Illinois Wesleyan 2006-07 Women's Basketball Stories

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April 26
Sophomore Mallory Heydorn has been selected as the "Most Valuable Player" for the 2006-07 Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team. Heydorn, a 5-foot-7 guard, was a first team all-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin selection and a second team all-Central region choice. She averaged a team-high 17.1 points and made a school record 85 3-pointers for the Titans, who finished with a 22-6 record and were among teams in the Division III tournament. Heydorn’s 410 points is tied for sixth most in an IWU season and she set a school and CCIW record with 11 3-point field goals at Augustana on Feb. 14. After two seasons, she is No. 27 in career scoring at IWU with 715 points and No. 6 with 136 3-pointers. The career 3-point record is 171 by Traci Butler (1992-96). In other team honors, junior Crystal Dye was chosen as the Titans’ “Defensive Player of the Year” and junior Kerri Gravlin earned the team's "All-American Titan" honor, bestowed for sportsmanship, integrity, leadership and overall responsibility to basketball success. Heydorn and Dye, along with junior Tasha Gaston-Bell, were selected to serve as team captains for 2007-08.

March 2
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball season came to an end with an 86-59 loss to Carroll (Wis.) in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament in Decorah, Iowa. The Titans (22-6) got 21 points from sophomore Mallory Heydorn and 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds from junior Thea Rogers but managed only 1-of-14 in 3-point shooting and shot .385 (25 of 65) from the floor. The Lady Pioneers (advancing with a 22-4 record) outscored IWU, 48-27, in the second half and shot .653 from the field in the game (32 of 49).

Illinois Wesleyan NCAA Division III Tournament Game Notes

Illinois Wesleyan NCAA Division III Tournament Web Site

February 26
Illinois Wesleyan (22-5) will face Carroll [Wis.] (21-4) in the first round of the NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament on Fri., March 2 in Decorah, Iowa. The host school, Luther (22-4) will play Concordia [Wis.] (23-3) in the other first round game with the winners to meet on Sat., March 3.
IWU, a pool C (at-large) selection, is in the 63-team NCAA tournament for the first time since 2003. IWU finished second in both the regular season and tournament phases of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
Historically, Illinois Wesleyan has a 1-3 record in NCAA Division III play, also participating in 1995 and 1996 and going 1-1 in 2003.

February 24-25
Illinois Wesleyan lost a 54-49 game at Wheaton in the title game of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Women's Basketball Tournament on Sat.,Feb. 24. The Titans were led by the 23 points of Sarah Bull, the lone IWU player in double figures, while Crystal Dye paced IWU with seven rebounds. The Titans shot 35.4 percent for the game (17 of 48) and committed 18 turnovers to only 12 for the Thunder.
IWU earned a berth in the championship with an 83-67 win over Millikin on Fri., feb. 23. Illinois Wesleyan quickly jumped out to a 38-28 lead at halftime behind a 6-of-12 effort from behind the three-point line. Each team, however had an identical 42.9 percent shooting clip at intermission. Millikin lost the turnover battle with 21, while Illinois Wesleyan had only 14. The Titans had five players finish in double figures in scoring as Claire Sheehan led the way with 21 points. Sarah Bull had 19, while Thea Rogers had 12. Tasha Gaston-Bell and Crystal Dye each had 10 for Illinois Wesleyan.

February 23
Illinois Wesleyan sophomore Mallory Heydorn was chosen to the first team and sophomore Claire Sheehan was chosen to the second team of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin all-star squads selected by league coaches. Heydorn led the league in 3-pointers per game and was third in 3-point field goal percentage. Sheehan was fifth in free throw percentage and sixth in 3-pointers per game. The Titans (21-4, 11-3 CCIW) play Millikin in the semifinals of the CCIW tournament at 8 p.m. Fri., Feb. 23 in Wheaton, Ill.

February 20
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team was limited to a season-low 46 points in a 57-46 loss to North Central in Naperville, Ill., on Tues., Feb. 20. The Titans are 21-4 overall and finished 11-3 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin and will meet Millikin in the semifinals of the CCIW tournament at 8 p.m. Fri., Feb. 23 in Wheaton, Ill. IWU, which shot only 26 percent in the game from the field (15 of 57), was led by Tasha Gaston-Bell with 21 points while Claire Sheehan scored 10 and Sarah Bull added nine. The Cardinals' season ends with a 5-20 overall mark, 4-10 CCIW.

February 17
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team set a school record for vistories in a season with a 64-63 win over North Park on Sat., Feb. 17 at the Shirk Center. The Titans, who are now 21-3 overall and 11-2 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, were led by the 18 points of Claire Sheehan while Sarah Bull added 15 and Crystal Dye had 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds. IWU trailed by as many as 12 early in the first half and by four with 4:21 to play in the game that had six ties. IWU closes its regular season with a game at North Central on Tues., Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. (note game time change).

February 14
Sophomore Mallory Heydorn set both school and College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin single-game records with 11 3-point field goals as she poured in 37 points to lead Illinois Wesleyan to an 84-68 win at Augustana on Wed., Feb. 14. Sarah Bull had 15 points and Thea Rogers added 10 as the Titans improved to 20-3, 10-2 in the CCIW. The 20 wins ties a school record for most wins in a single season. Heydorn's 37 points is the third most in an IWU single game, behind Lila Nafziger (45 vs. Eureka, 1979-80) and Sara Seebruch (39 vs. North Central on Jan. 16, 1999). She has 84 3-pointers for the season which breaks the old IWU mark of 82 set by Katie Cantrell in 2003.
IWU hosts North Park at 2 p.m. on Sat., Feb. 17 and the school newspaper The Argus is sponsoring "Pack the Place" afternoon at the Shirk Center.

February 13
The blizzard-like Central Illinois weather conditions have forced the postponement of the Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball game at Augustana until Wed., Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. (instead of Feb. 13). The Titans, ranked No. 10 in the latest USA Today/ESPN poll and No. 19 in the weekly D3hoops.com poll, are now 19-3 overall and 9-2 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. The Titans look to snap a two-game losing streak when they play the Vikings, a team IWU handled by a 75-57 margin on Jan. 23 at the Shirk Center.

February 10
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team lost its second straight game, falling 67-56 at Wheaton on Sat., Feb. 10. The Titans are now 19-3 overall and 9-2 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Mallory Heydorn led IWU with 22 points and Sarah Bull added 11 while Crystal Dye scored seven points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. The Titans managed only 35 percent shooting for the game (20 of 58) while the Thunder shot 58 percent (23 of 40) and now hold first place in the league with a 10-1 mark.

February 8
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team lost its first College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin game of the season, dropping a 67-49 verdict to Millikin on Thurs., Feb. 8 at the Shirk Center. The Titans are 19-2 overall and 9-1 in the league while the Big Blue improved to 17-4, 8-2 CCIW. Mallory Heydornwas the lone Titan to score in double figures, collecting 19 points, but the Titans suffered from a cold shooting night, making just 24.6 percent of their shots from the field (15 of 61). Millikin outrebounded the Titans, 43-28, but the Big Blue were forced into 25 turnovers. The Titans play at Wheaton on Sat., Feb. 10 at 2 p.m.

February 3
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team won its ninth straight game and improved to 19-1 overall and 9-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin with a 67-50 win over Elmhurst on Sat., Feb. 3 at the Shirk Center. Mallory Heydorn had 20 points to lead IWU while Claire Sheehan added 15 and Crystal Dye had 11. Kerri Gravlin came off the bench to score seven points and grab six rebounds. Elmhurst (6-14, 2-7 CCIW) outrebounded IWU, 45-32, but shot just 33 percent (20 of 61) for the game and committed 25 turnovers. IWU hosts Millikin on Tues., Feb. 6, in a 7:30 p.m. CCIW contest at the Shirk Center.

January 31
The No. 14-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team improved to 18-1 overall and 8-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin with an 86-56 downing of North Central on Wed., Jan. 31 at the Shirk Center. All five IWU starters scored in double figures, led by 19 from Claire Sheehan, 17 from Mallory Heydorn, 15 from Crystal Dye and 12 each from Thea Rogers and Tasha Gaston-Bell. The Titans forced 31 turnovers in the game and connected on 47 percent from the field (31 of 66). Sheehan led the Titans with eight rebounds as the Cardinals (2-17, 1-7 CCIW) outrebounded IWU, 38-33. The Titans are at home again on Sat., Feb. 3 at 5 p.m. against Elmhurst.

January 29
For the second time this season, Illinois Wesleyan sophomore guard Mallory Heydorn was named women's basketball player of the week in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) on Jan. 29 for her performance during the previous week. Heydorn averaged 21 points and six rebounds as Illinois Wesleyan improved to 7-0 in conference play with two wins last week. Heydorn scored 27 points with eight rebounds and connected on seven three-point field goals (out of 12 attempts) in the Titans' 72-70 road win at Carthage on Jan. 27. Her seven treys tied a Carthage opponent record set in 2001. In a 75-57 home win over Augustana on Jan. 23, Heydorn scored 15 points with four rebounds. For the week she shot .424 from the field and made .476 (10 of 21) from 3-point range.

January 27
The 14th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team escaped with a 72-70 win at Carthage on Sat., Jan. 27 in Kenosha, Wis. The Titans (17-1 overall, 7-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) got 27 points and eight rebounds from sophomore Mallory Heydorn and 21 points from junior Sarah Bull in the victory. Heydorn, who also had five assists, scored IWU's final five points after the game was tied 67-67 with two minutes to go. Sophomore Colleen Caplice scored 13 points and got seven rebounds coming off the bench against the Lady Reds (11-7, 4-3 CCIW). The Titans play next on Wed., Jan. 31 against North Central at the Shirk Center at 5 p.m.

January 23
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team, ranked No. 14 in this week's USA Today/ESPN poll, ran past Augustana, 75-57, on Tues., Jan. 23 at the Shirk Center. IWU improved to 16-1 and 6-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin while the Vikings are 3-14, 1-6 CCIW. Sarah Bull led IWU with 17 points and Mallory Heydorn scored 15. Colleen Caplice came off the bench and scored 12 with six rebounds and Crystal Dye grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. The Titans forced 25 turnovers and held Augustana to .339 shooting from the field (19 of 56). The Titans travel to play at Carthage on Sat., Jan. 27 at 5 p.m.

January 20
Illinois Wesleyan won its fifth straight College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin game with a 66-55 decision over North Park in Chicago on Sat., Jan. 20. The Titans (15-1 overall, 5-0 CCIW) were led by the 21 points and 11 rebounds of sophomore Claire Sheehan and the 19 points and eight rebounds from sophomore Mallory Heydorn. The win was the 136th of coach Mia Smith's career and makes her the all-time leader in coaching wins at IWU, eclipsing Mandy Neal, who was 135-120 from 1988 to 1998. Despite shooting just 29 percent from the field, IWU outrebounded the Vikings, 43-21, and connected on 26 of 28 free throws. North Park (11-5, 3-3 CCIW) was led by the 26 points of Laura Mount. IWU will host Augustana on Tues., Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Shirk Center.

January 17
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team remained unbeaten in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin with a 57-54 win over Wheaton on Wed., Jan. 17 at the Shirk Center. The Titans (14-1 overall and 4-0 in the CCIW) were paced by Sarah Bull with 19 points while Mallory Heydorn collected 15 and Claire Sheehan added 10. Wheaton fell to 8-6 overall and 3-1 in the league and the Thunder got 19 points and eight rebounds from Jill Trenz. IWU shot .438 for the game from the field (21 of 48) and survuved committing 24 turnovers. Illinois Wesleyan plays next at North Park on Sat., Jan. 20 at 2 p.m.

January 13
Four Illinois Wesleyan players scored in double figures as the Titans improved to 13-1 overall with an 84-59 win at Elmhurst on Sat., Jan. 13. Senior Crystal Dye scored 21 points while junior Thea Rogers added 15, Mallory Heydorn had 13 and Claire Sheehan had 12 points as IWU is 3-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Elmhurst (4-10, 0-3 CCIW) lost its eighth straight game as the Bluejays committed 22 turnovers but held a 41-39 edge in rebounding. The No. 17-nationally ranked Titans, who will host Wheaton (8-5, 3-0 CCIW) on Wed., Jan. 17, led by a 32-20 count at the half.

January 9
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team improved to 12-1 overall and 2-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin with a 63-44 win at Millikin in Decatur on Tues., Jan. 9. The Titans trailed at halftime, 24-20, but outscored the Big Blue, 43-20 in the second half. Sarah Bull scored 20 points and Mallory Heydorn added 13 to pace IWU while Crystal Dye had eight rebounds. The Big Blue held a 40-30 edge in rebounds in the game but committed 31 turnovers as they fell to 10-3 overall, 1-1 CCIW. IWU plays next at Elmhurst on Sat., Jan. 13 at 5 p.m., a change from the original gametime.

January 6
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team improved to 11-1 overall and 1-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin with a 63-51 win over Carthage at the Shirk Center on Sat., Jan. 6. The Titans got 17 points from Sarah Bull and 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds from Thea Rogers in the victory. Carthage committed 36 turnovers compared to 25 for Illinois Wesleyan and the Lady Reds also had a 42-31 rebound edge on IWU. The Titans connected on 45 percent of their shots from the field (25-56). IWU will play next at Millikin on Tues., Jan. 9.

January 2
Illinois Wesleyan sophomore guard Mallory Heydorn was named women's basketball player of the week in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Tuesday, Jan. 2,  after her performance during the previous week of competition. Heydorn tied Traci Butler's school single game record with eight 3-pointers in a 101-64 win at Emory on Dec. 29. She had 32 points (the fifth most by an IWU player in a game) and was 12-of-19 from the field including 8-of-14 from beyond the arc. The Titans set a school game record with 19 3-pointers in the win. Heydorn had 13 points, nine rebounds and six assists in IWU's first loss of the year, an 81-75 setback at Oglethorpe on Dec. 30. For the week she was 16-of-34 from the field (.471), 10-of-22 from thee-point range (.455) and averaged 22.5 points, 5.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds in the two games.

December 30
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team, ranked No. 10 in the most recent USA Today/ESPN poll, lost its first game of the season, dropping an 81-75 decision to Oglethorpe on Sat., Dec. 30 in Atlanta, Ga. The Titans are now 10-1 and the Lady Petrels improved to 7-4. IWU got 19 points from Sarah Bull, 14 from Claire Sheehan, 13 from Mallory Heydorn and 12 out of Thea Rogers. Crystal Dye added eight points and grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds. Oglethorpe won the rebound battle, 47-40, and the Titans committed 21 turnovers while getting only nine points from their non-starters. IWU opens College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin action next Sat., Jan. 6, at 5 p.m. against Carthage at the Shirk Center.

December 29
The No. 10-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team shot its way to a 101-64 win over Emory on Fri., Dec. 29, in Atlanta, Ga. The Titans (10-0) made a school single-game record 19 3-point field goals and committed 13 turnovers compared to 29 for Emory (5-4). Sophomore Mallory Heydorn finished with a game-high 32 points (the fifth most by an IWU player in a game) and tied an IWU single-game record by making eight 3-pointers. Heydorn also had five assists and 10 steals. Junior Sarah Bull posted 25 points while sophomore Claire Sheehan rounded out the Titans’ double-figure scorers with 15 points. Emory outshot IWU from the floor (50 percent to 47.3 percent) but the Titans knocked down 19 3-pointers in 42 tries (45.2 percent). IWU led 21-16 with 7:41 left in the first half before using a 20-8 run to build its advantage to 41-24 with just under 2:00 left in the half and led 43-21 at the half.

December 19
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team has cracked the top 10 and are ranked No. 10 (an improvement from No. 14) in the latest USA Today/ESPN Division III poll and are also ranked No. 18 (up from No. 20) in the weekly D3hoops.com poll. IWU, who is 8-0 for the first time since the sport became a varsity intercollegiate sport in 1971-72, hosts Manchester on Wed., Dec. 20, at 5 p.m. and will play at Emory and Oglethorpe in Atlanta, Ga., next week (Dec. 29-30).

December 17
Sophomores Mallory Heydorn and Colleen Caplice were named to the all-tournament team of the Harriett Crannell Holiday Classic in Decatur as they helped the Titans improve to 8-0 with two wins. On Sun., Dec. 17, IWU topped Blackburn, 79-52, as Heydorn had 19 points, Sarah Bull scored 13, Claire Sheehan had 12 and Caplice again came off the bench and had 11 points and seven rebounds. Sheehan and Thea Rogers also had seven rebounds as IWU held a 48-34 rebound edge in the game. IWU will host Manchester at 5 p.m. on Wed., Dec. 20 at the Shirk Center.

December 16
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team improved to 7-0 with a 96-69 win over Robert Morris-Springfield on Sat., Dec. 16 at the Harriett Crannell Holiday Classic in Decatur. Claire Sheehan scored 23 points to lead IWU while Sarah Bull scored 17, Mallory Heydorn had 16 and Colleen Caplice came off the bench and had 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds. The Titans tied a school record with 14 3-point field goals on 28 attempts and will play on Sun., Dec. 17 at 3 p.m. against Blackburn in the tournament's second round.

December 12
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team has improved to No. 14 (up from No. 19) in the latest USA Today/ESPN Division III poll and No. 20 (up from 24) in the weekly D3hoops.com poll. IWU, who is 6-0 for the first time since the sport became a varsity intercollegiate sport in 1971-72, plays Robert Morris-Springfield at 1 p.m. on Sat., Dec. 16 in the Harriett Crannell Holiday Classic at Millikin (Decatur, Ill.). On the second day (Sun., Dec. 17) of the Classic, Illinois Wesleyan plays Blackburn at 3 p.m.

December 6
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team is 6-0 for the first time since the sport became a varsity intercollegiate sport at IWU with an 82-57 win over Fontbonne at the Shirk Center on Tues., Dec. 5. Five players scored in double figures with Sarah Bull and Thea Rogers getting 13 and Claire Sheehan, Tasha Gaston-Bell and Becky Kiverts  scoring 10 each. Kiverts also got 10 rebounds in 14 minutes of play for the Titans, who are ranked No. 24 in the weekly D3hoops.com poll.

December 2
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team is off to its first 5-0 start since the 1994-95 team after winning a 75-60 decision at MacMurray on Sat., Dec. 2 in Jacksonville. IWU got 22 points each from junior Sarah Bull and sophomore Claire Sheehan while senior Crystal Dye was the team's leading rebounder with six. The Titans, ranked No. 22 in the USA Today/ESPN Division III poll and No. 26 in D3hoops.com, host Fontbonne on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. and look to become the first IWU women's basketball team to win its first six games since the start of varsity intercollegiate play in 1971-72.

November 27
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team, ranked No. 22 in the weekly USA Today/ESPN Division III poll, ran to an 86-50 win over Euureka on Tues., Nov. 28 at the Shirk Center. The Titans got 26 points from junior Sarah Bull and 21 from sophomore Claire Sheehan. The Titans (now 4-0) forced the Red Devils into 36 turnovers and made 16 steals with Kerri Gravlin getting four. Eureka (1-3) was led by the 23 points and 11 rebounds of Nicole Fisher. IWU plays at MacMurray on Sat., Dec. 2.

November 21
Illinois Wesleyan scored over 100 points for the first time in nearly four years with a 101-39 win over Webster in St. Louis on Tues., Nov. 21. The Titans were led by the 25 points of Mallory Heydorn (who connected on seven 3-pointers) while Claire Sheehan scored 19 and Tasha Gaston-Bell contributed 13. Sophomore Colleen Caplice came off the bench to score eight points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds as the Titans improved to 3-0. The last Titan 100+ game was against Elms in Hawaii in December 2002.

November 20
Illinois Wesleyan junior guard Sarah Bull has been selected as co-"Player of the Week" for women's basketball in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Bull scored 25 points, got five rebounds and handed out four assists in leading the Titans to a 77-68 win over preseason No. 3 DePauw. She was 8 for 11 from the field, including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc, and made 4-of-6 free throws. In IWU's 92-69 win over Central (Iowa) Bull scored 18 points and got six rebounds. For the weekend Bull was 14 for 22 from the field (.636), 6-of-9 from three-point range (.667) and 9-of-11 at the free throw line (.818). Bull shared the honor with Millikin's Lindsay Ippel.

November 18
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team took a 77-68 win over preseason No. 3-ranked DePauw to claim the IWU Tip-Off Tourney title on Sat., Nov. 18. The Titans (2-0) were led by the 25 points of Sarah Bull while Claire Sheehan scored 21 and Christina Solari had 15 points and 16 rebounds. The 16 boards is tied for the fourth most in a single game at IWU. IWU made 10 of 20 from 3-point range and limited the Tigers (1-1) to .375 field goal shooting in the contest. In the third place game, Central (Iowa) upset No. 12-ranked Washington U., 80-69.

November 17
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team tied a school record with 14 3-point field goals en route to a 92-69 defeat of Central (Iowa) in the IWU Tip-Off Tournament at the Shirk Center on Fri., Nov. 17. The Titans will play DePauw at 4 p.m. on Nov. 18 for the title. The Tigers beat Washington U., 75-68, in the other semifinal. IWU was led by the 19 points of Claire Sheehan while Mallory Heydorn made 18 on six 3-pointers, Sarah Bull had 18 and Tasha Gaston-Bell had 11. The Titans were 14 of 34 from beyond the 3-point arc, tying the record set in 2000 vs. Benedictine.

November 1
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team, coached by Mia Smith, has been chosen to finish second in the annual College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin preseason coaches' poll. The Titans earned 41 points with one first place vote, trailing only defending champion Wheaton with 49 points and the remained of the seven first place votes. Millikin and Carthage are tabbed for third and fourth, respectively. The Titans open their 2006-07 season at home against Central (Iowa) on Fri., Nov. 17 in the IWU Tip-Off Tournament, which also brings to town Washington U. and DePauw.

October 12
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team opens its season at the Shirk Center, hosting the Titan Tip-Off Tournament. IWU will meet Central (Iowa) in the first round at 8 p.m. on Fri., Nov. 17 and will play either DePauw or Washington U. the following day for the championship or third place. The Titans will begin their College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin season on Jan. 6 with a 5 p.m. home game against Carthage.