WAUKESHA, Wis. — No. 2 Illinois Wesleyan and No. 1 Carroll advanced through Friday’s semifinal round at Van Male Fieldhouse, setting up a matchup in the CCIW Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship game on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Carroll’s Van Male Fieldhouse. Illinois Wesleyan earned a 64-55 win over No. 4 Carthage in the opener, while Carroll followed with a 78-65 victory over No. 6 Wheaton to complete the finals pairing.
Saturday’s title game will mark the third straight meeting between Carroll and Illinois Wesleyan in the CCIW Tournament final, with Carroll winning in 2024 and Illinois Wesleyan claiming the championship in 2025. It will also be the first CCIW Women’s Basketball Tournament championship final played in Waukesha.
Illinois Wesleyan holds a 2-1 all-time edge over Carroll in CCIW Tournament play and is seeking its 12th CCIW Tournament championship, while Carroll will be playing for its second. The teams split the regular-season series with the home team winning both contests, and Illinois Wesleyan has won four of the last five meetings since December 2024.
#2 Illinois Wesleyan def. #4 Carthage, 64-55
Illinois Wesleyan outscored Carthage 24-8 in the fourth quarter to earn a 64-55 victory in the first CCIW Championship semifinal Friday evening at Van Male Fieldhouse.
Leah Palmer led Illinois Wesleyan with 17 points and eight rebounds. Sara Balli added 15 points and eight rebounds and went 6-for-6 at the free-throw line. Sawyer White finished with 11 points and a game-high five steals, while Ava Bardic contributed 10 points.
Carthage ended the year at 15-12. Delaney Elsmore scored a game-high 18 points off the bench, including four three-pointers, and Grace Cord added 12 points and five rebounds.
The teams were tied 25-25 at halftime. Carthage outscored IWU 22-15 in the third quarter to take a 47-40 lead into the final period, and the Firebirds led by as many as nine late in the third.
Illinois Wesleyan held Carthage to eight points in the fourth quarter. A Palmer free throw with 3:24 remaining put the Titans in front 56-55, and IWU closed the game on a 12-2 run.
#1 Carroll def. #6 Wheaton, 78-65
Top-seeded Carroll led for most of the contest and posted a 78-65 win over sixth-seeded Wheaton in the CCIW Women’s Basketball Tournament semifinals Friday.
Emilie Wizner scored a game-high 24 points to lead Carroll, finishing 6-of-10 from three-point range. Julia Lokker added 18 points and five assists, while Ryann Wendt totaled 17 points and six rebounds. Katie Barger recorded 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Carroll built an early advantage by outscoring Wheaton 21-10 in the opening quarter and carried a 43-28 lead into halftime. The Pioneers extended the margin to as many as 26 points during the third quarter and finished the game shooting 48.3 percent from the floor and 52.9 percent from three-point range.
Wheaton fell to 12-15. Lydia Brogan scored 15 points off the bench, connecting on four three-pointers, and Chloe Kostka added 14 points.
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The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).