0 0-0 0; Passiales, Libby 0-1 0-0 0; Heddell, Katie 0-1 0-0 0; Woudenberg, Wendy 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 21-58 12-12 60. Illinois Wesleyan............. 28 35 - 63 Wheaton College............... 28 32 - 60 3-point goals-Illinois Wesleyan 7-16 (Harnisch, Heidi 3-5; Glerum, Amanda 2-7; Sheehan, Claire 2-2; Heydorn, Mallory 0-2), Wheaton College 6-20 (Pouns, Chase 5-7; Kim, Irene 1-6; Trenz, Jill 0-1; Fidelia, Kathleen 0-2; Carwell, Emily 0-1; Heddell, Katie 0-1; Woudenberg, Wendy 0-2). Fouled out--Illinois Wesleyan-None, Wheaton College-Trenz, Jill. Rebounds-Illinois Wesleyan 34 (Fleishman, Val 12), Wheaton College 35 (Fox, Elizabeth 5; Kim, Irene 5; Trenz, Jill 5). Assists-Illinois Wesleyan 8 (Heydorn, Mallory 2; Glerum, Amanda 2), Wheaton College 10 (Kim, Irene 2; Passiales, Libby 2). Total fouls-Illinois Wesleyan 9, Wheaton College 21.