Box Score The Webster University men's basketball team struggled, but came away with a much needed victory, 56-46, at Blackburn College on January 21.  The win left the Gorloks at 6-3 in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and in the thick of the race for a postseason conference tournament berth.

Webster led 22-20 at half.  The Gorloks were up, 16-9, with five minutes left in the half before a scoring 'outburst' by both teams led to the halftime score.  The contest shaped up as just the opposite of the women's game that preceded it, when 154 points were scored in Webster's 94-60 win. 

The Gorloks slowly built a lead to 10 points, 46-36, with 8:30 remaining in the second half.  The Beavers hung around and trailed, only 52-46, with just over a minute left in the contest.  In the end, Webster avoided the upset and lived up to the adage that any win on the road is a good one.

The Webster defense held Blackburn to 18-59 (31%) shooting from the field while the Gorloks shot 22-46 (48%) despite a 1-11 (9%) night from the three-point line.

Aaron Griffin (SR, Farm Haven, MS/Velma Jackson HS) once again led the Gorloks in scoring, dropping in 17 points on 7-9 shooting from the field, and 3-4 from the free throw line.  Griffin also led Webster with nine rebounds on the evening.

Hunter Ward (SO, St. Louis, MO/Kirkwood HS) had eight points, six rebounds, and a team-high five assists.  Danny Zehner (JR, St. Louis, MO/Oakville HS) came off the bench to score seven points and grab seven rebounds.

Webster was without the services of the team's leading scorer, Ahmad Smith (SR, St. Louis, MO/Clayton HS), who is nursing a leg injury suffered in the win over Fontbonne University on January 17.

The Gorloks came into the contest tied for fourth place in the SLIAC and wound up in a tie for third place with Eureka College (6-3).  Webster is one game behind MacMurray College (7-2) for the second place spot.  Spalding University sits atop the standings at 9-1.  The top four teams advance to the SLIAC Tournament, the winner of which advances to the NCAA III Tournament. 

Webster has won 15 of last 16 meetings vs. Blackburn, and now leads the all-time series vs. the Beavers in the SLIAC, 27-24.  Blackburn falls to 2-7 in the SLIAC and 3-13 overall.  The Gorloks are 10-6 overall on the season.

Webster returns home on January 24 as it hosts Westminster College at Grant Gym.  The Gorloks have a week off before hitting the road again, travelling to Jacksonville, IL, to take on MacMurray College on January 31.