BELLEVILLE, Ill. - Wednesday's women's basketball showdown between Webster University and Fontbonne University in Mabee Gymnasium at Lee McKinney Court has been tabbed as this week's St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Game of the Week. Tip-off for Wednesday's SLIAC game between the top two teams in the league is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
The game will feature a match-up between top of the hottest teams in the league and also a match-up with the top teams in the league standings as Webster comes into the contest having won nine straight games overall and 11 consecutive games in SLIAC play as the Gorloks are sporting a 13-6 overall record and an 11-1 mark in the SLIAC, while Fontbonne comes into the game having won seven consecutive games as the Griffins are 11-8 overall and 10-2 in the league.
Webster, who is in the midst of its longest win streak since winning 18 consecutive games during the 2001-02 season, began its current nine game win streak with an 83-72 home win over Fontbonne to open the New Year and the Gorloks haven't lost a league game since suffering an 89-82 loss in overtime at home against Spalding to open league play on Dec. 5. Meanwhile, Fontbonne has won 10 of its last 14 games since the beginning of December and hasn't lost a game since suffering back-to-back losses to open the New Year at both Webster (82-73) and at Spalding (80-49). In fact, since the loss at Spalding, the Griffins have reeled off seven straight wins, including picking up an impressive 78-70 win on Saturday at Greenville to sweep the season series with the Panthers for the first time 2012.
Wednesday's game will be the second of two match-ups this season between the two schools located on Big Bend Blvd. as both teams opened the 2020 calendar year with a game at Grant Gymnasium on the Webster campus on Jan. 4.
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At a Glance
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For the second time this season conference and cross-town rivals, Fontbonne University, and Webster University will face each other in the 'Battle of Big Bend'. This week's SLIAC Game of the Week features the top two teams in SLIAC Women's Basketball standings.
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| Fontbonne University 'GRIFFINS' |
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Fontbonne brings a seven-game winning streak into the game, upping their record to 11-8 overall and 10-2 in the SLIAC. The Griffins are coming off a 78-70 win over Greenville, marking their first regular-season sweep of the Panthers since 2012.
As a team, the Griffins are averaging 67.8 points per game this season, although they have increased their scoring output to 76.9 points per game during their current winning streak. The Griffins are knocking down 8.4 three's per game, tops in the SLIAC, and are 3rd in steals (12.3).
Rylee Stafford is one of the top players in the league and is averaging 15.8 points per game, leading the SLIAC with 53 three's, and ranking in the top 5 in steals as well. Athletic forward Raven Venegas is averaging 11.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 52-percent from the field. Sophomore guard Kourtney White runs the offense and is averaging 8.6 points per game while dishing out a team-high 52 assists.
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| Webster University 'GORLOKS' |
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Webster is on a league-best nine-game winning streak and sits at 13-6 overall and 11-1 in the SLIAC.
The Gorloks are the league's top-scoring team (77.5 ppg) and are connecting on 36-percent of their three-point shots while also leading the league with 14.0 steals per game.
Sophomore forward Addison Beussink (Jackson, Mo./Saxony Lutheran) is averaging 14.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season to lead the Gorloks in both categories. Senior guard Jaysea Morgan (Fisk, Mo./Twin Rivers), who was this week's SLIAC Player of the Week, is averaging a career-high 12.5 points per game this season and is in the top five in the SLIAC in both assists (63) and steals (52), while junior guard Naomi Johnson (St. Louis, Mo./Greenville University) continues the Gorlok depth, which is evident in that 10 players average double-digit minutes. Johnson is averaging 10.9 points per game and has knocked down a team-best 27 three's while shooting 44-percent from long-range.
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| Series History |
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Fontbonne leads the all-time series against Webster 42-24 although Webster has won each of the last six meetings, including posting an 83-72 win back on Jan. 4 in the first meeting this season.
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