Westminster Women's Basketball Win First-Ever SLIAC Tournament, NCAA Berth

Fulton, Mo. – The Westminster College women's basketball team earned its first-ever bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament by defeating Eureka College 60-54 in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) tournament championship game Saturday evening. It is the first-ever SLIAC tournament title for the Blue Jays (22-4).

Westminster fell behind by seven points early in the first half. But, with 3:35 left in the first half the Blue Jays took their first lead and never trailed, taking a 28-24 advantage into intermission. Westminster held its largest lead at 49-38 with 6:42 left in the game and withstood a late Eureka rally.

Westminster's Rachel Backes, who was named Tournament Most Valuable Player, scored 13 points and grabbed three rebounds. Liz Klaffenbach recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds to join Backes on the all-tournament team. And, Heather Letourneau finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Khassandrae Brown finished with a game-high 17 points and 19 rebounds to lead Eureka (21-5). Teammate Caty Eeten added 16 points and four blocks, and Sara Hamilton chipped in with nine points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.

The national tournament field and the locations of host sites will be announced Monday.

All-Tournament Team
MVP-Rachel Backes, Westminster
Liz Klaffenbach, Westminster
Caty Eeten, Eureka
Khassandrae Brown, Eureka
Shelby Ellison, Fontbonne
Courtney Pursley, Webster

Courtesy Westminster College (Mo.) sports information