WEBSTER GROVES - Webster University used balanced scoring as seven players scored at least seven points, including three double-digit scorers en route to posting an 82-60 win over over No. 4 seeded Eureka College in a semifinal round game of the 2021 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament at Grant Gymnasium on the Webster campus. 

With Friday's victory, the two-time reigning SLIAC regular season champion Gorloks will look to take home its second consecutive SLIAC Tournament title and third title in the last four years as they host No. 2 seeded Westminster for the championship on Saturday, April 10 at 7 p.m. Westminster earned its spot in the championship game following an 86-82 overtime time in Fulton, Mo., against third-seeded Greenville University in Friday's other semifinal game. 

The Gorloks will look to become the first women's team to repeat as the SLIAC Tournament champions since Spalding won back-to-back tournament titles in 2014 and 2015 with a win in Saturday's championship game. Westminster will be looking for its first tournament title since winning the second of its consecutive titles in 2013. 

Webster pushed its win streak to 11 consecutive games overall and extended its homecourt win streak to 18 games, which is the fifth longest active streak in NCAA Division III women's basketball and moved its record to 11-1 on the season, while Eureka closes the 2020-21 campaign with a 7-8 record. The current 11 game win streak by Webster is the fifth longest active in the Division III.

The Gorloks scoring output was led by a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds from junior forward Addison Beussink (Jackson, Mo./Saxony Lutheran), who was named a First-Team All-SLIAC selection and was named to the All-Defensive Team, while sophomore forward Julie Baudendistel (St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh), who was named the SLIAC Player of the Year earlier in the day on Friday, added 13 points, while junior guard Hannah Cottrell (Steelville, Mo./Steelville), who was a Third-Team All-SLIAC selection on Friday, had 11 points in the win. Two Gorloks finished with nine points as junior guard Lauryn Freeman (Fort Worth, Texas/Timber Creek) and senior guard Kiara Rhines (Glendale, Ariz./Ironwood) each had nine points, while freshman guard Jordyn Grimes (St. Louis, Mo./Fort Zumwalt North) had eight points and senior guard Naomi Johnson (St. Louis, Mo./Greenvile University) had seven points and five steals before fouling out. 

After a first quarter that saw the two teams make 12 of its 21 shots and shot a combined 57.1 percent from the field that helped give the Gorloks an 18-15 lead after the opening 10 minutes, the Gorloks took control of the contest in the middle two quarters as they outscored the Red Devils, 50-24, to hold a 68-39 lead heading into the final quarter. 

The Gorloks opened the second quarter on an 11-3 run to push its lead to 29-18 just a little over three minutes into the quarter. After Olivia Falls stopped Webster's run with a lay-up, the Gorloks would close the quarter on a 15-5 to take a 44-27 lead at the half. The run was capped by back-to-back baskets from Cottrell, who scored eight of her 13 points in the quarter. The Gorloks strong quarter was aided by 14 Eureka turnovers that led to 17 of its 26 points in the period. 

In the third quarter, the Gorloks shot 56 percent from the field and outscored Eureka 24-12, including using a 13-2 run in the opening four minutes of the period to push out to a 57-32 lead after a free throw by Grimes. After EC scored five straight points to cut Webster's lead to 57-37, the Gorloks would close the quarter on an 11-2 run, including capping the run on a three-pointer by Baudendistel, to hold a 68-39 advantage going to the fourth quarter. Rhines and Beussink combined for 13 points in the quarter for the Gorloks. 

Eureka would open the scoring in the fourth quarter on a lay-up by Alaina Vance to cut WU's lead to 68-41, before the Gorloks used baskets by junior guard Amaya Baker (McDonough, Ga./Union Grove) and Freeman to push its lead to 31 points at 72-41 with 8:52 left in the game. That 31 point lead would be the largest of the game for the Gorloks. 

Following Freeman's lay-up, the Red Devils would score 19 of the game's final 29 points to cut Webster's final winning margin to 82-60 as Eureka would outscore the Gorloks, 21-14 in the quarter. 

Falls led the way for Eureka as she tallied 17 points and added seven rebounds, while Marissa Murphy added nine points and Abby Stotler tallied eight points in the loss. 

The Gorloks finished the game shooting 48 percent from the field, but just 29 percent (2-for-7) from the 3-point line, while Eureka shot 50 percent from the field and 57 percent (8-for-14) from the 3-point line. Four Eureka's eight made treys came in the first quarter. 

Webster was outrebounded 30-29, but they held a 14-9 edge in offensive boards as the Gorloks had an 18-5 advantage in second chance points. 

The Gorloks forced Eureka into 35 turnovers that led to 39 points and they collected 19 steals, including five from Johnson and three each from Beussink and Rhines. Webster committed 19 turnovers and Eureka scored 20 points off those turnovers. 

Another big difference on the night was at the free throw line as Webster shot 18 more free throws than Eureka and made nine more free throws than they shot as Webster was 22-for-31, while Eureka was 8-for-13 at the line. The teams combined for 38 fouls as two players fouled out and three more players had four fouls on the night.