WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[GoPerry]

I didn't see the Wheaton game but noted from the box score that Ellie Cassel had a nice night with 12 pts on 6-10 shooting; 14 rebs, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals and only 1 TO in 35 minutes.  This after losing a starting spot and playing dwindling minutes in recent games.  Just a matchup decision, or something else?

Glad to see Cassell have a nice game.  Her best offensive weapon is the spot up 10-12 footer where she has always had a great touch.  Last night she was also the beneficiary of some gimme layups when MU was full court pressing and leaving her open.  On the rebounding end, her height gives her a big advantage against a team like Millikin whose taller players like Coffman will roam on the outside a lot more.  The Big Blue shot miserably so there were lots of rebounds to be had.

[RogK]

Ellie Cassel made both of the three pointers that she has attempted this season.
We therefore must consider whether she could replicate that accomplishment in every game.
Two threes or not two threes, that is the question.

[lmitzel]

Ellie Cassel made both of the three pointers that she has attempted this season.
We therefore must consider whether she could replicate that accomplishment in every game.
Two threes or not two threes, that is the question.

r/Angryupvote

[lmitzel]

Updated standings through Saturday.

x-Millikin	11-1
x-Carroll	9-3
x-Augustana	9-4
x-Illinois Wesleyan	8-5
x-Wheaton	8-5
Carthage	5-7
North Park	3-9
North Central	2-11
Elmhurst	1-11

No changes to positioning, though Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton both clinched tournament berths with their victories over the weekend.

As for clinching scenarios...

• Millikin clinches a bye to the weekend with a win at Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday.
• Carroll clinches a home game on the Tuesday at worst with a win at Elmhurst AND either a Wheaton loss at North Park OR an Illinois Wesleyan loss vs Millikin.

[iwu70]

Congrats to IWU's freshman, Sawyer White, for the weekly honor.  As I've been saying, she's playing well now, and will only get better and better in games and seasons to come. 

I'm looking forward to the IWU-Millikin match-up at The Shirk on Wednesday night.  Millikin playing for the bye in the tournament, IWU playing to move up to hopefully the #3 seed.  A pride game for IWU . . . on home court.

Knutson will be back on Wednesday, but not likely Powers or Collins.  Carlson and White getting the starts, perhaps Mahlum too.  More minutes for all three, depending on match-ups.   

IWU'70

[iwu70]

Millikin and Augustana in the first, alphabetical regional ranking.

'70

[iwu70]

IWU spotted Millikin a 20 point lead, 27-7 in the first Q and never recovered, though fighting back to within 9 in the 3Q.  Titans played poorly, with a horrible start, MU playing great D and hitting treys right off.   Strange lines, IWU winning rebounding line 49-29, but losing the TO line 22-9.  IWU defended Knudsen better this time, instead of 34, she only got 28. 

Millikin made 13 treys, IWU only 5.  Pretty poor perimeter defense by the Titans, esp. on Coffman. 

For MU:
Knudsen 28
Coffman 16 (went down with an injury in the 4Q and did not return).
White 11

For IWU:
Huber 16 and 10, defended pretty well tonight
Palmer 14
White 10
Knutson 10 Heller 8

Millikin too good. 

IWU likely into the CCIW tournament as a 5 or 6 seed?

Nice crowd, both IWU and Millikin fans . . . I was pleased to see several of my IWU classmates and friends who went off to work for Millikin.   

IWU'70

[Gregory Sager]

Wheaton 56
North Park 49

Esther Miller: 10 pts, 3 stls
Kathryn Keehn: 10 pts
Chantel Hairston: 7 rebs
Victoria Perry: 4:1 a:to

Annika Richardson: 16 pts, 7 rebs
Anna Fernandez: 9 rebs

NPU held a 47-40 lead with five minutes to go in the game, but Wheaton went on a 16-2 surge from that point on to take the lead and ultimately the game, as the visitors finally started clicking in the halfcourt game and the Vikings just seemed to run out of gas.

[lmitzel]

After a rough January and start to February at the hangar, we finally got one in the win column again as the Cardinals beat Carthage 71-62.

The Firebirds opened the game on an 8-0 run and led by as many as a dozen in the first half, but the Cardinals fought back to cut it to 2 at halftime, tied it on a Megan McClure layup early in the third before Megan Duffy buried a three that gave the Cardinals the lead for good. Certainly helped that the Firebirds were a woeful 3-26 from beyond the arc (1-20 after the first quarter and 0-15 in the second half.) NCC, by comparison, hit 9 of 18, with all but one of the Cardinals who saw the floor hitting one (Mitrese Smith did not attempt one).

Natalie Stavropolous: 13 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast
Megan Duffy: 12 pts, 8 reb
Megan McClure: 11 pts, 7 reb
Mitrese Smith: 9 pts, 6 reb

Marianna Morrissey: 25 pts, 14 reb
Lauren Knight: 9 pts, 4 reb
Bridget Barrett: 6 pts, 5 reb
Jessie Pakaski: 7 reb

[lmitzel]

Now that I did the men's side, lemme look at the women's.

z-Millikin	12-1
y-Carroll	10-3
x-Augustana	9-4
x-Wheaton	9-5
x-Illinois Wesleyan	8-6
Carthage	5-8
North Park	3-10
North Central	3-11
e-Elmhurst	1-12

Your clinching scenarios for Saturday:

• Millikin will host the CCIW Tournament with a win at Carthage AND a Carroll loss vs Augustana.
• Augustana will clinch a Tuesday home game with a win at Carroll AND an Illinois Wesleyan loss at North Central.
• Carthage will clinch the final CCIW Tournament berth with a win vs Millikin AND a North Park loss at Elmhurst.
• North Central would be eliminated from contention with a loss vs Illinois Wesleyan.

[iwu70]

IWU gets the win on the road at North Central -- in a close game, IWU with only a 3-7 point lead, but holding on to win:  72-65  IWU played well, cutting down on the TOs tonight.

For NCC:
Smith 22 and 6
Stavropoulos 14
Pearson 11

For IWU:
Huber, continues on her merry way, 23 and 15
Heller 13 (with only 2 TOs tonight!)
Carlson, perhaps her best game this year, 11 and 7 (5-5 FTs)

IWU has only one regular season game remaining on 2/18 vs. Carthage at The Shirk.  IWU now 9-6 in the conference standings, perhaps a 3 or 4 seed for the tournament? 

Any road win is a good win!

IWU'70

[Gregory Sager]

North Park 76
Elmhurst 67

Victoria Perry: 26 pts
Chantel Hairston: 19 pts, 11 rebs, 3 stls
Esther Miller: 11 pts

Taylor Harazin: 27 pts, 10 rebs
Anna Kleszynski: 13 pts
Katie Matrise: 13 pts

The Vikings did what they had to do to keep their faint CCIW tourney hopes alive with the road win at Elmhurst today.

[RogK]

CCIW player of the week could certainly go to Augie's Macy Beinborn who scored 37 in their game Saturday vs Carroll (they had a bye on Wedn.)
She made an awesome 10 3FGs in 14 attempts, plus 2/4 2FGs and 3/3 FTs, adding 5 rebs and 3 steals.
Macy's 37 is a new career best, surpassing the 31 she scored on Feb 27 2021 (also vs Carroll).
But ...
Elyce Knudsen is also deserving, averaging 31.5 in Millikin's pair of games, along with totals of 8 rebs, 6 assists, 8 steals and a block.

[lmitzel]

CCIW player of the week could certainly go to Augie's Macy Beinborn who scored 37 in their game Saturday vs Carroll (they had a bye on Wedn.)
She made an awesome 10 3FGs in 14 attempts, plus 2/4 2FGs and 3/3 FTs, adding 5 rebs and 3 steals.
Macy's 37 is a new career best, surpassing the 31 she scored on Feb 27 2021 (also vs Carroll).
But ...
Elyce Knudsen is also deserving, averaging 31.5 in Millikin's pair of games, along with totals of 8 rebs, 6 assists, 8 steals and a block.

Apparently the conference said eff it: Por que no los dos?

Congratulations to Macy Beinborn and Elyce Knudsen as your co-Student Athletes of the Week.

[Gregory Sager]