(SLIAC Tournament Notes)

For the 13th time overall and fifth time since the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament has been reinstated, the Webster Gorloks have qualified for the postseason. WU is the only team to qualify for each of the last five tournaments.

Unfortunately, all 12 previous times have ended without WU claiming the top prize, and lately, the NCAA Tournament berth that accompanies the tournament title. In addition, the Gorloks fell in the first round three straight season - the last two as the top seed.

Webster enters the tournament as the third seed and will grapple with Westminster 6 p.m. Friday. Top-seeded Fontbonne will take on Maryville in the other semifinal.

The Gorloks split their meetings with Westminster this season, each team winning on their home court. The Blue Jays ended WU's 20-game SLIAC winning streak with a 85-82 victory in the conference opener for both teams. In the rematch, Westminster sprinted out to a 13-point lead. But, the Gorloks responded on a night in which senior Ryan Turk became the eighth member of the school's 1,000-point club.