WEBSTER GROVES - Webster University Women's Basketball opened the 2020 calendar year here Saturday afternoon by having all five starters score in double figures en route to posting an impressive 83-72 win over Fontbonne University in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action at Grant Gymnasium.

With the win, Webster improves to 5-6 overall and moves into a first place tie in the league standings with a 3-1 record, while Fontbonne falls to 4-7 overall and suffers its first league loss of the year as they are now 3-1 in SLIAC play. Saturday's game was the first game of 2020 for both teams. 

The difference in Saturday's game as the middle two periods as the Gorloks outscored the Griffins, 47-38 to turn a 17-15 lead after one period into a 64-53 lead after three periods. The two teams each scored 19 points in the final period. 

Senior guard Jaysea Morgan (Fisk, Mo./Twin Rivers) paced the Gorloks offensively as she tallied a season high 18 points and added four assists and three steals, while junior guard Naomi Johnson (St. Louis, Mo./Greenville University) added 12 points, including scoring 10 points in the first half and sophomore guard Hannah Cottrell (Steelville, Mo./Steelville) added 11 points and six rebounds, including scoring eight of those 11 points in the second half. The other two Gorloks in double figures were sophomore forward Addison Beussink (Jackson, Mo./Saxony Luthern) and freshman forward Julie Baudendistel (St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh) each had 10 points and the two combined for 13 rebounds as Beussink had seven boards and Baudendistel pulled down six boards. 

It marked the first time this season that the Gorloks put five players in double figures and it was the first time with five double-digit scorers since last season's game at Principia College on Feb. 12, 2019. 

With her 18 points, Morgan pushed her career scoring total to 810 points, which is 12th on the school's all-time scoring chart. She is now 190 points shy of becoming the seventh 1,000 point scorer in the program's history. 

Along with having all five starters score in double figures, the Gorloks, who have now won three straight league games since suffering an overtime loss to Spalding to open SLIAC play on Dec. 5, also had 20 assists on 26 made baskets and outrebounded the Griffins, 40-29, including collecting 10 offensive boards that led a 19-4 edge on second chance points. Webster also forced 22 turnovers and scored 22 points off those turnovers. 

Fontbonne scored the first basket of the game just 43 seconds into the contest, before the Gorloks scored seven of the next eight points to take a 7-3 lead just two-and-half minutes into the game. The Griffins, though, would used a 6-1 run to take a 9-8 lead, but Webster answered with an 8-2 run to take a 16-11 lead. The Griffins would close the period on a 4-2 run to cut Webster's lead to 17-15 after the opening 10 minutes. 

The Gorloks would heat up in the second period as they opened the period on 6-2 run to take a 23-17 lead. After Rylee Stafford hit a trey to pull FBU within one at 23-22, the Gorloks used a 13-0 run capped by back-to-back treys from Johnson to push out to a 36-22 lead with 4:32 left in the period. That 14 point lead would be the largest of the game for the Gorloks. 

Following the Webster run, FBU wouldn't go away as the Griffins used a 10-2 run keyed by six points from Raven Venegas to pull within 38-32 with 1:30 left in the period. The two teams would each score four points each to close the period to give Webster a 42-36 lead at the half. 

The first half of Saturday's game featured a combined 28 turnovers, 21 fouls and a total of 23 free throws being shot, including Webster shooting 14 free throws in the half. 

Webster would open the third period on a 7-3 run to push its lead to 49-39 and after FBU used a 7-4 run to cut the Gorloks lead to 53-46 with 4:14 left in the period. The Gorloks would answer FBU's run with an 11-5 run of its own to push its lead to 64-51 with 10 seconds left in the period. The run was keyed by six points from Cottrell. Chloe Loehr would cap the scoring in the period with two free throws with four seconds left to give the Gorloks a 64-53 lead heading into the final period. 

The Gorloks would score six of the 11 points to open the fourth period to push its lead to 70-58 as both WU's points came on 3-pointers from sophomore guard Lauryn Freeman (Fort Worth, Texas/Timber Creek) and junior guard Kiara Rhines (Glendale, Ariz./Ironwood). Following WU's run to open the period, FBU would respond with an 11-5 run to cut Webster's lead to 75-67 with 3:12 left in the game. 

Webster would cap its scoring by hitting eight consecutive free throws over the final 2:02 of the game to set the final margin. 

Venegas paced Fontbonne with a game high 22 points and added seven boards, while Stafford added 17 points and Mallory Proffer chipped in with 11 points and five boards. Venegas scored 17 of her 22 points in the first half. 

Webster shot 47 percent from the field and 46 percent from the 3-point line and was 25-for-32 (78 percent) from the free throw line, while Fontbonne shot 41 percent from the field and 31 percent from the 3-point line and was 20-for-30 (67 percent) at the free throw line. 

FBU had 15 steals and 16 assists in the loss. 

The two teams combined for 50 fouls, 62 free throws and 55 turnovers in the game. 

Webster will look to win its fourth straight SLIAC game this coming Tuesday, Jan. 7 as they travel to Elsah, Ill., for a 5:30 p.m. game at Principia College (0-8 overall, 0-4 SLIAC).