Elmhurst, Ill. -- The Wheaton women's basketball team traveled to nearby Elmhurst University knowing that a victory would see them earn the right to host a CCIW Tournament first round game next week, and the Thunder registered an emphatic 78-42 win on Saturday afternoon to end the regular season in style. Caroline Sikkink led the team in points and rebounds today, and two Thunder players scored in double figures off the bench as Wheaton out-scored the Bluejays 49-22 in the second half to pull away for a dominant result. The Wheaton women finish the 2022-23 regular season with an overall mark of 15-10 and a 10-6 record in conference play.

Sikkink needed only ten seconds to open the scoring in Saturday's matchup, taking the feed from Annika Richardson and laying the ball home in the paint. Elmhurst dropped in their first basket a minute later to tie the score, but this would be the only point in the game in which Wheaton did not have the lead. Another layup in the lane from Sikkink put the Thunder up 4-2, and while the hosts managed to keep the deficit down through the four-minute mark, Wheaton mounted a 7-2 run down the stretch to claim a 16-9 edge at the end of the opening period. Elmhurst earned a 5-0 run of their own in the first half of the second frame to cut Wheaton's lead down to 18-14, but Anna Fernandez answered shortly after with five straight points to keep the visitors in front. Wheaton committed three turnovers and missed six straight shots between the 4:30 and 0:40 mark of the second quarter, but the Thunder held Elmhurst scoreless from open play within that same span to prevent any serious comeback attempt. Layups in the paint by Alexis Martin on consecutive possessions book-ended an Elmhurst jump shot, and Wheaton took a 29-20 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The final result was put beyond doubt when the Thunder opened the second half on an 8-0 run to jump out in front by 17 points. Wheaton made up for their offensive struggles before halftime with a 24-point performance in the third period. Despite the Bluejays' highest-scoring output of the game also coming in the third quarter, the home side never managed to pull back within 14 points of their visitors' lead. A jumper by Alyssa Faberowski (pictured below) 
on the final possession of the frame gave Wheaton a 20-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Thunder saved their best period for last, as they out-scored their local competitors 25-9 and managed the game smoothly en route to a lopsided 36-point win, their second-biggest victory of the season behind only their home win over today's opponents back in December.

Wheaton finished the game with a 43.5% field goal percentage, including a 54.55% mark in the third quarter. The Thunder put in a solid defensive showing, holding Elmhurst to a meager 21.2% shooting figure. Wheaton was an impressive 21-25 from the free throw line this afternoon and restricted Elmhurst to a 20% effort from beyond the arc. The Bluejays held a narrow advantage in rebounding, but the Thunder forced 25 turnovers and only committed 13 of their own. The visitors enjoyed sizable discrepancies in points in the paint, points off of turnovers, and bench points as a part of their comfortable win.

Sikkink posted a joint game-high 18 points to lead Wheaton in scoring and came up one rebound short of another double-double. The junior also picked up a trifecta of steals. Faberowski registered 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a game-leading four takeaways in 20 minutes of play. Fellow substitute Kate Oliver tallied 11 points, six boards, and three steals. Richardson contributed ten points, three rebounds, and as many assists.

Wheaton will not have much time to celebrate today's result, as Illinois Wesleyan comes calling in three days' time. The Thunder and the Titans will face off at 7 PM on Tuesday night in King Arena, with the winner advancing to next Friday's CCIW Tournament semifinals in Decatur. Wheaton and IWU split their two head-to-head meetings this season, with the away team notching a single-digit victory in both games. The Thunder earned the fourth seed in the conference tournament and home court advantage for next week's contest thanks to their tie-breaking win over regular season champions Millikin.