Webster University’s women’s basketball team lost to the Spalding University Golden Eagles Wednesday, ending their playoff hopes. The Gorloks entered the game tied with Spalding with a 9-7 conference record in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) standings, but the loss mathematically keeps them out of the conference tournament.
The Gorloks got off to a fast start, opening up a 23-11 lead by the end of the first quarter A turnover-plagued second quarter allowed the Golden Eagles to find a way back into the game. Webster asserted control again in the third quarter, establishing a 10-point lead, but squandered it in the fourth and allowed Spalding to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Spalding took control of the game with a 7-0 run in overtime, and secured a 76-71 victory. Webster Coach Jordan Olufson said he attributes the loss to a mindset issue.
“I thought we came out and kind of played to win,” Olufson said. “And as we got up and down the stretch, we kinda played not to lose, which is really bad down the stretch. I don’t know if it was the pressure or what, but it got to us.”
Sophomore guard Kelsey Miller lead the Gorloks with 18 points including four of seven in three-point attempts, and also tallied three rebounds and five assists. Olufson highlighted her performance as one of the night’s bright spots.
“Kelsey played a heck of a ballgame tonight,” Olufson said. “The first half she got open, and the second half they adjusted and did a better job of not letting her get open touches.”
Miller’s three-point play gave the Gorloks the lead in overtime, but would prove to be the last points Webster scored. The Gorloks are now a game behind Spalding and Eureka for a tournament berth with one game remaining in SLIAC play.
“It comes down to tiebreakers,” Olufson said. “I feel confident in this group, this is a group that can beat anybody in the country, it just depends whether or not they’re going to show up every night.”
The Gorloks will finish the regular season Feb. 20 against Iowa Wesleyan, who are 12-5 in the SLIAC and 17-7 overall.
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