WEBSTER GROVES – The top-seeded and St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season champion Webster University Gorloks are set to play host to No. 4 seeded Greenville University in the semifinal round of the 2020 SLIAC Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Grant Gymnasium on the Webster University campus.

The winner of Friday's semifinal game will advance to Saturday's 7 p.m. championship game against the winner of Friday's first semifinal game that features No. 2 seeded Fontbonne University (16-9, 15-3 SLIAC) facing No. 3 seeded Spalding University (15-10, 13-5 SLIAC). The Fontbonne-Spalding semifinal game is scheduled to tip-off at 5:30 p.m.

Webster, who is making its league record 20th all-time appearance in this year's SLIAC Tournament, enters the postseason sporting an 18-7 overall record and captured its second-ever SLIAC regular season title after posting a 16-2 league record. The Gorloks come into the tournament having won five consecutive games and 14 of their last 15 games since the beginning of the New Year with the lone setback being a 67-68 setback at Fontbonne on Feb. 5. That loss at Fontbonne snapped a season high nine game win streak for the Gorloks. Webster closed out the regular season on Saturday with an 85-72 win at Iowa Wesleyan to seal its second outleft regular season title and first since 2002. 

Meanwhile, Greenville, who is the defending SLIAC Tournament champions and have won two of the last three regular season titles, comes into the tournament having won five straight games and 12 of its last 15 games overall with the three losses coming in three successive games at Webster (94-77) on Jan. 29 and at home to both Fontbonne (78-70) and Spalding (64-56) on Feb. 1 and Feb. 6 respectively. The Panthers are sporting a 16-9 overall record and tied for third in the league standing with Spalding as both teams finished with a 13-5 league mark. Despite tying for third place, Greenville earned the No. 4 seed in this year's tournament after losing a tiebreaker to Greenville as the Panthers were swept by both Webster and Fontbonne during the regular season, while Spalding split their two games with each of those same two opponents. 

Friday's game will mark the third meeting this season between the two school and the 61st all-time meeting in the series as Greenville holds a 33-27 edge in the series, but Webster has won two straight games in the series as the Gorloks picked up an 80-60 win at Greenville on Dec. 9 and then earned a 94-77 win at home on Jan. 29 over the Panthers. Prior to Webster's two wins this season over the Panthers, Greenville had won seven straight games against the Gorloks, including picking up a 68-65 win in the overtime in the semifinals of last year's SLIAC Tournament in Greenville, Ill. The Gorloks are facing Greenville in the SLIAC Tournament for just the time ever as all three meetings have come in the last four years.

For the third consecutive season, all four teams making the trip to Webster Groves for the SLIAC Tournament have won at least one SLIAC Tournament championship trophy. The four teams in this year's tournament field have made a combined 55 appearances, won a combined 10 titles and have posted a 40-42 record. Webster has made the most appearances with 20, while Fontbonne is making is 19th appearance and first since 2017. Fontbonne and Webster have each won the most title among the four team in this year's field with three, while Spalding and Greenville have each won two titles. Five of the previous six tournament champions are in this year's field as Spalding won in 2014 and 2015, while Greenville won in 2016 and 2019 and Webster won in 2018. 

Webster comes into Friday's semifinal game with Greenville with one of the top offensive and defensive teams in the league as they lead the league and are eighth nationally in scoring as they average 79.8 points per game and also lead the league in both field goal percentage (46.3 percent) and 3-point field goal percentage (36.8 percent) and also lead the league in scoring margin (+15.4), turnover margin (+6.6), turnovers forced (26.2), steals per game (13.9) and 3-point field goal defense (26.3 percent). Additionally, Webster is second in the league and second in Division III in assists per game as they average 20.3 per game. 

Leading the way offensively for the Gorloks is sophomore forward Addison Beussink (Jackson, Mo./Saxony Lutheran) and senior guard Jaysea Morgan (Fisk, Mo./Twin Rivers).

Beussink, who was named this week's final SLIAC Player of the Week for the 2019-20 season, is the team's leading scorer (13.8 ppg) and rebounder (7.4 rpg) and is shooting 51 percent from the field and has scored in double figures in 16 games and has tallied a team-best six double-doubles and enters the postseason having scored in double figures in two consecutive games, including tying a career high with 23 points last Saturday at Iowa Wesleyan. 

Meanwhile, Morgan is second on the team in scoring as she is averaging 13.3 points per game and is also averaged 3.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.7 steals per game and became the seventh Gorlok in school history to score 1,000 career points as she enters the SLIAC Tournament having scored 1,030 points. Morgan, who has scored in double figures in five consecutive games, has tallied a team-best 18 double-digit scoring games and has had four games of scoring 20 or more points, including tallying 20 points in Saturday's regular season finale at Iowa Wesleyan. Along with scoring 1,000 career points, Morgan is also the school's career record holder for steals as she had now tallied 267 in her career, which is ninth among active Division III players.

Other double-digit scorers are junior guard Naomi Johnson (St. Louis, Mo./Greenville University) and freshman forward Julie Baudendistel (St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh). On the season, Johnson is averaging 11.5 points and 2.7 assists per game and is shooting 51 percent from the field and 43 percent from the 3-point line and has hit a team best 41 treys. Entering the postseason, Johnson has recorded 14 double-digit scoring efforts and averaged 12.6 points per game in SLIAC play, while Baudendistel is averaging 10.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 50 percent from the field and 45 percent from the 3-point line and has scored in double figures in 13 games, including tallying a Webster season best 27 points at Blackburn on Feb. 15 and recorded a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds in the Gorloks' SLIAC opener against Spalding in December. 
 
Webster is coached by Jordan Olufson, who is in his 12th season at the helm of the Gorloks. In his 12 years at Webster, Olufson has compiled a 185-129 record and is 128-72 in SLIAC regular season games. His 185 wins are the most in program history. He has led Webster to eight winning seasons, including four straight winning seasons, nine SLIAC Tournament appearances, a regular season SLIAC title this season, two SLIAC Tournament titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2011 and 2018.

Meanwhile, Greenville comes into the match-up with Webster a lot like Webster as they too are also one of the top offensive and defensive teams in the league. On the season, Greenville is second in the league in scoring as they average 75.5 points per game and are also second in the league in scoring defense as they are allowing just 64.8 points per game. In addition, the Panthers lead the league and Division III in assists per game (20.4) and also lead the league in free throw shooting (76.3 percent) and are second in 3-point field goal percentage (34.0 percent), are third in blocked shots per game (3.1), third in field goal defense (39.2 percent), second in scoring margin (+11.5), fourth in steals per game (11.4) and second in turnover margin (+4.6).  

Leading the way for the Greenville is freshman forward Emily Reinneck. Reinneck, who is one of three Panthers that is scoring in double figures this season, is averaging 12.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game and is shooting 40 percent from the field, 38 percent from the 3-point line and 79 percent at the free throw line. In addition to Reinneck, the other two double-digit scorers are freshman forward Madelyn Stephen and senior forward Hannah Krukewitt. Stephen is averaging 12.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 51 percent from the field and 79 percent from the free throw line and has blocked a team best 34 shots and is averaging 1.4 blocks per game, while Krukewitt is averaging 11.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 44 percent from the floor, 31 percent from the 3-point line and 79 percent from the free throw line. 

Greenville head coach Roy Mulholland is in his 21st season with the Panthers and has compiled a 307-250 overall record and has led the team to four 20 win seasons in the last five years, six straight SLIAC Tournament appearances and took home SLIAC Coach of the Year honors in 2018.

Webster has posted a 10-16 all-time record in the SLIAC Tournament and is making its fourth consecutive appearance and eighth in the last 10 seasons. Webster won the tournament in both 2011 and 2018 and was the runner-up in 2012 and 2013. Last season, Webster earned the No. 4 seed and lost in overtime in the semifinal round to No. 1 seeded Greenville. Since the tournament was reinstated by the league in 2005, the No. 1 seed has won the title a total of 11 times, including two times in the last three years has the No. 1 seeded brought home the championship trophy. In fact, Webster has won two of its three tournament titles as the No. 3 seed and also claimed the title as a No. 2 seed. 

Greenville is making its 11th all-time appearance and sixth consecutive appearance in the tournament and has posted a 5-8 record in the tournament. Greenville has played in three of the last four tournament title games as they won the tournament in 2016 and 2019 and were runners-up to Eureka in 2017.

The champion of the SLIAC Tournament will receive the league's automatic bid to the 2020 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament, which is scheduled to begin play on Friday, March 6. The NCAA will announce the 64 team field selected for this year's championship tournament on Monday, March 2.