NAPERVILLE — The race for the top of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) women’s basketball standings intensified during the previous week as the regular season entered its final stretch. 
 
With tournament berths finalized for most programs and seeding still in flux, the high-stakes contests over the previous week produced meaningful movement across the league. From last-second game-winners to dominant defensive performances by nationally ranked programs, the results from the previous week have set the stage for the regular-season finale this coming Saturday.
 
Sorting Through the Seeding Sudoku
As the conference moves toward the 2026 CCIW Women’s Basketball Tournament, scheduled for Feb. 24-28, multiple tiebreaker scenarios remain in play to determine the final bracket. 
 
Carroll and Illinois Wesleyan are tied for first place with identical 14-1 conference records. If both teams were to finish tied in the final standings, Carroll would hold the edge for the No. 1 seed due to a better record over the final eight games of the conference schedule.
 
In the middle of the standings, a potential three-way tie at 8-8 between North Central, Carthage and Elmhurst would result in North Central earning the No. 3 seed based on its 3-1 record against the other two programs in that group. Carthage would then move ahead of Elmhurst for the No. 4 seed based on a win over North Central.
 
Further down the standings, Augustana holds a key tiebreaker over Wheaton for the No. 6 seed if both finish 7-9, as the Vikings would own a split in the head-to-head series along with a potential victory over Illinois Wesleyan. If Augustana and Wheaton finish in a two-way tie at 6-10, Wheaton would claim the No. 6 seed due to its win over Carthage.
 
Close Finish in Naperville, Road Wins Elsewhere
Last Saturday featured a dramatic finish in Naperville, where North Central officially secured its tournament berth with a 68-67 victory over Elmhurst. Jocelyn Trotter hit a pull-up jumper with 16 seconds remaining to provide the deciding basket. North Central led by as many as 16 points at halftime before Elmhurst rallied and came up one point short.
 
Also on Saturday, No. 15 Carroll delivered an 84-46 road win over Millikin in Decatur. Emilie Wizner led all scorers with 28 points and six three-pointers as the Pioneers extended their unbeaten streak to 12 games.
 
In Rock Island, Carthage earned a 76-70 road win over Augustana in a game with multiple lead changes. Delaney Elsmore and Alyssa Orozco scored 16 points apiece for the Firebirds, and Carthage used a late 10-0 run to separate.
 
Wheaton posted a 52-39 win at North Park behind a second-half rally. The Thunder held the Vikings to 13 points after halftime and 11.5 percent shooting in the second half. Jenna Hunter led Wheaton with 19 points and six rebounds.
 
Midweek Muscle and Senior Sentiments
Conference play resumed Wednesday with co-leader Illinois Wesleyan hosting Wheaton at the Shirk Center. The 15th-ranked Titans forced 27 turnovers with a run-and-jump press in a 71-38 victory, ending Wheaton’s three-game winning streak. Senior Ava Bardic paced a balanced Illinois Wesleyan effort with 16 points as IWU remained tied for the conference lead entering the final weekend.
 
Augustana snapped a five-game losing streak in its home finale with an 81-56 win over Elmhurst. Paige Melton scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting for the Vikings, while Cali Papez posted a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
 
In Kenosha, Carthage closed its regular-season home schedule with a 60-48 win over North Central. The Firebirds limited the Cardinals to a season-low 48 points and 29.1 percent shooting. Malia Green led Carthage with 18 points and seven rebounds.
 
Millikin closed its home schedule with a 65-52 win over North Park. Hannah Ermeling and Bella Dudley scored 11 points each for the Big Blue, who opened the game on a 12-0 run and did not trail. In the loss, North Park’s Naomi Kaskavitch scored a season-high 16 points to lead all scorers.
 
National Notables and Conference Stat-Stalkers
The CCIW remains well represented in the national statistical rankings as of Thursday. Elmhurst’s Kristin Bukata is the national leader in both total assists (173) and assists per game (7.9). Bukata also ranks seventh nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.47) and is tied for 71st nationally with eight double-doubles.
 
Carroll’s Natalie Gricius ranks among Division III’s top scorers and is second nationally in total field goals (205), third in total points (528), and fifth in points per game (22.0). Within the CCIW, Gricius leads the conference in scoring, followed by Ava Bardic of Illinois Wesleyan (19.2 ppg) and Bukata (16.9 ppg).
 
Millikin’s Nikkel Johnson leads the CCIW and ranks fourth nationally in field goal percentage at 61.1%. Elmhurst’s Anna Kleszynski leads the conference in rebounding at 8.5 per game. Illinois Wesleyan’s Sawyer White ranks 19th nationally in steals per game at 3.52.
 
As a team, Carroll ranks third nationally in field goal percentage at 46.0%. Illinois Wesleyan also ranks highly in multiple categories, including free throw percentage (9th nationally at 76.0%) and turnover margin (23rd nationally at +6.9).
 
Climbing the Polls and Closing the Curtains
In the most recent national polls, both Carroll and Illinois Wesleyan moved up. Carroll climbed two spots to No. 13 in the D3hoops.com Top 25, while Illinois Wesleyan rose three positions to No. 15. Both programs also improved in the WBCA Coaches’ Poll, with Illinois Wesleyan at No. 17 and Carroll at No. 20.
 
The regular season concludes this coming Saturday, with a full slate of games that will finalize the tournament field. Augustana will travel to Bloomington to face Illinois Wesleyan, while Carroll closes its home schedule in Waukesha against Carthage. 
 
Other final-day matchups include North Park at Elmhurst and Millikin at Wheaton for a 5 p.m. tip-off. The results will determine final seeding and quarterfinal matchups for the CCIW Tournament, which begins next Tuesday, Feb. 24.