BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - One year after winning the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament, Carroll's women's basketball team lost the rematch against #3 Illinois Wesleyan in Saturday night's CCIW Championship Game by a score of 95-86, giving the Titans the automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Divison-III Tournament. Carroll finished the game shooting 48 percent (28-58) from the field, but just 19 percent (3-16) from 3-point range, while Illinois Wesleyan converted 54 percent (34-63) of their shots and 35 percent (9-26) of their threes.

The Pioneers (18-9) got off to a great start, scoring the game's first four points. That would be the team's only lead of the day however, as Illinois Wesleyan (26-1) scored the next nine points to take a lead that they would never relinquish. The Pioneers would cut that lead to one later in the quarter, but the Titans ended the period on a 14-4 run to take a double-digit lead into the second. The two teams played pretty evenly in that second quarter, with Carroll cutting the lead to three on an Olivia Rangel jumper, before the Titans hit a 3-pointer in the final minute to take a 48-36 lead into halftime.

Trailing by 15 after three quarters of play and by 19 with seven minutes left in the fourth, the Pioneers continued to fight, cutting that lead to eight in the final minutes and outscoring Illinois Wesleyan 34-28 in that final quarter. The first quarter lead turned out to be the difference in the game, with just one point separating the two teams after the opening period.

Natalie Gricius led the Pios with 27 points, going 7-of-8 from the field and making all 13 of her free throws, which is just one shy of the single game school record. She also added six rebounds and three assists on the night, while Rangel finished with 21 points, five assists, and two steals. That gives Rangel 80 steals on the season, which breaks the program's single season record, which was set 16 years ago by Janelle Groer. Emilie Wizner also scored in double figures with 15 points, while Chloe Halverson recorded 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Illinois Wesleyan was led by Lauren Huber's double-double of 28 points and 11 rebounds. Mallory Powers added 22 points and four blocked shots, while Sawyer White and Ava Baric scored 17 and 13 points, respectively.