The Titans, whose season ended with a 30-1 record, trailed by a 31-20 margin at halftime and managed to shoot only 28 percent (7 of 27). IWU rallied to climb back within one point at 38-37 with 10:33 to play and could get no closer.
The Titans had a chance to close within one, trailing 53-51 with 49 seconds left after a Claire Sheehan basket. But Sheehan missed a free throw try and Washington U. made five of six free throws down the stretch to hold onto the win.
The Bears (25-4) will face Amherst in a semifinal game at Hope College on Friday, March 20.
The Titans, who had their season lows for points, field goal shooting (30 percent, 15 of 50) and assists (six), were led by the 18 points of senior Mallory Heydorn while junior Christina Solari had 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds and Sheehan added 11.
The Bears outrebounded IWU, 40-30 with 13 boards and 13 points from Janice Evans. Jill Brandt had 13 points and Zoe Unruh added 12.
Newspaper Box Score Washington University vs Illinois Wesleyan 3/14/09 7 p.m. at Shirk Center, Bloomington, Ill. At Shirk Center, Bloomington, Ill. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY 58, ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 53 WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY (25-4) Evans, Janice 3-11 7-8 13; Brandt, Jill 3-3 5-6 13; Unruh, Zoe 5-11 0-0 12; Hoover, Alex 3-8 0-0 7; Berger, Kathryn 1-6 2-2 4; Ward, Halsey 1-4 0-0 3; Robb, Kelsey 1-2 0-0 2; McFarlin, Jaimie 0-2 2-3 2; Hoover, Dani 1-1 0-0 2; Cusworth, Hannah 0-0 0-0 0; Dacanay, Shanna-Lei 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-49 16-19 58. ILLINOIS WESLEYAN (30-1) Heydorn, Mallory 6-16 2-2 18; Solari, Christina 3-11 6-7 12; Sheehan, Claire 3-7 4-5 11; Castans, Kylie 2-5 0-0 6; Schulte, Hope 1-6 2-2 4; Caplice, Colleen 0-2 2-2 2; Arlis, Stacey 0-1 0-2 0; Cotner, Sarah 0-0 0-0 0; Preston, Nikki 0-2 0-0 0; Harvey, Holly 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-50 16-20 53. Washington University......... 31 27 - 58 Illinois Wesleyan............. 20 33 - 53 3-point goals--Washington University 6-15 (Brandt, Jill 2-2; Unruh, Zoe 2-6; Hoover, Alex 1-2; Ward, Halsey 1-3; Dacanay, Shanna-Lei 0-1; Evans, Janice 0-1), Illinois Wesleyan 7-21 (Heydorn, Mallory 4-12; Castans, Kylie 2-3; Sheehan, Claire 1-2; Preston, Nikki 0-2; Schulte, Hope 0-2). Fouled out--Washington University-McFarlin, Jaimie, Illinois Wesleyan-None. Rebounds--Washington University 40 (Evans, Janice 13), Illinois Wesleyan 30 (Solari, Christina 8). Assists--Washington University 9 (Brandt, Jill 3), Illinois Wesleyan 6 (Heydorn, Mallory 2; Solari, Christina 2). Total fouls--Washington University 19, Illinois Wesleyan 17. Technical fouls--Washington University-None, Illinois Wesleyan-None. A-2150 NCAA Division III tournament sectional final... Washington U. plays Amherst in D-III semifinals Friday, March 20...