WEBSTER GROVES - Webster University picked the right time to pick up its defensive intensity as the Gorloks used a strong defensive effort here Saturday evening as the Gorloks held 3rd-seeded Spalding University to 32 percent shooting from the field and an 0-for-12 effort from the 3-point line en route to posting a 65-51 win over the Golden Eagles in the championship game of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament at Grant Gymnasium.

With the victory, Webster extends its win streak to seven straight games and earns its fourth all-time SLIAC Tournament and second in the league three years. In addition, the win also secures league's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament that begins next weekend.

Saturday's win improved Webster's record to 20-7 on the season and the 20 wins are tied for the third most in program history as the 2017-18 squad also won 20 games and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. 

"This team really bought in. We're still really young and it took us some time to buy in to what we were doing and playing collectively together," Webster head women's basketball coach Jordan Olufson said following his third SLIAC Tournament title as Webster's coach. "We guarded the ball today and kept them (Spalding) in front of us. They went 0-of-12 from the 3-point line and we just did a good job with our defensive assignments."

While its defense played a tremendous role in Webster's win, the Gorloks offense put three players in double figures as senior guard Jaysea Morgan (Fisk, Mo./Twin Rivers) led the way with a game high 15 points and added six steals to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team. In addition to Morgan, sophomore forward Addison Beussink (Jackson, Mo./Saxony Lutheran) added 11 points and six rebounds to also earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team and sophomore guard Lauryn Freeman (Fort Worth, Texas/Timber Creek) chipped in with 11 points off the bench. 

Since the beginning of the 2020 calendar year, the Gorloks have posted a 16-1 record with the lone loss being a 67-58 setback at Fontbonne on Feb. 5. In fact, that was just one of Webster's two losses in league play as the Gorloks also lost its league opener at home in overtime to Spalding. 

The Golden Eagles, who have now finished as the SLIAC Tournament runners-up the past two seasons, opened Saturday's game by pushing out to a 12-7 lead just a little over five minutes into the contest. After Spalding's run, the Gorloks used a 10-4 run capped by a Freeman lay-up to take a 17-16 lead with 28 seconds left, but the Golden Eagles used a basket by Megan Goeing with six seconds left to hold a n 18-17 lead after the opening 10 minutes. 

In the second period, the teams combined for five ties as Webster outscored Spalding, 14-11 to to take a 31-29 lead at the half. In the period, the two teams combined to shoot 7-for-25 (28 percent) from the field as Webster shot 35 percent from the field and Splading shot 18 percent from the field. In addition, both teams combined to go 0-11 from the 3-point line. 

After Spalding opened the scoring the third period on a basket by Hunter Wright to tie the score at 31, the Gorloks used a 9-2 run to push its lead to 40-33 with 6:45 left in the period. The Golden Eagles would score five of the next eight points to pull within 43-38, but Webster closed the period on a 4-1 run to hold a 47-39 lead heading into the fourth period.

The fourth period beloged to the Gorloks as they outscored Spalding, 18-12, as they held the Golden Eagles to 27 percent shooting from the field and an 0-2 effort from the 3-point line and forced nine turnovers. While Webster's defense was strong in the period, it's offense would shoot 50 percent from the field and score 18 points. 

In the period, Webster would score 11 of the first 15 points to push its lead to 54-42 with 7:48 left in the game. After baskets from Goeing and Maleh Hirn brought Splading within eight at 54-46, the Gorloks would score nine of the final 14 points to set the final margin, including using two free throws from sophomore guard Hannah Cottrell (Steelville. Mo./Steelville) with 42 seconds left to give Webster its largest lead of the game at 65-51. 

Hirn paced Spalding with 11 points, while Goeing added nine points and Wright chipped in with eight points and nine rebounds. 

The Gorloks shooting wasn't much better than Spalding's as they shot 42 percent from the field and 18 percent (2-for-11) from the 3-point line. 

Webster was outrebounded 35-24 as along with Beussink's six boards, junior forward Darieana Hunter (Norman, Okla./Norman) added six points and a eight points off the bench. 

The Gorloks forced Spalding into 27 turnovers that led to 20 points and the teams combined for seven blocks and Webster committed 18 turnovers in the win. 

Saturday's game was marred by fouls as the teams combined for 46 fouls and shot a combined 50 free throws as Webster was 19-for-26 (73 percent) at the line and Spalding went 19-for-24 (79 percent) at the line. 

Beussink and Morgan were joined on the All-Tournament Team by Spalding's Hirn, Spalding's Allison Just and Fontbonne's Mallory Proffer.

The Gorloks will learn their postseason destination and opponent on Monday, March 2 as the NCAA will unveil the 64 team Division III Women's Tournament field at 1:30 p.m. The team will hold a watch party for the selection show in the Library Conference Room.