JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Webster University used 56 percent shooting from the field in the second half here Thursday evening to hold off furious late rally from Illinois College en route to posting an 82-75 win over the Blueboys in the 2018-19 season opener for both teams at Sherman Gymnasium on the Illinois College campus.
 
Webster's second half charge was aided by a combined 23 points from junior guard Josh Johnson (St. Louis, Mo./Clayton) and junior forward Enrique Tankins (Wentzville, Mo./Timberland), including those two scoring 16 of WU's final 22 points. 
 
Johnson finished with a career-high 26 points and also had six rebounds, while Tankins tallied 14 points and had four boards to help Webster snap its four-game losing streak in season openers. Prior to Thursday's win over Illinois College, the Gorloks last season opening win came in 2013 as they earned an 85-55 win over Calumet College of St. Joseph. 
 
Johnson and Tankins' scoring flurry came after the Blueboys took its final lead of the game following a basket by Tim Parks with 7:02 left in the game. Parks' basket gave IC a 60-58 lead.
 
Following Parks' basket, sophomore guard/forward Rodson Etienne (West Palm Beach, Fla./Royal Palm Beach) tied the game at 60 with a lay-up with 6:34 left. And after both teams scored on lay-ups to tie the game at 62, Tankins hit a trey and Johnson followed with a trey about 42 seconds later to give WU a 68-62 lead with 4:53 left. Johnson pushed WU's lead to 70-62 after hitting two free throws with 4:05 remaining. 
 
The Blueboys would answer by scoring six of the next 10 points to pull within 72-68 with three minutes left. That would be as close as IC would get as Johnson would score five of the next seven WU points to give the Gorloks a 79-73 lead with 25 seconds left. WU's other basket in that stretch come on a tip-in from sophomore forward Nigel Wilcox (Alpharetta, Ga./Centennial). 
 
Michael Adams, who scored 11 points off the bench, brought IC within four with 17 seconds left, before Etienne completed the scoring on a dunk with seven seconds left. Etienne finished with six points and five boards in the win. All six of his points came in the second half.
 
IC was able to stay within striking distance throughout the game thanks to the 3-point shot as the Blueboys fired up 33 shots from long distance and hit 12 of them as they ended the game shooting 36 percent from the 3-point line. In the second half, IC hit seven treys and shot 39 percent from long distance after halftime.
 
Sean McDonald, one of IC's three returning starters from a season ago, paced the Blueboys offense as he scored 19 points, including going 5-for-8 from the 3-point line. McDonald also added seven boards. 
 
In addition to McDonald, Riley Mehrens had 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the 3-point line and Parks added 14 points as he was 2-for-3 from long distance. 
 
WU's third double-digit scorer was sophomore guard Elijah Macias (San Antonio, Texas/Medina Valley) as he finished with 10 points, including scoring eight of those in the first half to help WU to a 33-32 lead at the half. 
 
IC jumped to an 8-2 lead and led 10-5 when the Gorloks used a 13-0 run keyed by two 3-pointers from Macias and four points from junior guard Jordan Clay (St. Louis, Mo./Vashon). Clay had six points, five boards and three assists in his Webster debut after playing the last two seasons at Blackburn College.
 
The Blueboys, though, responded with a 13-4 run over a span of four-plus minutes to take a 23-22 lead following a lay-up by Trae Robinson III. WU answered right back with a 6-0 run capped by a lay-up from Johnson to give the Gorloks a 28-23 edge with 6:14 left in the first half. 
 
The Blueboys would come right back and score seven of the next nine points to tie the game at 30, before a free throw by Johnson and a lay-up by junior guard Blake Ferrell (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway South) in the final minute gave WU its one-point lead at the half.
 
Webster finished the game shooting 51 percent from the field and 44 percent from the 3-point line as they hit seven of their 16 3-point shot attempts. The Gorloks also held a 40-34 edge on the boards, but committed 18 turnovers that led to 18 points for the Blueboys.
 
IC finished the night shooting just 42 percent from the field and was just 7-for-13 (54 percent) at the free throw line. The Blueboys had 13 turnovers and 18 assists on the night. Webster scored 17 points off IC's turnovers.
 
WU's defense also blocked four shots, including three from Wilcox, who battled foul trouble most of the game and finished with just four points and five rebounds. Wilcox is now tied for fifth on the school's career blocked shot chart with 61.
 
The Gorloks will return to action on Monday, Nov. 12 as they play a 7 p.m. exhibition game at NCAA Division II UMSL and will open its 2018-19 home schedule at Grant Gymnasium on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. against WashU.