The Webster University women's basketball team's fine 2016-17 season came to a halt with a 61-52 loss to Greenville College (IL) in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament semi-finals, on February 23 in Eureka, IL. The Gorloks trademark pressure defense forced 32 turnovers in the contest but Webster's poorest shooting night of the season ultimately doomed it to the loss.
Greenville opened up a 14-5 lead in the first period. Baskets by Jaysea Morgan (FR, Fisk, MO/Twin Rivers) and Taylor Lucas (JR, Sullivan, MO/Sullivan) cut the deficit to 14-9 to end the period. Greenville had a 23-12 lead in the second period before an Aley Lucas (JR, Sullivan, MO/Sullivan) jumper and a Natalie Busscher (SO, Mundelein, IL/Mundelein) three-pointer made it a 23-17 game.
A Morgan layup at 5:03 made it a 7-0 Webster run as the deficit was cut to four at 23-19, prompting a Greenville timeout. The Panthers came out of the timeout with a pair of baskets to increase their lead to 27-19. Jade Sawyer (FR, Republic, MO/Springfield Republic) hit a three-pointer to cut the Greenville lead to five, 27-22. Greenville hit a three of its own with 1:16 left in the half and Aley Lucas responded with a jumper at 0:45. The teams ended the half with Greenville leading, 30-26.
The Gorloks were able to employ their pressure defense successfully, with the Panthers turning the ball over 20 times, but Webster had 13 turnovers of its own. Greenville shot 12-22 (54.5%), including 5-8 from beyond the arc, for the half while the Webster was 10-30 (33.3%). Normally a stronger point of its game, Webster shot only 3-7 from the free throw line in the half as well.
Head coach Jordan Olufson substituted Ebony Bailey (JR, Dolton, IL/Seton Academy) into the lineup to start the second half for Megan Brandt (SO, Sullivan, MO/Sullivan), opting for a quicker lineup to jump start the Gorloks in the third period. Both teams each scored two buckets in the period's first minute as the pace picked up. But when the Panthers added a pair of layups to make it 38-30, Olufson was quick to call a timeout.
After a stretch of over two minutes with neither team scoring a basket, Greenville hit a jumper at 4:58 to open an 11-point lead at 42-31, but Sawyer hit a three at the other end for Webster to cut it to 42-34. Greenville took a timeout at 4:04 as both teams sent completely new lineups onto the floor. The Panthers maintained a comfortable lead throughout the remainder of the period, but a Sawyer jumper with 0:02 left made it a 47-41 game, entering the fourth. The Gorloks shooting woes continued in the period as they shot 4-14 in the third.
A pair of Kelsey Miller (JR, Elizabeth, IN/South Central) free throws cut the deficit to four, 47-43. Aley Lucas hit a pair as well to cut it down to two, 47-45, before Greenville hit a pair of its own, and followed it with a pair of baskets to extend its lead back to eight at 6:19. Morgan responded with three for Webster and Bailey followed with a layup to make it 53-50 at 5:52. Greenville still led by three, 55-52, when it took a timeout at 3:57.
Neither team would score over the next minute and a half until a Greenville layup at 2:22 made it 57-52. The Panthers would add four free throws over the final two minutes for the 61-52 final.
Webster wound up shooting 17-60 (28.3%) from the field, its lowest mark of the season, and got beat, 42-28, on the boards. While the Gorloks forced 32 turnovers, it committed 19 of its own in the loss.
Aley Lucas had a team-high 11 points and tied for the team lead with six rebounds. Morgan wound up with 10 points, coming off the bench for Webster.
In addition to winning the third most games in team history in a single season (19), Webster was one of the national NCAA III leaders in forced turnovers (2nd-32.04 per game), steals (2nd-17.6 per game), and assists (2nd-19.40), many coming off of fast breaks. The Gorloks had one of the top offenses (9th-79.4 points per game) and best free throw shooting averages (8th-76.7%) in the nation as well.
The future is bright for the Gorloks for 2017-18, with their top eight scorers returning. Seniors Paige Beuchele (Lebanon, IL/Lebanon), Olivia Chiapetto (Rochester, IL/Rochester), Chelsea Holman (Decherd, TN/Franklin County), Alexis Smith (Winchester, TN/Huntland), and Kaitlin Snyder (Maroa, IL/Maroa-Forsyth) played their final contest for the Gorloks.
The Gorloks split with the Panthers this season. Greenville (18-8) advanced to the SLIAC Championship, vs. the winner of the Eureka College/Fontbonne University semi-final.
Webster finished 11-5 in the SLIAC and on a five-game win streak. Its 19-7 overall record was the best since 2004-05 when the Gorloks finished 21-7.
