LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Webster University sophomore forward Addison Beussink (Jackson, Mo./Saxony Lutheran) hit a shot right before the buzzer to send Saturday's game here against Spalding University into overtime and the Gorloks would outscore the Golden Eagles, 14-6, in the overtime session to post a 69-61 win in St. Louis Intercollegiate Conference action at Columbia Gym on the Spalding campus.

Beussink's basket with less than two seconds left in regulation helped the Gorloks rally from a 40-28 deficit midway through the third period to force overtime. In the overtime session, Webster went 10-for-12 from the free throw line and outscored the Golden Eagles, 14-6, to earn the win and avenge an 89-82 overtime loss at home to Spalding to open SLIAC play on Dec. 5. 

With the victory, Webster improves its record to 11-6 overall and 9-1 in the league, while Spalding falls to 8-9 overall and 6-4 in the league. Along with Saturday's win being Webster's seventh straight victory in the New Year, the win was also the Gorloks ninth consecutive in league play since that loss to Spalding in early December. 

Beussink finished the game with a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds, including scoring 12 of those points in the fourth period and overtime. The double-double was the fourth of the season for Beussink. In addition to Beussink's double-double, senior guard Jaysea Morgan (Fisk, Mo./Twin Rivers) scored a career high 20 points and added five rebounds and a career high tying seven steals. The 20 points push Morgan's career scoring total to 896 points and she is now 104 points shy of the 1,000 Point Club. 

Webster's win was keyed by a defense that forced 40 turnovers, including forcing 24 of those turnovers after halftime. In fourth period, Webster forced Spalding into 11 turnovers that helped the Gorloks outscore Spalding, 18-12 in the final period of regulation to force overtime.

"I am really proud of the way our team battled today and showed a lot of heart and character," Webster head coach Jordan Olufson said. "Our defensive effort in the second half and overtime was tremendous and too be able to force a team like Spalding into 40 turnovers is just incredible and a tribute to our defensive effort and intensity."

Spalding, who led 43-37 after three periods, opened the final period on a 4-1 run to push its lead to 47-38 just 39 seconds into the period. The Gorloks, though, responded with a 14-3 run capped by lay-up from Beussink with 1:24 left in the regulation that tied the game at 52. The run was keyed by seven points from Beussink, who scored nine of 20 points in the period. 

Following Beussink's game-tying lay-up. Spalding's Maleh Hirn gave the Golden Eagles the lead back at 54-52 on her basket in the paint with 1:04 left in regulation. After the two teams each made 1-of-2 free throws ovr the next 29 seconds to give Spalding a 55-53 lead, Morgan would take a trey from the corner with 11 seconds left, but the 3-pointer was missed, but Buessink was able to come away with the offensive board and put up a lay-up with a little under two seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game and force the third consecutive overtime game in the series between the two schools. 

In overtime, both team struggled shooting the ball was the Gorloks went 2-for-9 from the field, while Spalding was 2-for-8 from the floor in the extra session. In the overtime period, Webster held a 9-6 edge on the glass and forced four turnovers, but was able to earn the win thanks to the 10-for-12 shooting the line, including ending the game by making five of its last six free throws. 

Webster needed all of those turnovers by the Golden Eagles to help aid them in Saturday's come-from-behind victory as the Gorloks finished the game shooting 32 percent from the field and 25 percent from the 3-point line and were outrebounded by 14 boards as Spalding recorded 52 rebounds and Webster finished with 38 boards. 

In addition to Beussink and Morgan's 20 point games, sophomore guard Hannah Cottrell (Steelville, Mo./Steelville) finished with 13 points and six boards. Cottrell scored all of her points after halftime. 

After shooting 50 percent from the field and jumped out to a 15-12 lead after first period, Webster scored just nine points in the second period, including just two points over the final four minutes of the period, which came on free throws from Morgan with 14.2 seconds left, to help the Gorloks trail 30-24 at the half. The Golden Eagles outscored the Gorloks, 18-9, in the period.

Spalding would continue it hot offensive play in the third period as they used a 10-2 run over a span of three-plus minutes to push its six point halftime lead to 40-28 with 6:41 left in the third period. The lead would remain in double figures for Spalding until the Gorloks used a 6-1 run over the final two-plus minutes of the period to cut the Golden Eagles lead to 43-37 heading into the fourth period. Webster's run began with a lay-up from Cottrell and was capped by a free throw from junior guard Kiara Rhines (Glendale, Ariz./Ironwood). 

The Golden Eagles, who now lost three of its last four games, were paced offensively on Saturday by Hunter Wright as she finished with a double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds. In addition to Wright, Hirn tallied 12 points and Allison Just added eight points and seven boards in the loss. 

While Webster shot 32 percent from the field and 25 percent from the 3-point line, Spalding finished the game shooting 39 percent from the floor and 23 percent from the 3-point line. 

The Gorloks, though, had an advantage at the free throw line as Webster finished the game shooting 72 percent (23-for-32) from the line, including a 20-for-28 effort at the line after halftime, while Spalding shot 42 percent (8-for-19) at the line, including a 4-for-8 effort from the line after halftime. 

The Gorloks had 22 turnovers in the game, but committed just seven turnovers in the second half as they had 15 at the half. 

Webster also recorded 20 steals in the win as long with Morgan's seven steals, junior guard Naomi Johnson (St. Louis, Mo./Greenville) had a career high tying five steals and Beussink finished with four. 

The Gorloks will look to keep its winning streak intact this coming Wednesday, Jan. 29 as they host Greenville University (11-6 overall, 8-2 SLIAC) for a 5:30 p.m. game in Grant Gymnasium. The Gorloks collected an impressive 90-70 win at Greenville in the team's first meeting earlier this season on Dec. 9. In fact, the win at Greenville began Webster's current nine game win streak in league play.