GREENVILLE, Ill. – Webster University saw its 2018-19 women's basketball season come to an end here Thursday evening in the semifinals of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference as the Gorloks rallied from 22 point second quarter deficit to force overtime before succumbing to top-seeded Greenville 68-65 in the overtime session at H.J. Long Gymnasium on the Greenville University campus. 
 
With the setback, Webster concludes its season with a 17-9 record, while Greenville improved to 22-4 and advances to Saturday's SLIAC Tournament championship against No. 2 seeded Spalding University, who defeated No. 3 seeded Westminster, 75-67, in Thursday's first semifinal game.
 
The overtime game was just the second ever in the history of the SLIAC and the first since the 2006 championship game when Maryville defeated Fontbonne, 74-64 in overtime. It was the first ever overtime period in the semifinal round of the tournament. 
 
Webster, who got down 13-0 to open the game and trailed 36-14 just a little over five minutes into the second quarter, would find itself in the third quarter as they outscored Panthers, 20-14 to pull within 50-43 heading into the final quarter and then used an 18-11 fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. 
 
"I am really proud of our team tonight. We got by 20 early and then were able to recover and begin to play better and ultimately was able to take a lead late in the game, before Greenville was able to force overtime," Webster head coach Jordan Olufson said. "I am proud for how we responded after getting off to a bad start."
 
In the fourth quarter, WU used a 13-2 run over a span of five-plus minutes to tie the game for the first time at 58 following a basket by sophomore guard Naomi Johnson (St. Louis, Mo./Greenville University). The Gorloks run came after Greenville had opened the quarter on a 6-2 run to push in front 56-45 with 6:45 left in regulation. Johnson finished the game with 12 points, including scoring 10 of those points coming after halftime.
 
On Greenville's ensuing possession, freshman guard Lauryn Freeman (Fort Worth, Texas/Timber Creek) stole the ball from Jantzen Michael and with 53 seconds left, Johnson would drill a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the Gorloks its first lead of the game at 61.
 
The Panthers, though, would answer with a trey from Megan Barrett with 28 seconds left to retie the game at 61. Barrett's trey came after Freeman turned the ball over with 37 seconds left following a missed trey from GU's Emily Brandland with 45 seconds remaining in regulation.
 
Webster was unable to get a shot off before the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. The overtime was the second this season for the Gorloks. 
 
In the overtime period, freshman forward Addison Beussink (Jackson, Mo./Saxony Lutheran) got the scoring started with a basket nearly a minute into overtime. Michael would then score on two straight lay-ups to give the Panthers a 65-63 lead with 2:08 left in the overtime.
 
The Gorloks retied the game at 65 with 49 seconds left thanks to 1-of-2 free throws from both Freeman and Beussink. After Beussink missed her second free throw, Morgan St. James collected the rebound and raced down the court beating the Gorloks defense and scored on a lay-up with 43 seconds left to give the Panthers a 67-65 lead. 
 
Greenville would give the Gorloks a chance in the final 25 seconds of the game as Brittany Lopez was able to only hit 1-of-4 free throws to set up a last-second three-point shot attempt by redshirt sophomore forward Kaylee Heggemann (Washington, Mo./Three Rivers CC) that hit the front of the rim as the buzzer sounded to end the game. 
 
Beussink led the way offensively for the Gorloks with 18 points and added 12 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the season. The 10 double-doubles is tied for fifth-most on the school's single season chart. The 11 rebounds are tied for second most by a Gorlok in an SLIAC Tournament game since the tournament was reinstated by the league in 2005.
 
In addition to Beussink, Heggemann tallied 17 points and 11 rebounds for her second straight double-double and third double-double of the season. Heggemann scored a career high 26 points and had 11 rebounds in WU's 78-69 regular season finale loss this past Saturday at home to Greenville. 
 
Heggemann and Beussink combined for 17 of Webster's 23 first half points as Heggemann scored 10 points and Beussink added seven points in the opening two quarters. 
 
St. James led Greenville with a game high 19 points and pulled down 11 boards in the win. Along with St. James, Barrett added 17 points, while Wesley Woodard and Michael each had 11 points for the Panthers. 
 
Greenville, who won its second straight regular season SLIAC title this season, opened the game by scoring the first 13 points before Webster scored its first point of the game on a free throw by freshman guard Hannah Cottrell (Steelville, Mo./Steelville) with 6:38 left in the opening quarter. That free throw seemed to wake up the Gorloks as they scored eight of the next 12 points to pull within 17-10 with 2:22 left in the quarter. 
 
The Panthers, though, close the quarter by scoring four of the final six points to hold a 21-12 lead after the opening 10 minutes.
 
Greenville would then open the second quarter on a 15-2 run to push out to a 36-14 lead following a lay-up by St. James. The Gorloks would respond by closing the quarter on a 9-0 run to cut Greenville's lead to 36-23 at the half. WU's closing run was capped by back-to-back lay-ups by Beussink.
 
In the third quarter, Greenville pushed its lead to 42-30 just three-plus minutes into the quarter, before the Gorloks answered with a 7-1 run to pull within 43-37 following a free throw by junior guard Jaysea Morgan (Fisk, Mo./Twin Rivers).
 
GU responded with a 5-0 run to extend its lead to 48-37, before WU closed the quarter on a 6-2 run to pull within 50-43 after three quarters. 
 
Greenville finished the game shooting 46 percent from the field and 20 percent from the 3-point line, while the Gorloks shot 32 percent from the floor and 26 percent (6-for-23) from the 3-point line. 
 
The Panthers outrebounded the Gorloks, 46-40, but that rebound advantage was negated by 31 turnovers that led to 24 points, including forcing the Panthers into 16 turnovers that led to 16 points in the second half. 
 
Webster finished with 14 steals, including four by Morgan to push her season total to 84, which is tied for third most on the school's single season chart. In addition, the four steals pushed her career total to 199, which is third all-time in school history. Morgan enters next season needing just one steal to become just the third Gorlok to collect 200 career steals and is 59 short of the school's all-time record of 258 held by Laura Stuhlman (1998-02). 
 
The Gorloks struggled at the free throw line as they went 13-for-22 (59 percent) from the line, while Greenville went 13-for-20 (65 percent) at the line. 
 
Both teams combined for 14 blocks as Greenville had eight blocks, including four from St. James, while WU had six blocks, including a season high three by Beussink.
 
The Gorloks, who did not have any seniors and just one junior on its roster this season, will now turn its attention to next season as they are expected to return all five of their starters from Thursday's game, which included two freshmen. This season team featured 14 freshmen, six sophomores and one junior.