WEBSTER GROVES - Webster University Women's Basketball closed out the 2018 calendar year here Saturday afternoon by posting a 70-49 non-conference win over Saint Mary's (Ind.) College at Grant Gymnasium.

Saturday's game was the first one for the Gorloks in 13 days since posting a 66-53 home win over Lawrence University on Dec. 16. In addition, Saturday's game marked the final regular season non-conference game for the Gorloks as they went 5-2 in non-conference action this season.

With the win, Webster improves to 8-3, while Saint Mary's, who is a member of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, falls to 5-8 on the year. The 8-3 start after 11 games is the best for the Gorloks since the 2016-17 team went 9-2 in its first 11 games. 

The Gorloks showed little rust from not having played in 13 days as they scored the game's first three points and led 15-3 just a little under four minutes into the contest en route to holding a 27-9 lead after the opening 10 minutes. 

Sophomore forward Kaylee Heggemann (Washington, Mo./Three Rivers CC) scored the game's first point on a free throw just 20 seconds into the game. Junior guard Jaysea Morgan (Fisk, Mo./Twin Rivers) made it 3-0 Webster on a lay-up with just 44 seconds into game, but SMC would tie the game on a three-pointer by Sophie Koeppl just 75 seconds into the game. The Gorloks answered with a 12-0 run that was keyed by 10 points from freshman forward Addison Beussink (Jackson, Mo./Saxony Lutheran). Beussink led the Gorloks with 18 points and added seven rebounds. 

The Belles would stop WU's run with a basket by Megan Saunders with 6:09 left in the first period. WU, though, came back with a 12-6 run to take a 27-9 lead after the opening period. The run began with a basket from sophomore guard Naomi Johnson (St. Louis, Mo./Greenville University) and was capped by a basket with 34 seconds left in the period from freshman forward Taylor Zarr (St. Louis, Mo./Oakville). 

In Saturday's game, the Gorloks outscored the Belles in the first three periods and both teams each scored 10 points in the fourth period. WU scored 20 or more points in two of the four periods as along with scoring 27 points in the first period, scored 22 points in the third period. 

Along with Beussink's 18 points, Morgan added 10 points and six steals, while freshman guard Caity Jones (West Plains, Mo./Thayer) chipped in with 10 points off the bench. For the game, 10 of the 13 Gorloks that saw action in the game scored. 

Freshman guards Hannah Cottrell (Steelville, Mo./Steelville) and Lauryn Freeman (Fort Worth, Texas/Timber Creek) each tallied seven points and combined for nine rebounds, six assists and four steals as Cottrell had four boards, two steals and an  assist and Freeman pulled down a career-high five boards and added a career-high five assists and two steals. 

In the second period, the two teams combined to shoot 7-for-25 from the field, but the Gorloks would outscore the Belles, 11-10 to take a 38-19 lead at the half.

Webster opened the third period on a 6-2 run to push its lead to 44-21 with 8:18 left in the period, but the Belles would respond with a 7-4 run to drop WU's lead to 46-28 with 5:56 left in the period. The Gorloks, though, answered right back with a 13-8 run to take a 57-34 lead with 3:02 remaining. WU's run was keyed by four points from Beussink and capped by a trey from Jones. Beussink scored eight of her team's 22 points in the period. 

After Caroline Macius scored three of the next four points to cut WU's lead to 58-37, Cottrell scored on a lay-up with 1:01 left to give the Gorloks a 60-37 lead. Giavanna Paradiso capped the period's scoring with a lay-up with four seconds left to give Webster a 60-39 lead heading into the final period. 

Paradiso, who scored a game-high 21 points for the Belles, opened the fourth period by scoring the first three points to drop WU's lead to 60-42 with 8:59 left in the game. Morgan would push WU's lead to 22 on a trey with 7:01 left. Morgan's trey made the score 65-43. 

Saint Mary's would outscore the Gorloks, 6-5 over the final seven minutes of the final period to set the final margin at 21 points. 

Along with her 21 points, Paradiso led Saint Mary's with six rebounds. In addition, Macius and Saunders each tallied seven points off the bench for the Belles. 

Webster finished the game shooting 47 percent from the field and 50 percent (4-for-8) from the 3-point line, while Saint Mary's shot 35 percent from the floor and 16 percent (3-for-19) from the 3-point line. WU has held three of its last five opponents to under 30 percent shooting from the 3-point line, including its last two foes going a combined 3-for-26 (11.5 percent) from downtown.

Defensively, Webster forced SMC into 31 turnovers that led to 27 points and the Gorloks collected 22 steals in the win. Webster also held a 38-33 edge on the glass. 

The Gorloks finished with 20 turnovers, including 13 of those turnovers coming in the second half. 

Both teams struggled at the free throw line as they went a combined 22-for-38 (57.9 percent) at the line in the game that featured both teams recording 19 fouls each. Webster was 12-for-21 (57.1 percent) from the line and Saint Mary's was 10-for-17 (58.8 percent) from the charity stripe. 

Webster will now turn its attention fulltime to St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play as they open 2019 with a 5:30 p.m. game at home on Wednesday, Jan. 2 against Eureka College (4-6 overall, 1-3 SLIAC).