STAT REPORT
The latest CCIW women’s basketball statistics report through Wednesday, Feb. 5 can be viewed at this link.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE (All times Central)
Saturday, Feb. 8
2:00 p.m. | #2/#3 Illinois Wesleyan at Carthage
2:00 p.m. | North Park at North Central
2:00 p.m. | Augustana at Millikin
5:00 p.m. | (RV) Carroll at Wheaton
 
Wednesday, Feb. 12
7:00 p.m. | North Park at #2/#3 Illinois Wesleyan
7:00 p.m. | Augustana at Wheaton
7:00 p.m. | North Central at (RV) Carroll
7:00 p.m. | Millikin at Elmhurst
 
IN THE POLLS
New national polls released Monday and Tuesday kept CCIW leader Illinois Wesleyan ranked #2 by D3hoops.com and #3 by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
 
NYU remained the unanimous #1 in both polls. Scranton is second in the coaches’ poll and third in the D3hoops.com rankings. Bowdoin is #4 in each poll, while Wisconsin-Oshkosh is fifth in the D3hoops.com poll and Christopher Newport is the coaches’ selection for #5.
 
Carroll was unranked but earned 12 points in the D3hoops.com poll.
 
CCIW AND THE NPI
New to Division III women’s basketball in 2024-25, the NCAA Power Index (NPI) is a system that houses the division’s statistical data and objectively applies the selection criteria to the data based on the sport committee’s established weighted criteria. The rankings are used to select at-large teams for NCAA Championships.
 
The first NPI rankings, including games through Feb. 2, were released by the NCAA this week.
 
2. Illinois Wesleyan
48. Carroll
53. Carthage
108. Wheaton
146. Elmhurst
209. Augustana
223. Millikin
244. North Central
345. North Park
 
AROUND THE CCIW
Augustana junior forward Cali Papez (St. Charles, Ill.) logged her fifth double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds to drive the Vikings past North Central last Saturday in Rock Island, 80-70. Papez now has 396 career rebounds in 65 games. Her career average of 6.09 boards per game makes her one of only six active CCIW players to gather at least 6.0 rebounds per game. The Vikings (9-12, 5-7 CCIW) have won back-to-back games and will travel to Millikin Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
Carroll senior guard Olivia Rangel (Franklin, Wis.) registered 25 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in the Pioneers’ 86-74 triumph over Millikin last Saturday. The performance landed CCIW Student-Athlete of the Week and D3hoops.com Team of the Week honors for Rangel, who leads the league in scoring with 18.4 points per game and has a CCIW-high eight 20-point games this season. CU (14-6, 9-2 CCIW) is on the road Saturday at Wheaton at 5 p.m.
 
Carthage junior guard Malia Green (Madison, Wis.) netted a career-high 20 points with six rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots as the Firebirds won at North Park last Saturday, 56-40. Green ranks fourth in the league in blocks per game (0.67) and 10th in 3-pointers per game (1.24), making her one of only three players in the league in the top 10 of each category. The Firebirds (15-6, 7-5 CCIW) own third place in the conference standings and will host league-leading Illinois Wesleyan Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
Elmhurst junior forward Cierra Steemer (Palmdale, Calif.) connected on 12 points and gathered 14 rebounds in a season-high 35 minutes of last Saturday’s 64-61 loss to #2 Illinois Wesleyan. The performance marked Steemer’s third double-double since Dec. 7, all of which have come against CCIW opponents. The Bluejays (12-8, 4-8 CCIW) are at home next Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tip-off against Millikin.
 
Illinois Wesleyan junior guard Ava Bardic (Lincolnshire, Ill.) led the Titans to their 20th consecutive win Wednesday night with 24 points in an 81-75 comeback versus Carroll on Wednesday. Bardic, a D3hoops.com Team of the Week honoree on Tuesday, has scored at least 24 points in each of the Titans’ last two games and has five 20-point games this season. IWU (20-0, 11-0 CCIW) is back on the road Saturday at Carthage at 2 p.m.
 
Millikin senior guard Matayia Tellis (Coralville, Iowa) went 5-for-6 from 3-point range as part of a career-high 21-point performance in MU’s 86-74 loss at Carroll last Saturday. Tellis also had a steal in the game and ranks 10th on the league leaderboard with 1.89 steals per contest. Her 33.0 minutes played per contest lead the Big Blue and rank fifth in the league. Millikin (7-13, 6-5 CCIW) tips off this Saturday at 2 p.m. against Augustana.
 
North Central senior guard Josylin Simmons-Doxie (Downers Grove, Ill.) reached double figures in scoring for the sixth consecutive game with 12 points and equaled a career high with eight assists in the Cardinals’ 62-50 road win at Carthage on Wednesday. The effort allowed Simmons-Doxie to remain among the CCIW leaders in assists per game (3.95, third) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.34, fourth). NCC (8-13, 4-8 CCIW) will play at home on Saturday against North Park at 2 p.m.
 
North Park sophomore guard Aliyah Hershberger (Elkhart, Ind.) poured in 13 points and added three steals for the Vikings in their 72-49 loss at Augustana on Wednesday. Hershberger hit three 3-pointers in 35 minutes of action and now has 50 makes for her 46-game career. Her career average of 1.09 triples per contest makes her one only 12 active players in the league with at least one make per game. NPU (3-18, 0-12 CCIW) will play the middle game of a three-game road trip Saturday at North Central at 2 p.m.
 
Wheaton senior forward Annika Richardson (Northfield, Minn.) erupted for a career-high 36 points Wednesday in Wheaton’s 79-67 home win over Elmhurst. Her performance – which included a 13-for-18 effort from the field – marked the most field-goal makes and points by a CCIW player in a game this season. She also had 12 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season and now ranks fifth in the league in rebounding with 7.15 per game. Wheaton (11-9, 6-5 CCIW) is in a fourth-place CCIW tie with Millikin and will next host Carroll Saturday at 5 p.m.