The Webster University men’s basketball team tangled with the second-ranked NCAA III team in the nation, coming up just short. The resilient Gorloks lost, 84-80, to Illinois Wesleyan, on November 29 at Grant Gymnasium. Junior Willie Trimble (Riverside CC, CA) led the Gorloks with 20 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds.

The determined Gorloks hung close with the aptly named Titans till midway through the first half. A spell of cold shooting and turnovers contributed to a four-point Gorlok deficit at the 11:00 mark, ballooning to a 44-23 halftime lead for Wesleyan.

A 14-4 run by Webster to open the second-half cut the lead to 11, but a Titan 3-pointer took the steam out of the Gorlok surge. Wesleyan had shot a blistering 57% from the 3-point line in the first half, hitting eight of 14 in building its lead. Webster still trailed by 12 with 5:22 remaining in the game when the Gorloks began chipping away at the lead.

Back to back jumpers by Jarrod Huskey (FR, Hillsboro HS, MO) and a jumper by Trimble cut the Wesleyan lead to six. Trimble hit consecutive 3-pointers to cut the lead to three with forty-three seconds left in the game. The Titans finally secured the win with a pair of free throws that gave them a four-point lead with :10 remaining in the contest.

Webster highlights were all over the box score. Trimble gave the Gorlok faithful some oohs and aahs with a dunk, and coast-to-coast twisting layup off a steal. Huskey scored 19 points on 9-11 shooting from the field and had three blocked shots. Nick Jones (SR, Heritage HS, IL) had 17 points and four steals. Drew Moore (SR, Northwest HS) had three blocked shots, eight points, five assists, and six rebounds.

Webster shot 66% from the field in the second-half, outscoring the Titans, 57-40. The Gorloks are now 2-1 on the season. They travel to Jacksonville, IL, to take on MacMurray College on December 1 to open play in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Webster returns home on December 4 to face Eureka College (IL).