WEBSTER GROVES – In a game that featured 12 ties and 23 lead changes, it was final lead change with 1.1 seconds left that sealed Webster University's 85-84 men's basketball victory over MacMurray College in St. Louis Intercollegiate Conference action on Senior Day at Grant Gymnasium.
 
Trailing by a point with 1.1 seconds left in the game, senior guard Parker Van Nest (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran South) drew a foul on an inbounds play and stepped to the line and drilled two free throws to give the Gorloks its second consecutive win and remain in contention for a spot in the SLIAC Tournament.
 
With the win, Webster improves to 13-10 overall and 10-6 in the SLIAC, while MacMurray fell to 11-12 overall and 7-9 in the league and was eliminated from tournament contention.
 
Prior to Saturday's game, Webster honored its four-member senior class in a pregame ceremony. This year's four Gorlok seniors are Van Nest, guard Michael Dunn (Tallahassee, Fla./Florida A&M), forward Davian Joseph (Philadelphia, Pa./Lewis & Clark CC) and guard Dominic Newton (Nassau, Bahamas/St. Louis Christian).
 
Van Nest's two free throws came five seconds after MacMurray had retaken the lead at 84-83 following two free throws by Zach Hibbert. Hibbert's free throws followed two more free throws by Van Nest with 22 seconds left that gave WU an 83-82 advantage.
 
Webster led 80-72 with 1:14 remaining in the game following two Dunn free throws, but the Highlanders used two treys from Michael Cameron sandwiched around a Dunn free throw to pull within 81-80 with 35 seconds remaining. On the ensuing Gorlok possession, Dunn turned the ball over and Hibbert scored on a lay-up with 23 seconds left to give the Highlanders an 82-81 lead.
 
Leading the way for the Gorloks offensively were freshmen guards Rodson Etienne (West Palm Beach, Fla./Royal Palm Beach) and Christian Crespo (Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Royal Palm Beach), who each tallied 14 points, while Dunn and Joseph each had 13 points and Van Nest added 10 points in the win.
 
In addition to his 13 points, Joseph pulled down 12 rebounds and blocked a career-high six shots.
 
Etienne and Crespo helped key a second half Webster rally as they combined to score 15 of the Gorloks second-half points. In addition, Dunn also played a role in the second half comeback as he scored 11 of his 13 points after halftime, including five from the free throw line in the final two minutes.
 
Saturday's game was a back-and-forth affair in the game's opening nine minutes as neither team led by more than three points until MacMurray used a 7-2 run to take a 23-19 lead following a trey from Drew Burwinkel with 9:34 left in the first half.
 
The Gorloks, though, would respond with an 18-2 run over the next four-plus minutes to push out to a 37-25 lead. The run was keyed by seven points from freshman guard Christian Crespo (Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Royal Palm Beach) and capped by a 3-pointer from freshman guard Elijah Macias (San Antonio, Texas/Medina Valley) with 5:33 left in the opening half.
 
That run seemed to wake up MacMurray as the Highlanders would close the half on 15-1 run to take a 40-38 lead at the half. MacMurray's run was keyed by six points from Brent Long and the Gorloks misfiring on its final nine shots of the half.
 
Much like the first half, neither team was able to hang on to the lead as neither team led by more than two points until the Gorloks used a 13-3 run over a span of three minutes to pull out to a 64-58 lead with 8:26 left in the game. The run was keyed by a combined 11 points from Etienne (6 points) and Crespo (5 points).
 
Following baskets by Cameron and Long to push MacMurray within two at 64-62, Webster answered with an 11-6 run to push its lead to 75-68 with 3:30 remaining, WU's run was capped by a 3-pointer from freshman guard Austin Nation (Oklahoma City, Okla./Purcell).
 
After back-to-back baskets by Hibbert brought the Highlanders within three at 73-70, Webster would hit five free throws over the next 75 seconds to extend its lead back out to eight points at 80-72.  
 
Long led the way for the Highlanders with 22 points before fouling out late in the game. In addition to Long, Cameron finished with 18 points, including 14 of them coming in the second half. Two other Highlanders finished in double figures as Kendall Davis tallied 14 and Hibbert had 10 points off the bench. Eight of Hibbert's 10 points came after halftime.
 
After shooting 53 percent from the field in its 75-64 win on Thursday against Spalding, the Gorloks shot 51 percent from the floor and 60 percent from the 3-point line in Saturday's win. Webster shot 59 percent from the field and 60 percent from the 3-point line in the second half.
 
Meanwhile, MacMurray shot 46 percent from the field and 35 percent from downtown for the game.
 
The Highlanders held a 40-31 edge on the glass and both teams finished with 23 assists.
 
Webster also benefited from strong shooting at the free throw line as the Gorloks were 21-for-25 (84 percent) at the line, including going 86 percent at the line in the second half. MacMurray shot 74 percent (14-for-19) from the line.
 
The Gorloks will return to the road for two games next week to conclude the regular season as they travel to Carlinville, Ill., on Wednesday, Feb. 14 for an 8 p.m. game against Blackburn and then will face Greenville College in a 5 p.m. game on Saturday, Feb. 17 in Greenville, Ill.