By IWU Sports Information
ADA, Ohio – In a closely-contested game, the Illinois Wesleyan women’s basketball team fell to No. 17-ranked Trine University by a final score of 63-56 in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament at the Ohio Northern regional in Ada, Ohio, on Friday.
Junior Rebekah Ehresman led the team with 15 points, four rebounds, and five assists. With a loss, the Titans conclude their season with an 18-10 record while Trine improved to 25-2 overall and advanced to Saturday’s second round when they will meet Ohio Northern (28-0). The No. 5-ranked Polar Bears were easy winners over Lakeland College, 68-36.
The 21 rebounds is the lowest collection by an IWU team in any game this season and IWU also had season lows in field goals made (17) and attempted (51). The 56 points by Illinois Wesleyan is their second lowest of the season behind the 55 scored against Wis.-Whitewater on Nov. 22 and the .333 field goal shooting and the .143 3-point accuracy are both second lowest in games this season.
Illinois Wesleyan trailed by one point, 14-13, at the conclusion of the first quarter. After trailing early, 6-2, the Titans went on a 9-2 run capped off by a 3-pointer from senior Amanda Kelly. The run gave IWU an 11-8 lead midway through the quarter. Trine center Hayley Martin scored 10 of the Thunder’s 14 points. Illinois Wesleyan had success on the defensive end otherwise, forcing the Thunder to commit six turnovers in the quarter.
At halftime, the Titans held a 29-27 lead over the Thunder. IWU opened the quarter on a 9-2 run, sparked by an early trip to the line from sophomore Maddie Merritt. Sophomore Ashley Schneider then stole a downcourt pass on the ensuing Thunder possession, setting up Kelly for her second triple of the evening. Freshman Sydney Shanks had an active quarter, giving the Titans a 20-14 lead with a baseline jumper. Shanks got back on the defensive end and on the next Thunder possession blocked the lay-up of Brandi Dawson, who was the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s MVP. The Titans held Martin in check in the second as she shot 0-of-4 from the floor.
IWU maintained a one-point lead over the Thunder heading into the fourth quarter. Trine opened the quarter on an 8-5 run utilizing the athleticism of Dawson. Things swung in the Titans favor early in the third as Martin drew her third foul of the evening, and took a seat on the bench. Merritt was the beneficiary of this as the sophomore scored 10 points with Martin on the bench. Six Trine turnovers resulted in six Titan points in the third.
Unfortunately for the Titans, the Thunder scored a few more points in what was a low-scoring fourth quarter. Two early turnovers from IWU led to four points for Trine. Trine’s defense controlled Illinois Wesleyan, holding them scoreless for the first three and a half minutes of the quarter. A lay-up from Kelly tied the game at 49, but from then on out the momentum swung in Trine’s favor. Ehresman was instrumental in keeping the Titans in the game by scoring six of her 15 points in the fourth and the Titans stayed in the game thanks to a season-best .905 free throw percentage (19 of 21).
IWU’s leading scorer Molly McGraw was limited to seven points on 2-of-11 shooting from the field.
