ST. LOUIS, Mo. – A young The W women's basketball lineup – still looking to establish its identity this season – had a tough day at the office versus St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) leader, and three-time defending champion, Webster University on Saturday afternoon, falling 80-57, at Grant Gym. The Owls, 1-6 (0-3 SLIAC), were denied their first league win of the season, while the Gorloks, 7-0 (3-0 SLIAC) remained perfect on the conference.
 
The first quarter proved to be a foreshadowing of what was to come for the Owls versus their unbeaten hosts, as Webster scored the first six points of the game. The W's first field goal came with 4:10 left in the opening stanza, on a three-pointer from Conley Langford that made it 10-6.
 
MUW trailed 23-9 after the first and quickly found itself down by 18 early in the second. But the Owls would go on an 9-0 run to cut the deficit to single digits, 29-20, with 7:47 left in the second, thanks to a steal and layup by Calysia Phillips.
 
Unfortunately for The W, after that flurry MUW went ice cold for the next four minutes. That resulted in a 16-0 Webster skein and another healthy lead, 45-20. WC took a 53-27 advantage into the halftime locker room.
 
The Owls were not able to slice the margin in the second half, as the Gorloks maintained their comfortable cushion.
 
The W was led by Zia Shields, who came off of the bench to tally a team-leading 18 points. Shields made 6-of-13 from the field, including a pair of treys. She also grabbed five rebounds and made three steals.
 
Senior guard Conley Langford booked 14 points, 12 of which came in the first half. Langford was 4-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-8 from the free throw stripe. She also snagged six rebounds on her ledger, while dishing off two of her team's four assists.
 
Phillips, the team's leading scorer, chipped in 11 points in spite of missing much of the second quarter after an injury sent her to the locker room. Despite that fact, she still had a game-high seven steals to her credit.
 
Reshya Hudson had a team-leading seven rebounds. Aaliyah Moody added five caroms, as well.
 
The W will next square off versus regional foe Belhaven University for a non-conference bout on Thursday (Dec. 12/6 p.m.) in Jackson.