Decatur, Ill. -- Competing in their fifth straight game away from home, the Wheaton women's basketball team traveled south on Saturday to take on conference leaders Millikin in an important CCIW matchup. The hosting Big Blue earned a 74-55 result to maintain their perfect record in conference action and hand Wheaton their second CCIW loss of the season. Wheaton's record now sits at 8-6 overall for the year.
Despite conceding a basket on the game's opening possession, Wheaton claimed an early 5-3 advantage when
Caroline Sikkink followed up an
Anna Fernandez jumper in the paint with another two-pointer. Millikin would respond with a six-point run, however, and this would prove to be the only lead that the visitors held all game.
Annika Richardson earned the final points of the first quarter with a layup in the lane, but the home team took a 20-13 advantage into the next period.
Kate Oliver bagged three points to start the second frame, and Wheaton twice managed to draw within four points of their hosts before halftime, but Millikin refused to let the Thunder complete a comeback and pulled further ahead as the quarter progressed. The Big Blue notched eight of the final 12 points of the half and enjoyed a 40-24 lead at the intermission.
The third quarter represented Wheaton's best passage of play, and the Thunder out-scored their hosts 19-13 in the period to pull the deficit back down to ten points. Sikkink connected on a jumper with just over a minute left in the quarter to make it 53-43 heading into the final period. After a scoreless two minutes to begin the fourth quarter, Fernandez dropped in a jump shot to claw Wheaton back within eight points. But Millikin scored the next six points to effectively put the game out of reach and could afford to run down the clock in the remaining minutes having secured their eighth-straight regular season conference win.
The Big Blue posted only slightly better shooting numbers from inside the three-point line with a 40.6% overall mark to Wheaton's 38.9% tally, and both teams sank 12 free throws. Beyond the arc was where Millikin's true advantage lay, as the hosts drained six threes and Wheaton had to settle for only one made three on the day. The Big Blue also out-rebounded Wheaton and forced more turnovers on the defensive end as part of their statistical superiority in the contest.
Caroline Sikkink was the only Wheaton player to reach double-digits in scoring on Saturday, and the junior also contributed joint team-highs of seven rebounds and two blocked shots.
Caylee Hermanson and
Anna Fernandez both scored eight points and earned one steal, while the former also collected an assist and a block and the latter gathered in six rebounds.
Kate Oliver chipped in with nine points, four boards, two blocks, and two steals in 18 minutes off the bench.
Ellie Cassel posted seven rebounds and seven points, including the Thunder's lone three-point shot.
The Thunder women's team will look to get back to winning ways on Wednesday night when they host North Park for a 7 PM contest, the first of five straight games in King Arena for the team.
