JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Webster University sophomore forward
Nigel Wilcox (Alpharetta, Ga./Centennial) recorded his fifth straight double-double here Saturday afternoon, but it was two free throws from junior guard
Aron Hopp (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln College) with 2.1 seconds left that sealed the Gorloks 73-72 victory over MacMurray College in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball action at Bill Wall Gymnasium.
Hopp's free throws helped the Gorloks improve its record to 14-4 overall and remain atop the league standings with a 10-1 record, while MacMurray falls to 4-15 overall and 1-11 in the league. The victory also extended Webster's win streak to four straight games.
Wilcox finished with a game-high 24 points and added 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season and 13th of his career. He scored 14 of those points in the second half, including scoring 12 of WU's final 28 points.
In addition to Wilcox, junior guard
Enrique Tankins (Wentzville, Mo./Timberland) added 19 points and nine rebounds, including scoring 11 of WU's final 14 first half points to help the Gorloks tie the game at 32 at the half.
The Highlanders, who lost its eighth straight game on Saturday, opened the second half on a 16-8 run to push out to a 48-40 lead with 12:33 left in the game.
Webster, though, responded with a 16-6 run that was spearheaded by six points from sophomore guard
Lance Hatten (Greenacres, Fla./Berean Christian) to take a 56-52 lead with 8:26 remaining. In fact, Hatten scored back-to-back baskets over a span of 35 seconds to help the Gorloks retake the lead at 53-52.
MacMurray wouldn't go away as they used 7-3 run to take a 59-58 lead following a lay-up by Drew Burwinkel with 6:11 left. Burwinkel's lay-up capped a 5-0 Highlander run that came after Wilcox gave WU s 58-54 lead.
The teams would then take turns holding the lead as Tankins helped give the Gorloks a 60-59 lead following his lay-up with 5:19 remaining. Wilcox would push WU's lead to 61-59 after hitting 1-of-2 free throws with 4:45 left. Derek Bourke would then tie the game at 61 following his basket with 3:36 left.
After junior guard
Blake Ferrell (Ballwin, Mo./Parkway South) gave WU a 63-61 lead with 3:09 left, MacMurray would score seven of the next 11 points to tske a 70-67 lead with 1:24 left in the contest.
Sophomore forward
Rodson Etienne (West Palm Beach, Fla./Royal Palm Beach) brought the Gorloks with one at 70-69 following a lay-up with a minute left, but Logan Dorethy pushed MacMurray's lead back to three at 72-69 after his lay-up with 45 seconds remaining.
Tankins pushed the Gorloks within a point at 72-71 following his lay-up with 36 seconds left. The Highlanders would then miss the front-end of a 1-and-1 free throw on its ensuing possession and would then miss another front-end of a 1-and-1 free throw with 12 seconds left to set up Hopp's game winning free throws.
Dorethy finished with 20 points in the game to pace the Highlanders, while Connor Vincent added 13 points and Wade Fox finished with 12 points and seven boards. The final double-digit scorer for MacMurray was Bourke, who tallied 11 points and also pulled down seven rebounds.
For the game, Webster shot 50 percent from the field, but was just 1-for-7 (14.3 percent) from the 3-point line. MacMurray also shot over 50 percent for the game as the Highlanders shot 51 percent from the field and 31 percent (4-for-13) from the 3-point line.
The Gorloks held a 41-27 edge on the boards, but committed 16 turnovers that led to 15 points for the Highlanders. MacMurray had just eight turnovers in the game.
Webster also outshot MacMurray at the free throw line as the Gorloks were 12-for-17 (70 percent) from the line, while MacMurray was just 4-for-10 (40 percent) at charity stripe, including going 3-for-6 at the line in the second half.
The Gorloks will look to make its five consecutive wins this coming Wednesday, Jan. 30 as they host Spalding in a 7:30 p.m. SLIAC contest at Grant Gymnasium. The Gorloks picked up a 66-56 win over the Golden Eagles in Louisville, Ky., on Dec. 15.
