WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[RogK]

This was a younger guy, not familiar with other schools' WBB personnel.
Like I noted, the portion of the broadcast that I saw (the 2nd Q and a tiny bit of the 1st) was generally well-called.
At the half, I switched to the Millikin broadcast (plus an occasional glimpse at the Carthage game) and did not return to the Carroll one, so I don't know if he subsequently discovered that the online game program was erroneous.
Incidentally, Carroll is now 4-1, including 2-1 vs Elmhurst, whom they have hosted twice.

[RogK]

Quite a nice game for Wheaton's Annie Tate in their win.
She made 4 of 7 3FGs and 7 of 11 2FGs, which yields a .722 eFG%.
She made 5 of 6 FTs and ended with 31 pts in 34:00, adding 7 rebs.

[GoPerry]

Including tonight Wesleyan only has 4 more games scheduled and a 10 day gap between tonight's game and their next one.  That's a crazy amount of time off in a shortened season.  I know it's an unusual scheduling circumstance but  I'd be interested to know how that came about?  I wish Wheaton could squeeze them in for at least one game.

[GoPerry]

Wheaton 47
Carthage 40

After scoring 77 pts on Thursday at Tarble, the Thunder had another rough game offensively scoring only 16 pts in the first half and 47 overall.  They finished 15-57 from the field for 26%.  They were getting plenty of open looks but the shots simply weren't falling through the first three quarters.  But things normalized in the fourth quarter and the Lady Reds stumbled a little.  As a result, after being down as much as 12 pts midway early in the third quarter Wheaton somehow found a way to win. 

Annie Tate, after the big 31 pt outing on Thursday was scoreless in the first two quarters, but came alive in the second half to finish with 13 pts, 8 rebs to lead both teams.  She is a very tough and physical player.  Another impressive outing for soph Zoe Nordling coming off the bench with 12 pts, 6 rebs and going 7/7 at the free throw line late in the game.

Carthage is a much better team than their 0-6 record.  They were led by Lauren Knight with 11 pts.  Amanda Larson was held to just 4 pts.

[lmitzel]

Speaking of teams better than their record, NCC apparently just needed Senior Day to ignite things, as they took down Millikin 68-55 at the hangar today. Of course it was the seniors leading the way, with Haydn Braun putting up 20 points, Bekah Foley added 19, and league-leading rebounder IxChel Leeuwenburgh pulled down 13 boards. Elyce Knudsen was definitely legit, as she led the Big Blue with 15, but the Cardinals absolutely locked down Jordan Hildebrand, who finished with just four points.

[iwu70]

In a defensive-minded ragged affair:

IWU 55 NPU 48

I was not impressed with the play of either team, to be honest.  Both teams with 20 TOs, and many unforced errors, not really paying attention or taking care of the ball.

IWU:
Sosa 18
Brovelli a nice game:  15 and 13

NPU:
Jayla Johnson 19 and 10
Czuhajewski 13

I guess on the road you have to sometimes grind them out.  But this was not an impressive performance by either team.

Yes, a win is a win.  IWU goes to 3-1.

'70

[Gregory Sager]

Illinois Wesleyan 55
North Park 48

Jayla Johnson: 19 pts, 10 rebs
Emily Czuhajewski: 13 pts
Esther Miller: 6 rebs

Kendall Sosa: 18 pts, 4 stls
Riley Brovelli: 15 pts, 13 rebs
Kaia Bowen: 3 stls

This was very much like the game NPU lost in OT against Wheaton, in that the Vikings forced a talented uptempo opponent to play a slowed-down, low-scoring defensive contest. And, as was the case against Wheaton, NPU just couldn't muster enough offensive production from someone other than Jayla Johnson, although Emily Czuhajewski did make some aggressive takes to the basket late.

This was a really well-played game by both defenses. The Vikings held Kendall Sosa scoreless in the first half, and, while that wasn't going to last, they made the IWU star work for her 18 points, as she turned the ball over five times. The Vikings didn't really slow down Riley Brovelli, though, who was the difference in the game. She was outstanding, and I think it's a tribute to the Titans that they held North Park at bay after Brovelli fouled out in the late going.

Some dumb mistakes with the ball -- traveling on an inbounds pass, an illegal touch on an inbounds pass, two travels in space, etc. -- by the Vikings, who need to put a higher value on protecting the ball by not making mental mistakes that give it away.

Three tough losses in a row now for the Vikings, who really need to dig down deep and find a more aggressive attitude at the offensive end of the floor.

[Gregory Sager]

North Central beating Millikin was a shock, but how about this score from Faganel?

Elmhurst 78
Carroll 51

Carroll was in second place coming into the game with a 4-1 record, while EU was a mere 1-5.

[RogK]

A nice win for North Central, fun especially for the seniors on their day.
That said, Millikin looks very lost on offense.
Hildebrand has done well, but the other frontcourt players (Ratsch, Staton, Coffman) who looked dazzling good much of last season are now very hesitant to assert themselves.
The Big Blue seem interested in using up a lot of the shot clock and then a guard has to force up a crummy shot late in the possession.
With their depth and widespread talent, Millikin playing slow is exactly what their opponents hope for. (never use a preposition to end a sentence with)

[iwu70]

Very surprised at Millikin's loss.

'70

[RogK]

Note to Greg : an Elmhurst player achieved an 8:0 assist turnover ratio yesterday.
(she also scored 17 pts off 8 FG att and had 8 D-rebs)

[Gregory Sager]

Yes, I know. I'm closely tracking the Bluejays, because they're NPU's next opponent. Plus, Kelly Weyhrich has a knack for posting big games against the Vikings; her 17 points yesterday matches her career high, which she has achieved on two prior occasions -- and both of them were against North Park.

[lmitzel]

NCC is making up its second game with Illinois Wesleyan on Tuesday the 23rd at 7pm at the Shirk.

[RogK]

Congrats to Kendall Sosa, new CCIW Player of the Week !

[iwu70]

Congrats to Kendall.  And, what a week it was for her!

More to come . . .

IWU'70