Kenosha, Wis. -- Playing in their first road contest for three weeks, the Wheaton women's basketball team took a short trip north to face off against the Carthage Firebirds on Saturday afternoon. The Thunder gutted out a 55-49 win over the same opponent two weeks ago in Wheaton, and it came as no surprise that the second leg was a competitive affair. The visitors used a big second quarter to propel themselves into the lead before holding on to their advantage after halftime to walk away with a 58-55 victory. Wheaton's record now stands at 7-4 in CCIW play. Annika Richardson led all Thunder scorers with 19 points today, and Caroline Sikkink collected a game-high 15 rebounds on her way to a double-double.

Carthage tallied the opening five points of the game, but Richardson got Wheaton on the board with a layup in the paint two and a half minutes in. The Thunder offense failed to develop any momentum for most of the first quarter, and the Firebirds built up a 16-7 advantage with Richardson scoring all seven of Wheaton's points. But an Ellie Cassel layup and a three-pointer by Anna Fernandez on consecutive possessions with under two minutes remaining gave Wheaton the final five points of the first quarter. The visitors then carried this boost over into the second frame, which proved to be the decisive period in today's matchup. 

The Firebirds opened the quarter with a 6-0 run to establish a 22-12 advantage, but Wheaton dominated the last six minutes of the first half, holding Carthage to zero baskets from open play and out-scoring their hosts 18-2 within that time. Richardson ended the team's scoring drought at the 5:34 mark of the second quarter, and she proceeded to trade off clutch baskets with Sikkink as the two players put the team on their back to haul Wheaton into a surprise 25-23 lead. Carthage notched a free throw after a Fernandez jumper to get back within three points, but Lily Schwen made the final statement of the first half, draining a three as the clock wound down to put Wheaton up 30-24 in front of a stunned Tarble Arena crowd. Unsurprisingly, the Thunder posted their best shooting percentage in the second frame at 40%, but their defense was the key to the comeback, holding Carthage to a dismal 3-13 mark from the floor and 0-6 from three-point land.

The second half was as competitive as it could be, with Carthage actually out-scoring their guests by three points thanks to an ultimately meaningless triple on the final play of the game. The Firebirds got back to within one point three minutes into the third period, but Fernandez converted a bucket in the lane to prevent any change in lead. Sikkink splashed in a three early in the fourth quarter to extend Wheaton's edge to double-digits, but the Firebirds scored the next five to stave off a Thunder blowout. Wheaton's lead hovered around four points for the final three minutes of the contest, but the Illinois side was able to secure the win thanks to their game management, defensive stops, and well-timed baskets and free throws. Fittingly, Richardson came up with a decisive play to put Wheaton back up by five points with 40 seconds remaining when she finished off a slick team sequence by laying the ball home. Caylee Hermanson and Sikkink then combined for four significant free-throw conversions to put the game to bed.

Wheaton's overall shooting percentage of 34.5% was inferior to their hosts', but the Thunder held an important edge in free throw shooting today, tallying an 86.7% mark from the line. Both sides made five three-pointers and turned the ball over 13 times in the contest. Wheaton edged Carthage in rebounding, but the Firebirds enjoyed advantages in most of the statistical categories on Saturday. Perhaps the most telling stat line came in the form of second chance points: the Thunder earned 14, but Carthage did not register a single follow-up.

The Firebirds' Marianna Morrissey led all players with 20 points, but Annika Richardson was just behind her with 19 of her own. Caroline Sikkink had a huge day, going for a 16-point, 15-rebound double-double. She also nabbed a game-high four steals. Anna Fernandez put in a solid shift, totaling seven points, five rebounds, and three assists. Lily Schwen led the game with five assists and contributed as many points along with three boards.

After pulling out today's road win in Wisconsin, the Wheaton women's team will return to King Arena next week for a pair of conference tests. The Thunder are set to host Augustana at 7 PM on Wednesday in a battle for third place in the conference standings.