The Webster University men's basketball team won the Consolation game of the its Webster Classic with a 76-67 win over Centre College (KY), on November 25 at Grant Gymnasium.  A second half run fueled by freshmen hot hands Nigel Wilcox and Christian Crespo lifted the Gorloks to victory.

Wilcox (Alpharetta, GA/Centennial) wound up with his first collegiate double-double, scoring a team-high 20 points and grabbing a team-high 13 rebounds.  Wilcox would score 18 of those points in the second half.  Crespo (Royal Palm Beach, FL/Royal Palm Beach) finished with 18 points also, with 10 coming in the second half.

Josh Johnson (SO, St. Louis, MO/Clayton) got the Gorloks on the board with a three-pointer to start the game, and his second one would give Webster an 8-4 lead.  But the Colonels battled back to take a four-point lead of their own at 16-12, then extended it to 19-12 before Webster took a timeout.  A Wilcox jumper out of the timeout, and a basket by Enrique Tankins (SO, Wentzville, MO/Timberland) prompted a timeout by Centre as the Gorloks closed to 19-16.

A Colonel three-pointer was answered with a three and lay up by Crespo to tie the game at 21-21.  After a 5-0 run by Centre, Crespo nailed another three for his seventh straight point, as Webster trailed, 26-24.  A 10-footer by Tankins made it a 32-30 lead for Centre at the half.

Webster shot 48% (13-27) for the half, shooting 50% (4-8) from beyond the arc.  The Gorloks and Colonels each had 17 rebounds, but Webster committed an uncustomary 10 turnovers in the half.

In the second half, Wilcox hit his first three shots to help give Webster a 38-34 lead.  Centre would tie it at 44-44, as the teams traded baskets over the next 10 minutes.  A three-pointer by Elijah Macias (FR, San Antonio, TX/Medina Valley) gave the Gorloks a 65-63 lead with 6:02 remaining.  A three-pointer by Crespo, as the 30-second clock was about to expire, gave the Gorloks a 68-63 lead at 5:13. 

Another basket by Wilcox opened up a six-point lead, 70-64, at 3:38.  The Gorloks held off the Colonels down the stretch and canned their free throws as they picked up their second win on the season, 76-67.

Wilcox finished 9-12 (75%) from the field and Crespo was 7-9 (77.7%).  Wilcox, who scored 32 points in the tournament, with 17 rebounds, was named to the All-Tournament Team.  Johnson hit double figures in scoring as well, with 10 points, and Tankins had eight points,  seven rebounds, and a game-high and team season-high 10 assists.  Rodson Etienne (FR, West Palm Beach, FL/Royal Palm Beach) had seven points and seven rebounds.

Webster wound up shooting 50% (31-62) for the game, hitting a sizzling 72% of its shots in the second half.  The Gorloks won the battle of the boards as well, with a 36-24 edge, 19-7 in the second half.

Centre, located in Danville, KY, and a member of the Southern Athletic Association, are now 1-3 on the year.  Carthage College defeated Coe College, 83-72, in the championship.  The Webster Classic All-Tournament Team was announced afterward.

Bailey Rakes, Centre College
Nigel Wilcox, Webster University
Spencer Williams, Coe College
Tommy Hook, Coe College
Brad Kruse, Carthage College
Jordan Thomas, Carthage - Most Valuable Player

Webster is 2-3 overall and travels to Fulton, MO, to take on Westminster College to open the 2017-18 SLIAC schedule.  The Gorloks are back home on December 2 to host Principia College (IL).