The Webster University women's basketball team lost a hard-fought game, falling at Fontbonne University, 56-52, on January 18 in Clayton, MO. In true 'Battle of Big Bend' style, the Griffins took a second half lead they never relinquished as the Gorloks drop to 5-3 in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The Griffins took a 20-14 first period lead but the Gorloks opened up the second with a 15-1 run over the first five minutes. A three-pointer by Aley Lucas (JR, Sullivan, MO/Sullivan) jump started Webster, and lay ups by Kelsey Miller (JR, Elizabeth, IN/South Central) and Aley Lucas gave the Gorloks a 21-20 lead. A Taylor Lucas (JR, Sullivan, MO/Sulliivan) jumper at 4:54 made it 29-21. A Fontbonne three-pointer at the 3:00 mark ended the run and the Gorloks entered the locker room up, 30-26.
Despite shooting poorly, Webster won the battle of the boards for the half in a big way, with a 23-14 edge overall but a 10-1 advantage on the offensive boards. That margin led to a Gorlok 11-2 margin in second chance points. Webster also forced 12 turnovers in the half and had a 15-2 edge in points off of turnovers. Still, the Griffins trailed by only four.
The Griffins battled back in the third period to take a 43-41 lead. The Gorloks' shooting woes continued, ending the period at a 31.3% (15-48) clip for the game while the Griffins were shooting at a 50% (19-38) pace. Fontbonne extended its lead to 50-43 with 5:28 left in the game. A jumper by Ebony Bailey (JR, Dolton, IL/Seton Academy) and free throw by Miller cut the lead to 50-46 at 3:49. A pair of Jade Sawyer (FR, Republic, MO/Springfield Republic) free throws cut the lead to two at 2:30.
After a pair of missed free throws by Fontbonne, Taylor Lucas hit a pair to cut the deficit to one, 53-52 at 1:16. The Griffins were able to convert a pair of free throws with 24 seconds left to take a 55-52 lead. The Gorloks took a timeout, but a Miller three missed the mark and the Griffins rebounded, forcing Webster to foul at 00:13. Fontbonne missed both shots but another Webster three missed the mark with eight seconds to go and the Griffins had the win.
The Gorloks wound up shooting a cool 31% (18-58) in the contest and the Griffins were able to handle the Webster pressure defense, committing 'only' 18 turnovers. Webster opponents have averaged 34 per game on the season. The Griffins had a better time of finding the hoop, shooting 45.8% (22-48) in the game.
Taylor Lucas finished with a double double, scoring 10 points and grabbing a team-high 12 rebounds. Miller had a team-high 13 points and Aley Lucas finished with seven points and six rebounds in the loss.
Webster had won seven of the last nine meetings between the two teams, while the games have been typically close affairs. Webster is tied for second at 5-3 in the SLIAC and 12-4 overall. Fontbonne improves to 4-4 and 8-9 overall.
The Gorloks have one more game remaining on their four game road stretch, traveling to Greenville College (IL) on January 24, before returning home on January 24 to host Morthland College (IL).
