BELLEVILLE, Ill. - Wednesday's women's basketball showdown in Webster Groves, Mo., between Webster University and Spalding University as been tabbed as this week's St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Game of the Week. Tip-off for Wednesday's game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Grant Gymnasium on the Webster University campus.
The game will feature a match-up between two of the top four teams in the SLIAC Women's Basketball standings as Webster comes into the contest having won four straight games and nine of its last 10 overall, while Spalding has reeled off six straight wins since losing back-to-back league games at Westminster and Greenville to open the 2019 calendar year.
In addition, the game will be the second meeting this season between the two teams as Spalding earned a 70-43 win over the Gorloks on Dec. 15 in Louisville, Ky. The 43 points scored by the Gorloks were a season low and the fewest points scored by the Gorloks in a game since scoring 39 points in a 90-39 loss at WashU on Dec. 9, 2015.
Webster comes into the game fresh off a 75-43 win on Saturday at MacMurray College, while Spalding earned a 68-49 win this past Saturday at Iowa Wesleyan. In fact since these two teams met each other on Dec. 15, they have combined to post a 16-4 record as Webster is 9-1 with its only loss at Greenville two weeks ago, while Spalding is 7-3 as along those two losses to Westminster and Greenvile, the Golden Eagles also lost a non-conference game on Dec. 19 at home to Transylvania.
At a Glance
This week's SLIAC Game of the Week is between two teams in the middle of the hunt for the postseason; Webster University and Spalding University. The two teams are currently among the top four teams in the standings, which would give them a spot in the conference tournament. Webster is currently tied for 2nd place with a 9-2 SLIAC record while Spalding is a half game back with an 8-2 conference mark.
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Spalding University 'GOLDEN EAGLES'
Spalding has won six straight and is coming off a 68-49 win over Iowa Wesleyan last Saturday. They are 13-6 overall and Wednesday's game completes a three-game road trip for the Golden Eagles. Spalding is averaging 69.0 points per game, 6th in the SLIAC, and are connecting on 29-percent of their three-pointers.
Alex Martin is the team leader, averaging 16.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game while also dishing out 34 assists and recording 31 steals. Maleah Hirn is second on the team with 12.5 points per game and has knocked down 32 three's. Megan Goeing leads the team with 34 three's, averaging 9.5 points per game while freshman Hunter Wright is averaging 9.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while leading the team with a 54-percent field goal percentage.
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Webster University 'GORLOKS'
Webster sits at 15-4 overall this season and defeated MacMurray 75-43 in their last game. The Gorloks are averaging 76.6 points per game this season, 2nd in the SLIAC, and lead the league in team field goal percentage with a .436 mark. They prefer to do most of their damage inside or on the fast break, averaging just 12.4 three-point field goals per game.
The balanced attack is led by freshman forward Addison Beussink (Jackson, Mo./Saxony Lutheran), who is averaging 12.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while ranking 8th in the league with a 51-percent field goal percentage and she has had six double-doubles on the year. Sophomore guard Naomi Johnson (St. Louis, Mo./Greenville University) is averaging 10.4 points per game and leads the team with 20 three-pointers and junior guard Jaysea Morgan (Fisk, Mo./Twin Rivers) is averaging 10.0 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.1 steals per game.
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Last Meeting
Spalding handed Webster their first conference loss of the season back on December 15th in Louisville. In that game, Spalding held Webster to under 10 points in two quarters as Webster shot just 32-percent for the game. Martin led all players with 17 points while Allison Just finished with 13 points for the Golden Eagles. Beussink led Webster with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
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Game Notes
- The all-time series between Spalding and Webster is tied at 10.
- Spalding is tied for the longest active win streak in the league, six games.
- The Webster duo of Morgan and freshman guard Hannah Cottrell (Steelville, Mo./Steelville) are 3rd and 4th in steals among SLIAC players this season.
- After a two-year absence, Spalding is looking to return to the SLIAC Tournament.
