Westminster (13-12) entered the conference tournament as the fourth seed, but appeared unbeatable Thursday, jumping out to a 40-28 lead at intermission. The Blue Jays shot 54 percent from the field and held Blackburn (14-11) to 37 percent shooting in avenging two regular-season losses to Blackburn. Robert Davis recorded a double-double for Westminster, finishing with 30 points and 13 rebounds. Andrew Buxton added 15 points and grabbed six rebounds. Landon Kurz finished with 15 points, going 3-of-7 from 3-point range for a Blue Jay team that has won five of its last six games. Zak Allan led Blackburn with 16 points.
Tournament Notes: Second-seeded Maryville (17-8) advanced to the title game with an 82-76 win over third-seeded Webster (12-14)…Maryville is making its second appearance in the tournament title game, having won the 1997 tournament title with a 79-75 overtime win over Blackburn…Westminster is making its third conference tournament title game appearance, grabbing the title in its last appearance in 1995 with an 82-72 victory over MacMurray College…Maryville and Westminster split the regular-season series, with Maryville winning at home 74-61 and Westminster winning at home 87-71.