WEBSTER GROVES - The third-seeded Webster University is set to meet No. 2 seeded Eureka College in the semifinal round of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday, Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. at H.L. Long Gymnasium on the campus of Greenville University in Greenville, Ill.
The winner of Friday's semifinal game will advance to Saturday's 7 p.m. championship game against the winner of Friday's second semifinal game that features No. 1 seeded and tournament host Greenville University (20-5, 15-1 SLIAC) facing No. 4 seeded Westminster (14-11, 9-7 SLIAC). The Greenville-Westminster game is scheduled to tip at 8 p.m.
Webster, who is making its record tying 18th appearance in this year's SLIAC Tournament, enters the postseason sporting an 18-6 overall record and they finished SLIAC in third place with a 12-4 record. The Gorloks come into the tournament having won seven of its last eight games and 11 of its last 13 games overall with the only two losses coming at the hands of regular season SLIAC champion Greenville.
Meanwhile, Eureka, who is the defending SLIAC Tournament champion, comes in this year's league tournament sporting an 18-7 overall record and they posted a 13-3 league mark. The Red Devils come into play on Friday having won four consecutive games since suffering an 84-73 loss at Spalding on Feb. 3. The loss at Spalding came three days after Eureka suffered a 97-77 loss at Webster. EU's only setback in its last four games was a 98-46 exhibition game loss at Western Illinois. Last season, Eureka claimed its first-ever SLIAC Tournament title after defeating Fontbonne (86-55) and Greenville (82-74) in last year's tournament on the Red Devils' home court.
Friday's game will mark the third meeting this season between the two schools and the 27th meeting all-time in the series with Webster holding a 14-12 edge in the series. The two teams split their match-up this season as Eureka earned a 79-68 win over the Gorloks in Eureka on Dec. 16, but Webster returned the favor on its home court as the Gorloks picked up a 97-77 win over the Red Devils. The Gorloks are facing Eureka in the SLIAC Tourament for the third time as Webster is 2-0 against the Red Devils in the postseason as they picked up a 73-67 win in the 2013 semifinals held at Westminster and then earned a 67-63 win the 2014 semifinals held at Spalding.
For the first time in the history of the SLIAC Tournament, all four teams come into the tournament having won at least one SLIAC Tournament championship trophy. The four teams that have advanced to the SLIAC Tournament this season have posted a 25-41 all-time record in the tournament and have won a combined six tournament titles and have made a combined 50 all-time tournament appearances, including 18 by Webster and 17 by Westminster. Webster and Westminster have won two SLIAC tournament titles, while Greenville and Eureka have won the last two tournament championships respectively.
Webster comes into Friday's semifinal game with Eureka as one of the top defensive teams in the SLIAC as the Gorloks are allowing their opponents to score just 60.9 points per game, are holding foes to 31 shooting from the 3-point line and are forcing nearly 29 turnovers per game, which is fourth in NCAA Division III. The Gorloks are fourth in Division III in turnover margin (+12.3) and fifth nationally in Division III in steals as they average 17.2 per game. On offense, Webster is third in the league in scoring as they are averaging 77.0 points per game and are shooting 42 percent from the field, 35 percent from downtown and lead the league and are 18th nationally in free throw shooting (74.8 percent).
Leading the way for Webster are senior forwards Aley Lucas (Sullivan, Mo./Sullivan) and Taylor Lucas (Sullivan, Mo./Sullivan). The twin sisters are averaging a combined 23.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game as Aley is averaging 12.9 points and 5.4 boards per contest and Taylor is averaging 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. In addition, they each have picked up two double-doubles on the season. In addition to the Lucas sisters, senior guard Kelsey Miller (Elizabeth, Ind./Maryville University) is averaging 9.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game and leads the team with 57 steals (2.4 per game) and has made a team-high 34 3-point field goals.
Other key performers for the Gorloks, who are coached by Jordan Olufson, are sophomore guards Jaysea Morgan (Fisk, Mo./Twin Rivers) and Jade Sawyer (Republic, Mo./Republic) and senior forward Megan Brandt (Sullivan, Mo./Sullivan). Morgan is averaging 8.5 points per game and has picked up 50 steals and has dished out 53 assists and is shooting 46 percent from the floor, while Sawyer is averaging 7.7 points per game and is shooting 37 percent (30-for-82) from the 3-point line and Brandt is averaging 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and is shooting 49 percent from the floor and 44 percent from the 3-point line.
Olufson, who is in his 10th season at the helm of the Gorloks, has compiled a 146-111 record at Webster and is 103-65 in regular season SLIAC games. Olufson's 148 wins are the most in program history and he has led Webster to six winning seasons, seven SLIAC Tournament appearances and an SLIAC Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament berth in 2011.
Meanwhile, Eureka comes into the game shooting 43 percent from the field and 35 percent from the 3-point line and is averaging 44.7 rebounds per game, which is second-best in the SLIAC. On defense, the Red Devils are holding opponents to 69.2 points per game and are limiting their foes to 35 percent shooting from the field and 27 percent from the 3-point line.
Leading the way for Eureka, who is the top scoring team in the league as they average 81.1 points per game, is senior guard Hayley Reneau. Reneau, who is one of just three Eureka College players to ever score 500 or more points in a single season, is averaging an SLIAC-best 22.0 points per game and is shooting 45 percent from the field, 37 percent from the 3-point line and 75 percent at the line. She leads the league in both steals (96) and 3-pointers made (75). In addition to Reneau, sophomore guard Kennedy Dura is averaging 12.8 points and a league-leading 6.4 assists per game and recently became the school's single-season leader in assists as she has dished out 160 assists on the year.
Along with Reneau and Dura, two other Red Devils are averaging in double figures on the year as junior guard Samantha Sames is averaging 12.5 points per game, while sophomore guard Ashley Harsft is averaging 12.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Junior forward Lexi Dooley comes into the tournament averaging a league-best 9.7 rebounds per game.
Amos Arbogast is in his first season as the Red Devils coach and is all he has done is lead Eureka to an 18-7 overall record and a 13-3 mark in the SLIAC. Prior to being named Eureka's 12th head women's basketball coach this past summer, Arbogast served as an assistant coach for Eureka's men's program for six seasons.
The Gorloks have posted an 8-15 all-time record in the SLIAC Tournament and is making its 18th all-time appearance in the tournament this year, which is tied with Fontbonne for the most all-time appearances. Webster won SLIAC Tournament titles in 2005 and 2011 and was runner-up in both 2013 and 2014. Last season, Webster earned the No. 3 seed and fell in the semifinals to Greenville, 61-52 that was hosted by Eureka. Ironically, Webster is the only No. 3 seeded team to ever win an SLIAC Tournament title as they were seeded No. 3 in 2011 when they defeated No. 2 seed Fontbonne and No. 1 seed Westminster to claim its second and most recent SLIAC Toournament title.
Eureka is making its seventh straight SLIAC Tournament apperance this weekend, which is the longest active streak for any SLIAC school. The Red Devils, who won last year's tournament title, is 4-5 all-time in the tournament and has played in the championship game in 2012, 2015 and 2017. The Red Devils are seeking to become the first team to repeat as SLIAC Tournament champions since Spalding won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015.
The champion of the SLIAC Tournament will receive the league's automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament, which is scheduled to begin play on Friday, March 2. The NCAA will announce the 64 team field selected for this year's championship tournament on Monday, Feb. 26.
