GREENCASTLE, Ind. – Webster University will return to the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament for the second time in the last three years here Friday evening as the Gorloks will face No. 3 ranked DePauw University in the first round of the 2020 NCAA Division III Tournament. Tip-off for Friday's first round game is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST at Raymond "Gaumey" Neal Fieldhouse on the campus of DePauw University.
 
The Gorloks, who are sporting 20-7 overall record and took home both the regular season and postseason St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships this season, will be making its fifth all-time NCAA Tournament appearance when its steps on the court Friday evening and its first since 2018. Overall, Webster is 2-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with both of those wins coming in 2002 when the Gorloks advanced to the third round of the tournament. In its most recent NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018, the Gorloks fell 86-45 to Wartburg in the first round.
 
"We are very excited about our opportunity we have to compete. This team has put in a lot of preparation and now we just need to keep doing what've down all year," Webster head coach Jordan Olufson said following his team's practice Thursday at DePauw.
 
Webster comes into Friday's NCAA Tournament contest having won seven consecutive games and 16 of its last 17 games overall with the lone loss being a 67-58 setback at Fontbonne University on Feb. 6. That loss to Fontbonne snapped a season high nine game win streak for the Gorloks. In fact, since suffering an 89-82 overtime loss at home to Spalding to open SLIAC play on Dec. 5, the Gorloks have posted an 18-3 record with other two losses coming at Whittier (74-59) and Pomona-Pitzer (66-65) to close its regular season non-conference schedule on Dec. 28 and Dec. 30 respectively.
 
Meanwhile, Webster's opponent, DePauw, comes into the NCAA Tournament having won 23 consecutive games and is sporting a 27-1 overall record with lone loss coming at Wisconsin Lutheran, 70-63, on Nov. 23. The 23 game win streak is the third longest active streak in Division III women's basketball. In fact, DePauw is three teams in Division III that have won 27 games this season and one of three teams that has lost at least one game with other one loss teams being Oglethorpe, who is also 27-1 and Tufts, who is 26-1 on the year. Both Oglethorpe and Tufts are playing in the NCAA Tournament this season.
 
Along with winning 27 of its 28 games this season, DePauw, who earned the automatic bid from the North Coast Athletic Conference following its 66-47 win over Denison in the championship game of the NCAC Tournament, have also won 20 straight games on its home floor, including posting an 11-0 record at home this season. The 20 game home court win streak is tied for the fourth longest active streak in Division III. DePauw hasn't lost a home game since falling last season to Thomas More 71-56 in the championship game of the Amy Hasbrook Memorial Tournament.
 
Webster comes into the NCAA Tournament as one of the top defensive teams in Division III as the Gorloks are allowing 63.8 points per game and holding opponents to 39.7 percent shooting from the field and 25.7 percent from the 3-point line and are forcing 26 turnovers per game, which is eighth in Division III. In addition, the Gorloks are 13th in Division III in steals per game (14.0) and they have five players that have collected 40 or more steals, including three players with 50 or more steals.
 
While its defense continues to be a strength, this year's Gorloks team enters the NCAA Tournament with an offense that is very formidable as they are averaging 79.1 points per game and have scored 80 or more points in 16 games, including topping the century two times and during its current seven game win streak, the Gorloks are averaging 86.6 points per game and are allowing 61.3 points per contest. Offensively, Webster is ninth in Division III in scoring, second in assists per game (20.0), fifth in field goal percentage (46.3 percent), 22nd in 3-point field goal percentage (35.1 percent) and have a +15.3 scoring margin. The Gorloks are 17-1 this season when shooting over 45 percent from the field, including being 6-0 when shooting over 50 percent from the floor.
 
Leading the way for the Gorloks coming into the NCAA Tournament are sophomore forward Addison Beussink (Jackson, Mo./Saxony Lutheran) and senior guard Jaysea Morgan (Fisk, Mo./Twin Rivers).
 
Beussink leads the team in both scoring (13.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.4 rpg) and is shooting 52 percent from the field and 78 percent at the free throw line and has scored in double figures in four consecutive games and nine times in her last 13 games and leads the team with six double-doubles, while Morgan is second in scoring at 13.1 points per game, but is third in rebounding at 3.6 boards per game and leads the team and the SLIAC in steals (77) and is fourth in the league in assists with 90 and has a 1.4 assist/turnover ratio. Morgan has scored in double figures in six of her last games and 17 times in her last 22 games and is ninth among active Division III players in career steals with a school record 276 and has scored 1,051 career points, which is seventh on the school's all-time charts.
 
During Webster's current seven game win streak, Morgan, who was named the SLIAC Defensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-SLIAC selection, and Beussink, who was a Third-Team All-SLIAC performer, are averaging nearly 29 points per game and 11 rebounds per game as Morgan is averaging 15.4 points and 3.3 rebounds, while Beussink is averaging 12.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
 
The Gorloks' other two double-digit scorers entering the NCAA Tournament are junior guard Naomi Johnson (St. Louis, Mo./Greenville University) and freshman forward Julie Baudendistel (St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh). Johnson is averaging 11.2 points and 2.8 assists per game and is shooting 49 percent from the field and 40 percent from the 3-point line and leads the team with 42 made treys, while Baudendistel, who has scored in double figures in six of her last nine games, is averaging 10.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 50 percent from the field and 45 percent from the 3-point line.
 
Much like Webster, the Tigers are strong on the defensive end of the floor are they are allowing just 53 points per game and have held 20 of their 28 opponents to less than 60 points, including entering the NCAA Tournament holding six consecutive foes under 56 points, including allowing just 38 points to Ohio Wesleyan in the semifinals of the NCAC Tournament. The Tigers also are outrebounding its foes by a +13.7 margin and have a +15.4 scoring margin. While its defense has been strong, DePauw is efficient on offense as they are averaging 68.4 points per game and are shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from the 3-point line and are making 5.8 treys per game and turn the ball over just 14.6 times per game.

"DePauw is a really good team. They are physical on the boards, can score and are also physical on defense," the Webster coach said about DePauw. "We have our hands full and this will be a true test and a full team effort."
 
The Tigers, who are making its 17th consecutive and 21st all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, are paced by the play of senior guard Sydney Kopp. Kopp, who was named the NCAC Player of the Year and is a three-time First-Team All-NCAC selection, is averaging 22.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game and is shooting 43 percent from the field, 37 percent from the 3-point line and 81 percent at the free throw line. She is the school's all-time scoring leader with 1,704 points and also holds school career marks for field goals made (607) scoring average (14.7 ppg) and 3-point field goals made (237).
 
In addition to Kopp, the only other Tiger player that is averaging in double figures is junior forward Claire Keefe. Keefe, who was a Second-Team All-NCAC performer this season, is averaging 11.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game and has recorded four double-doubles, including a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds in the NCAC Tournaent title game win over Denison and has scored 20 or more points in four games.
 
DePauw is coached by Kris Huffman and she is in her 27th season with the Tigers and was honored as the NCAC Coach of the Year this season for the fourth time and has earned 13 all-time conference coach of the year honors and was the WBCA Division III Coach of the Year in both 2002 and 2013 and the D3Hoops.com Coach of the Year in 2007 and 2013. In her time at DePauw, Huffman has recorded a 648-128 overall record.
 
The Tigers are 33-18 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and won Division III national titles in 2007 and 2013. DePauw's current 17 year stretch of making the NCAA Tournament is the longest active streak in Division III. Last season, DePauw defeated Loras, 78-54 in the first round at Wisconsin-Oshkosh and then fell to Oshkosh, 54-52 in the second round.
 
Friday's game will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two schools as DePauw has won four of those five previous meetings, including a 94-51 win at Webster in the most recent meeting on Dec. 20, 2006.

Prior to the Webster-DePauw game on Friday, the first game of the DePauw pod will feature 11th-ranked Loras College (24-3) facing Wisconsin-La Crosse (19-7) at 5 p.m. ET. Loras, who earned an at-large berth in the tournament after finishing as runners-up in the American Rivers Conference Tournament to Wartburg College as the DuHawks fell 67-54 to Wartburg in the title games, is making its second consecutive and fifth all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and is 0-4 all-time in the tournament, while Wisconsin-La Crosse is making its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2011 and is 5-4 all-time in the tournament, but hasn't played an NCAA Tournament game since falling to Wisconsin Lutheran in a first round in Bloomington, Ill., in 2011.
 
The winners of Friday's first round games at Neal Fieldhouse will advance to a second round game at 7 p.m. ET The winner of that game will advance to the sectional round next weekend.
 
Tickets will be available at the door on a cash-only basis and are $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Children ages 2 and under will be admitted free of charge.