WAVERLY, Iowa - Wartburg women's basketball will return to nonconference play this Wednesday, Jan. 27 against Iowa Wesleyan University at 6:15 p.m. inside Levick Arena.  The contest between the Knights and Tigers marks only the third time the two schools have meet since the 1992 season and will be the first game in the month of January since 1983. 

Wednesday, Jan. 27 - 6:15 p.m. - Waverly, Iowa - Levick Arena
Wartburg Knights (5-0, 1-0 A-R-C) vs. Iowa Wesleyan University (0-1, 0-0 SLIAC) 

Series Record: Wartburg leads 10-1
Last Five Meetings: 
Nov. 21, 2017 -- W, 96-40 (Waverly)
Nov. 18, 2012 -- W, 49-39 (Waverly)
Dec. 12, 1992 -- W, 69-24 (Mount Pleasant)
Nov. 21, 1986 -- W, 38-33 (Waverly) 
Nov. 22, 1985 -- L, 62-68 (Waverly) 

Attendance Policy
Two people per each participant (student-athlete/coach/staff member) will be permitted to attend basketball, volleyball, and wrestling home events inside Levick Arena. Seating for spectators will take place in the west bleachers across from the team benches. 
 
SPECTATORS WILL BE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW CAMPUS MASKING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES. LEARN MORE HERE.

Last Time Out
Wartburg opened its 2021 American Rivers Conference schedule on Saturday, Jan. 30 with a decisive 79-45 victory at Nebraska Wesleyan University. The Knights remained unbeaten while shooting 30-71 from the field and 13-36 from beyond the arc. Wartburg limited NWU to just 13 points in the first 20 minutes and forced 27 turnovers.

A collective effort paced the Knights' offense, with senior forward and Waverly native Payton Draper leading with 14 points off 5-6 shooting. Ally Conrad and Sara Faber followed with 11 points each, while Bailey Naig tallied a game-high and tied a career-high with nine rebounds off the bench.

Wartburg kept the Prairie Wolves off the board in the first 10 minutes, leading 10-0 heading into the second frame. The Knights then shot 50 percent in each of the final three quarters to maintain a significant lead throughout. A three-pointer from Hannah Anderson in the final minute of the second period granted the Knights their largest lead of the first half at 31-13, where the score stood at the break.

In the second half, the Orange & Black notched 24 points each in the third and fourth quarters while limiting NWU to 32 points. Wartburg tied a season-high with 13 steals and generated 26 points off the home team's turnovers. Nearly half of Wartburg's points came from its bench as well, with 34 points tallied by the Knights' reserves.

Iowa Wesleyan University
The Tigers are coming off a season-opening defeat against Coe College when they fell 57-78 back on Sunday, Jan. 24. Iowa Wesleyan saw themselves in a 32-point hole at halftime before outscoring the Kohawks in the second half 31-20 but the comeback was not enough. 

Freshman center Anija Simmons led the way for the Tigers in all three major categories with her 17 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Fellow freshman Morgan McCrea and senior Asantee Tillman also reached double figures in scoring with 16 and 12 points, respectively. Iowa Wesleyan finished the contest 37.3% from the field, 23.1% from beyond the arc and 72.7% from the free-throw line. 

The Tigers were out rebounded by nine and allowed a shooting percentage of 40.8% from the field, 35.5% from 3-point land and 71.4% from the charity stripe. Defensively, IW forced nine turnovers on four steals and one block.

A year ago, the Tigers struggled as they finished the 2019-20 campaign with a 5-20 overall record and 5-13 ledger in the SLIAC. Head coach Jazmyne Laskey is in her first year at the helm.