GREENVILLE, Ill. – On a night when senior forward Taylor Lucas (Sullivan, Mo./Sullivan) scored a season-high 25 points, it was another senior, forward Megan Brandt (Sullivan, Mo./Sullivan) that hit the biggest 3-pointer of the season to help third-seeded Webster University to a 63-61 victory over fourth-seeded Westminster College to claim the 2018 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship here Saturday evening in the finals of the SLIAC Tournament at H.J. Long Gymnasium on the campus of Greenville University.
 
Brandt's trey gave the Gorloks a 60-59 lead with 1:47 remaining in the game. The lead was the first since early in the fourth period for Webster, who was playing in its fifth all-time tournament championship game. The Gorloks would then hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the victory and win its third all-time SLIAC Tournament championship and earn the league's automatic berth into this year's NCAA Division III Tournament.
 
"I am really proud of the composure and toughness our team showed tonight, but our team stayed locked in and focused," Webster 10th-year head coach Jordan Olufson said following his team's 20th win of the season. "We had a lot of different heroes step up today on offense and defense and it came from seniors to freshmen."
 
Saturday's SLIAC Tournament championship is the first since Webster (20-6) earned the 2011 title. The Gorloks also claimed the SLIAC Tournament title in 2005. In addition, Webster also earned its fourth-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and its first since 2011 when Webster fell 82-70 in the first round to Illinois Wesleyan. The NCAA will unveil the 64-team field for this year's tournament online on Monday afternoon.
 
"We made play and it's great to see a team effort tonight to accomplish this win," said Olufson. "We beat a well-coached team tonight, hats off to Westminster who brought it tonight."
 
Webster, who trailed 50-49 after three periods, opened the fourth with lay-ups by Morgan and freshman guard Kylie Shoot (Ashland, Mo./Southern Boone) in the opening 47 seconds of the period to take a 53-50 lead. Shoot finished with eight points in the win to earn a spot on the six-player All-Tournament Team.
 
The Gorloks lead was shortlived as Westminster, who concludes the season with a 15-12 record, used a 7-0 run keyed by four points from Grace Archambault to take a 57-53 lead with 4:06 left in the game. Webster, though, used lay-ups by senior guard Ebony Bailey (Dolton, Ill./John Wood CC) and Lucas to tie the game at 57.
 
After two free throws by Mirrakohl Johnson gave the Bluejays a 59-57 lead with 2:09 left, Brandt would give the Gorloks the lead for good on her second trey of the game with 1:47 left.
 
It appeared early on that Brandt's heroics might not be needed as Westminster jumped out to a 9-5 lead with all nine points coming from Johnson in the game's opening four minutes. Webster, though, would respond with an 11-2 run to take a 16-11 lead following a lay-up by Morgan with 2:23 left in the opening period. Webster's run was keyed by four points apiece from Morgan and Shoot.
 
Johnson would pace the Bluejays offensively in Saturday's game as she tallied 21 points in the loss. In addition to Johnson, Kendahl Adams added 19 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for the Bluejays. Adams scored 11 of her points in the second period.
 
In fact, 23 of Westminster's 35 points were scored by Johnson and Adams. In three games this season against the Gorloks, Johnson scored 40 points and pulled down 35 rebounds, while Adams scored 38 points and had 13 rebounds.
 
Westminster, who was also seeking its third-ever SLIAC Tournament title on Saturday, closed out the period on an 8-0 run to take a 19-16 lead with 35 seconds left. Lucas would close the period on a lay-up to cut Westminster's lead to 19-18 after the opening 10 minutes of action.
 
The Gorloks trailed 35-25 with a little under four minutes left in the second period, before closing the period by scoring the final eight points to drop Westminster's lead to 35-33 at the half. The run began with a lay-up and free throw by Shoot to complete a three-point play and was capped by a trey by Brandt.
 
Westminster extended its halftime lead to 42-35 just four minutes into the third period. All seven of Westminster's points during the run were scored by Johnson.
 
Webster, though, would respond with a 10-0 run over the next four-plus minutes to push out to a 45-42 lead with 2:13 left in the period. Webster's run was keyed by six points from Lucas, who scored 10 of her 25 points in the period.
 
The Bluejays, who fell to 3-3 all-time against Webster in the SLIAC Tournament, would answer Webster's run by scoring eight of the period's final 12 points to hold a 50-49 edge heading into the final period.
 
Webster finished the game shooting 42 percent from the field and was just 3-for-14 from the 3-point line, while Westminster shot 37 percent from the floor and 29 percent from long distance.
 
The Bluejays outrebounded the Gorloks, 40-31, including collecting 17 offensive boards, but that advantage on the boards was negated by committing 21 turnovers that led to 22 points. Webster finished the game with 18 turnovers, including just seven in the second half.
 
Along with scoring a season-high tying 25 points, Lucas, who was named to tournament's MVP, added nine boards, had four steals and blocked two shots. Bailey finished the game with a career high tying seven boards and added four points, all of which in the second half.  
 
Westminster's defense held Webster's leading scorer, senior forward Aley Lucas (Sullivan, Mo./Sullivan) to a season low three points on 1-of-7 shooting from field. Lucas had scored in double figures in eight straight games prior to Saturday's contest. Lucas entered the game averaging 12.8 points per game.
 
Both teams were strong at the free throw line as Webster finished shooting 86 percent (12-for-14) at the line, while Westminster shot 80 percent (8-for-10) from the line.
 
Lucas, Shoot, Adams and Johnson were joined on the SLIAC All-Tournament Team by Eureka guard Ashley Harfst and Greenville forward Morgan St. James.