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BOX SCORE)
Up 11 points with 10 minutes remaining in the game, everybody in Grant Gymnasium knew that it wasn't going to be a runaway victory for the Webster.
But when the plays needed to made down the stretch, it was the Gorloks produced when times got tough and Webster scored 15 of the last 21 points to secure the 84-76 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory.
Maryville took the lead thanks to a 15-3 spurt over the middle parts of the second half. However, head coach Chris Bunch refrained from calling a timeout. The confidence was rewarded as seniors
Josue Whitcomb and
Ryan Turk hit back-to-back jumpers to give Webster the lead for good. In addition to the big basket, Whitcomb grabbed two critical offensive rebounds in the waning minutes to keep possessions alive.
Webster took control of the contest by scoring 12 of 15 points during a three-minute stretch late in the first half, boosting a three-point advantage to 12. A putback at the buzzer allowed the Saints to trail by just 10 at the half.
While its the career-high 20 points that will get most of the publicity, it was the effort on the other end of the court in which senior
Steve Hrdlicka had the biggest impact. The senior forward held Maryville's leading scorer to just seven points, nearly half of his season output. The Saints marksman also led the team with 50 three-pointers on the season, an average of almost four per game, but was limited to two.
Turk, the reigning SLIAC Player of the Week, added 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals as the Gorloks inched closer to .500. Fellow senior
Luke Niebrugge added 11 points in the win.
Webster (6-7 overall, 3-2 SLIAC) will host Eureka Saturday to conclude a five-game homestand. The athletic department and SAAC will be accepting monetary donations and new shoes to benefit Samaritan's Feet. In addition, head coach Chris Bunch will be coaching without shoes for the event.
NOTES
- Steve Hrdlicka set a new career scoring high for the second time in two games. He is coming off a then-career best 18.
- Webster shot better than 50 percent for the second consecutive game.
QUOTES
Head Coach Chris Bunch
on the double digit lead midway through the second half
"I knew it wouldn't be that easy. I knew they had a run in them; we hit a stretch where they started hitting us on the inside. We did what we needed to do down the stretch."
on this victory
"With Maryville going D2, and leaving the conference, so it probably its last time in the gym - so that makes it more special ... (Winning at home) is very important since we lost the game to MacMurray. We need to win our home games if we can. Every conference game is tough. Every road game is tough."
