No. 14 IU South Bend at No. 3 #12 Indiana Wesleyan
Friday, Mar. 11 | 5:00 p.m. ET
Luckey Arena | Marion, Ind.
Game Notes | Live Stats
Streaming Video ($9.99 PPV) | Live Audio (Free via RRSN.com) Indiana Wesleyan University Logo
Tipoff
• IU South Bend makes their NAIA Tournament debut on Friday night, when they take on #12 Indiana Wesleyan on the Wildcats’ home court in Marion, Ind.
• Friday will mark the first NAIA Tournament appearance for the Titans since 2005.
• The Titans have won 10 of their last 11, following a CCAC Tournament semifinal loss at St. Francis on Feb. 24.
• Ten straight victories marks the third-longest win streak for IUSB in the Steve Bruce era (2006-07).
• The team’s third-place finish in the CCAC regular season is the highest result since 2010-11, when they also finished 3rd.
• Maddie Gard leads the team with 16.1 points per game, and ranks 4th in scoring in the CCAC.
• The Titans are averaging 74.9 points per game, good for 35th in the NAIA. Indiana Wesleyan enters play ranked 45th in the country, scoring 73.4 points per game.
• The Titans allow an average of 59.9 points per game on defense, ranking 43rd in the NAIA. Indiana Wesleyan ranks 32nd, with 59.0 points allowed per game.
• With the win over Trinity International on Feb. 12, IUSB head coach Steve Bruce reached 250 career wins at the helm of the Titans. With a career record of 254-214, Bruce is the winningest active head coach in the CCAC.
• Friday’s game will be the team’s sixth appearance all-time in the NAIA Tournament, and the first of the Steve Bruce era. IUSB is searching for their first NAIA Tournament victory, with an 0-5 record in the national tourney.
Series History
• Indiana Wesleyan leads the series 20-7 over IU South Bend.
• The Saints have won 15 in a row over IUSB, in a streak that dates back to the 2003-04 season.
• IU South Bend is looking for their first win in Marion since 1999 (76-68)
• Friday will be the first meeting between the Titans and Wildcats outside of the month of November, and the first post-season meeting between the two programs.
About Indiana Wesleyan
• The Wildcats enter the tournament with a 28-4 record overall, and are coming off a Crossroads League Tournament title, that culminated with a road win over No. 4 Marian in the championship game.
• Lilli Frasure leads the team in scoring with 14.4 points per game, with a high of 27 points in a win at Georgetown (Ky.) on Dec. 9. Frasure is also the team’s rebounding leader, with 4.6 rebounds per game.
• Kelli Damman is averaging 11.9 points per game, and Jordan Reid averages 10.1 points per game as the Wildcats have three players in double figures.
• Head coach Ethan Whaley is in his fifth season at Indiana Wesleyan, and has made the NAIA Tournament each season during his tenure.
• Indiana Wesleyan are two-time NAIA National Champions, winning the Division II title in 2007 and 2013.
Last Time Out
• IU South Bend looked to secure the first upset of the 2022 CCAC Women’s Basketball Tournament, but ultimately fell to the 2nd-seeded St. Francis Saints on Feb. 24, 67-62 in overtime.
• The Titans held a seven-point lead with just over seven minutes left in regulation, but the host Saints would outscore IUSB 13-6 down the stretch, holding the Titans to just one field goal in that stretch to force overtime.
• Katie Gard led the way with 22 points for IU South Bend, just two points shy of her career high, while serving up three assists and going 3-for-9 from three-point range. Maddie Gard tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds for her third career double-double. Emma Fisher picked up ten points, while Courtney Haynes pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds.
IUSB in the Polls
• The Titans were unranked in the latest NAIA Coaches’ Poll, released on Wednesday.
• IUSB last appeared in the NAIA’s Top 25 on Jan. 15, 2020, when the Titans were ranked 20th in Division II.
• The Titans were picked fourth in the CCAC preseason poll on Oct. 25.
Student Activities Center
• Home of IUSB basketball and volleyball, the Student Activities Center is celebrating its 20th season as the Titans’ home court.
• In 2019-20, IU South Bend recorded a all-time high of 13 wins in the Student Activities Center, going 13-4 at home.
• On Feb. 16, the Titans matched the record, winning their 13th game at the SAC in the CCAC Tournament opener against IU Northwest
• This season, the Titans are 13-3 in the SAC.
All-CCAC Team
• IU South Bend women’s basketball earned two spots on the 2022 All-CCAC Team, as Maddie and Katie Gard were recognized as the conference announced the annual awards on Feb. 28.
• Maddie earned All-CCAC First Team honors, her second career all-conference award after being named to the Second Team as a freshman in 2020. Leading the Titans in scoring, Maddie ranks 4th in the CCAC with 16.1 points per game, and is 3rd in the league with 71 total steals on the defensive end.
• Katie was named to the All-CCAC Second Team for her first career all-conference honor, and is averaging 14.9 points per game, 10th-best in the league. Katie is also among the top-ten in the CCAC for steals, with 55 on the year.
NAIA Tournament
• The 16 hosts sites for the NAIA Opening Round was announced on Feb. 24. Each host site will will feature four teams, and the winner from each site advances to the round of 16 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa
Location Host
Alexandria, La. LSU Alexandria (La.)
Billings, Mont. Rocky Mountain (Mont.)
Bowling Green, Ky. Mid-South Conference/Campbellsville (Ky.)
Crestview Hills, Ky. Thomas More (Ky.)
Dayton, Tenn. Bryan (Tenn.)
Indianapolis, Ind. Marian (Ind.)
Lakeland, Fla. Southeastern (Fla.)
Marion, Ind. Indiana Wesleyan
New Orleans, La. Loyola, La.
Newhall, Calif. The Master’s (Calif.)
Omaha, Neb. Omaha Sports Commission
Park City, Kan. Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
Plainview, Texas Wayland Baptist (Texas)
Santa Barbara, Calif. Westmont (Calif.)
Sioux City, Iowa Morningside (Iowa)
Wichita, Kan. Visit Wichita/Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
Up Next
• With a win, the Titans will advance to Saturday’s NAIA Women’s Basketball Opening Round finale. The Titans would face either Northwestern (Iowa) or Midway (Ky.) at 4:00 p.m. with a spot in the final 16 on the line.
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