The Webster University men's basketball team lost at Spalding University, 61-58, on January 6 in Louisville, KY. The 'young' Gorloks, featuring a heavy rotation of three sophomores and four freshmen, found how tough life on the road can be as a 16-point Webster first half lead wasn't enough as the Golden Eagles fought back for the win.
Webster fell behind for the first time in the contest with seven minutes remaining in the second, and trailed by four with 18 seconds left. A Michael Dunn (SR, Tallahassee, FL/Lawton Chiles) three-pointer pulled the Gorloks within one at 59-58. The Golden Eagles, who hit their free throws down the stretch, added two more for a three-point lead. Webster had the ball with five seconds to go, with a chance to tie, but couldn't get off a shot.
The Gorloks opened up a 14-2 lead by the 13:45 mark in the first half, with Josh Johnson (SO, St. Louis, MO/Clayton) supplying seven of the points. A layup by Enrique Tankins (SO, Wentzville, MO/Timberland) gave Webster a 20-6 lead at 11:58, and Rodson Etienne (FR, West Palm Beach, FL/Royal Palm Beach) made it 22-6 with a layup at 10:17. But the Golden Eagles chipped away with a 13-6 run, cutting the deficit to 26-19, at 5:40.
A jumper by Christian Crespo (FR, Royal Palm Beach, FL/Royal Palm Beach) extended Webster's lead to 30-19 at 4:49 but Spalding outscored the Gorloks the final 3:30 minutes, 11-5. Webster settled for a 35-30 halftime lead. The Gorloks shot 55.6% (15-27) for the half, and Johnson had nine points and Crespo eight.
The Gorloks couldn't shake off the Golden Eagles in the second half as they stayed in striking distance throughout before finally tying the game with a three-pointer, at 8:01, before taking their first lead of the game, 54-52. Spalding was sharp from the three-point line, having made nine of 20 attempts (45%). With the Golden Eagles leading, 56-52, with 6:42 on the clock, both teams went 4 1/2 minutes without scoring before a Spalding free throw at 2:15 made it 57-52.
Davian Joseph (SR, Philadelphia, PA/Lewis & Clark CC) hit a jumper at 1:50 and Johnson hit a free throw at 1:15 to close the Gorloks within two at 57-55. Spalding hit a pair of free throws with 18 seconds remaining for a 59-55 lead before Dunn's, Webster's lone starting senior, three-pointer. Spalding finished 10-13 from the free throw line, while Webster only got the the line eight times in the game, making five.
The Gorloks shot just 31% (9-29) in the second half and were just 5-19 (26.3%) from beyond the arc for the game. The Golden Eagles finished 9-23 (39.1%) from the three-point line.
Tankins had eight points, and team-highs with 10 rebounds and five assists. Dunn and Johnson each finished with 12 points for Webster. Crespo also reached double figures with 10 points on the afternoon.
Webster is 3-3 in the SLIAC and 6-7 overall. Spalding is now 3-3 and 5-7.
Webster will travel to Jacksonville, IL, on January 10 to play MacMurray College and will be back home on January 13 when it hosts Blackburn College at Grant Gym.
