3-0 and 30-0

UW-Stevens Points led 2-0 Friday night against the Titans, and then never again. IWU controlled the game the entire way--they led by eight at halftime, extended it to 15 at one point, and ultimately rode a 77-64 victory into the Elite Eight.

Christina Solari had a huge game, putting up 18 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and leading the team with five assists. Claire Sheehan, Hope Schulte and Colleen Caplice also scored in double figures, as the Titans shot 52% from the field while holding the Pointers to just 37%. The win brings the Titans' record to a nice round 30-0.

The Titans have outscored their three tournament opponents by an average score of 79-59. On the entire season, the Titans have outscored their opponents by an average score of 79-56. They have shown remarkable consistency in the tournament, simply playing their game and not getting thrown off no matter what the other team throws at them.

Photos, by the way, are courtesy of Shannon Wisecup.

#1 Illinois Wesleyan vs. #6 Washington University, 7 pm, Shirk Center

As I mentioned yesterday, IWU defeated the Wash U. Bears 72-69 back in November. Wash U. is a very balanced team, with no player averaging over nine points per game despite averaging 73 points per game on the season as a team. Seven different players have led the team in scoring at some point this season (that number is identical for the Titans). In terms of minutes, the Bears are about 9-10 players deep. The Titans opted not to employ a full-court press Friday night, and played a zone defense much of the game. Thus, they should have a lot of energy left in the tank tonight.

--------

In other tournament action, the winner of the IWU-Wash U. game will take on the winner of (25) Brandeis vs. (11) Amherst, while (2) Hope and (3) George Fox go at it in hopes of playing the winner of New Jersey vs. (20) Scranton. I'm "hoping" for a win by George Fox, as I'd rather not see the team hosting the Final Four make it to said Final Four. But most importantly, I'm hoping for another Titan victory tonight!

Pointing the way to victory

Friday at 8 pm, the #1 ranked IWU women's basketball (29-0) team will take on the #4 UW-Stevens Point Pointers (26-3) at the Shirk Center.

According to IWU Coach Mia Smith, the Pointers run a motion offense with one primary ball handler. They like to post up and shoot 10- to 12-footers. They have a balanced offense with two players averaging double-figures (Britta Peterson 14.5, Jessi Sporle 10.5). Like fellow WIAC member UW-Eau Claire, they are a defense-oriented team, allowing 52 points per game.

I seem to say this for every game, but it's worth pointing out: the Titans are about 10 deep compared to about 7.5 for the Pointers. With Stevens Point's half-court style offense and no full-court press, it will once again be a battle of playing styles. IWU won that battle last Saturday, putting up 80 points against an Eau Claire team that allowed just 51 points per game during the season. IWU is also a better rebounding team than Stevens Point, and should be able to garner an edge on the boards Friday.

Stevens Point has some strong history to look back on: they won the NCAA championship in 2002, and placed fourth in 2004. They rattled off 14 straight victories at one point this season, and have won their last six.

There are some eerie similarities between the two teams: Stevens Point shoots 33% from the arc compared to 32% for IWU (though we've attempted 663 threes compared to just 407 for the Pointers), while IWU has a 46-45 advantage in overall field goal percentage. The Pointers have allowed 22% more points in the second half compared to the first, which bodes well considering Coach Smith's ability to make wonderful halftime adjustments--IWU outscored their first two tournament opponents by a combined 29 points.

One final note: Stevens Point played Eau Claire (whom the Titans beat 80-63 last Saturday) three times this season, going 2-1.

One more final note: as of Friday, the Titans will have played the Battling Bishops, the Blugolds, and the Stevens Point Pointers in the tournament. This has to be the worst collection of nicknames faced by any team in the tournament. And since we're talking about women's basketball teams here, would it be fair to refer to Stevens Point's squad as the Pointer Sisters? (toth: ck)

Saturday's potential foes:
St. Benedict (26-3) vs. #6 Washington University (23-4), Friday, 6 pm

St. Benedict has won 16 straight, while Wash U. has a 12-game winning streak of their own. St. Benedict outscores their opponents by 14, while Wash U. dominates their foes by 19 points per game (IWU has them both beat with a point differential of +24).

St. Benedict is a deep team, but has no player averaging over 12 points per game, while Wash U. has no one averaging double-figures but still scores 74 points per game. It is also worth noting that IWU faced Wash U. in St. Louis in November, and the Titans walked away with a 72-69 victory.

29 and Oh Yeah!

Greg Chadwick dons his cleverly updated t-shirt at Saturday's game. More tape needed after Saturday's result!

I have some good news. Check that, I have sweet news: The IWU women's basketball team is headed to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in history.

More sweet news: The Titans advanced with an 80-63 victory over 9th-ranked UW-Eau Claire, controlling the game from the outset against the best team they've played in quite a while.

And more: IWU will host the next two rounds of the tournament, this Friday and Saturday. They'll take on 4th-ranked UW-Stevens Point Friday at 8pm, and if they win, they'll face either 6th-ranked Wash U. or unranked St. Benedict Saturday night (these two teams play at 6pm Friday).

Saturday against UW-Eau Claire, the Titans shot 50% from the field compared to 40% for the Blugolds (really? The Blugolds? They should have been penalized five points just for their uncreative name. I guess they figure it's creative because they took out the "e."), and forced 20 turnovers. But perhaps most impressive was that IWU put up 80 points against a team that prides itself on defense and allowed just 51 points per game this season. The Titans dictated the tempo and made one of the better defensive teams in the nation look below average.

Claire Sheehan led the Titans in points and rebounds with 17 and 8, and Christina Solari and Mallory Heydorn put in 13 each. Stacey Arlis provided 22 strong minutes off the bench, and Kylie Castans added eight points of her own, including two threes.

The Titans are obviously a phenomenal team--you don't go 29-0 by accident--but the CCIW had such a down year that it was difficult to know how they'd perform against a top team. For me, Saturday's game proved that IWU is an elite team and that they should be able to play with anyone. For that reason, I can't wait until Friday night. Look for a preview of this weekend's games later this week.

The Titans should be extremely proud of what they've accomplished this season. They're in uncharted territory, and they rightfully drew a combined 3,750 fans for their first two tournament games. It should be a great atmosphere next weekend, and

GO TITANS!