Gorloks Wrap Up Regular Season Title
The Webster University women's basketball team was back in action this afternoon when they traveled to Elsah, Illinois, to take on the Principia (Ill.) College Panthers for a SLIAC matchup. The Gorloks defeated the Panthers by a final score of 79-66 to improve to 21-2 on the season and 11-1 in the SLIAC. With the loss, the Panthers drop to 11-10 on the year and 6-6 in the conference.
With the win this afternoon, the Gorloks have solidified their fourth straight SLIAC Women's Basketball Regular Season Title and the top seed in the SLIAC Tournament. This marks the Gorloks' fifth SLIAC Regular Season Title in program history and the 100th SLIAC Championships for the Webster University Department of Athletics.
The Gorloks went 27-for-57 (47.4%) from the floor and 3-for-12 (25.0%) from behind the arc. They outrebounded the Panthers by a final count of 50-45 and pulled down 13 rebounds on the offensive end. They forced the Panthers to turn the ball over 18 times in the game and turned those turnovers into 21 points on the other end of the floor. Webster also dished out 20 assists in the game.
In the first quarter of the game, both sides came out and exchanged points early. The score remained close for most of the period, but Webster would take a 25-22 lead into the second. The Gorloks would pick it up to start the second and went on a 7-0 run in the first few minutes to extend their lead to 32-22. They continued to play well as the half progressed and extended their lead out to as many as 19 before taking a 45-28 lead into the break.
The Panthers came out of the locker room and started the third quarter on an 8-2 run to cut the Gorloks' lead to 11. Webster pushed their lead back to 18 in the period and would take a 63-48 lead into the fourth. Principia tried their best to get back into the game in the final frame, but Webster closed them out down the stretch to solidify their ninth straight win.
Emily Wilson led the way for the Gorloks as she finished with a season-high 24 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. She went a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and knocked down 10 of her 12 free throws in the game. Bethany Lancaster also had a nice game as she finished with 17 points and nine rebounds. In addition, Julie Baudendistel added 15 points and Nysa Gilchrist dished out a team-high four assists.
The Gorloks will return home on Wednesday, February 15th when they host the Blackburn (Ill.) College Beavers for a SLIAC matchup. The game is set to start at 5:30 p.m. in Grant Gymnasium.
STORY COURTESY OF WEBSTER UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
