WEBSTER GROVES - Webster University Men's Basketball closed the first half on a 21-5 run to turn 25-19 deficit into a 40-30 halftime lead here Tuesday evening as the Gorloks opened the home portion of its 2020-21 schedule with a 72-61 victory over Iowa Wesleyan in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action at Grant Gymnasium.

With the win, Webster improves to 2-2 overall and 2-1 in the SLIAC, while Iowa Wesleyan fell to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the league. Tuesday's victory also extended Webster's home court win streak to 11 consecutive games dating to last season. The Gorloks last home loss at home came on Nov. 23, 2019, as Webster fell 65-58 to Hanover College in the final game of the Webster Classic.

Webster's first half run was needed as the Gorloks, who were playing its first home basketball game since picking up a 121-112 win over Greenville in the finals of the 2019 SLIAC Tournament on Feb. 29, 2020, watched the Tigers mount a rally in the second half to pull within three at 63-60 with 3:52 remaining in the game. That would be as close as the Tigers would get as they were held scoreless for nearly four minutes as Webster scored eight consecutive points to push in front 71-60 following two free throws by sophomore guard Wynne Brown, Jr. (Memphis, Tenn./Bartlett) with 49 seconds left. 

In Tuesday's win, Brown, Jr., paced the Gorloks offense as he scored 16 points, including tallying 11 of those points after halftime. Along with Wynne, Jr.'s 16 points, senior forward Ethan Hughes (Union, Mo./Park University) tied a season high with 12 points and sophomore guard Javane Nugent (Kingston Jamaica/Piper) added nine points in the win. Hughes and Nugent combined to score 17 of their 22 points in the opening half. 

Senior forward Rodson Etienne (West Palm Beach, Fla./Royal Palm Beach) saw his double-digit scoring streak snapped at 15 games as he finished with seven points and pulled down 10 rebounds and added three assists, two blocks and three steals. The last time Etienne failed to reach double figures in scoring came last season at home against Iowa Wesleyan as he finished with nine points. 

Freshman guard Mark Moore (Hillsboro, Mo./Hillsboro) scored eight points and dished ouf three of Webster's 12 assists for the game. 

Webster's defense was strong as they held IWU to 39 percent shooting from the field and 26 percent shooting from the 3-point line and also blocked a season high seven shots, including Hughes tying a career high with three blocks.

The two teams played to three ties in the opening six minutes of the game, before the Gorloks used a 7-3 run capped by an Etienne lay-up to take a 17-13 lead. The lead, though, would quickly evaporate as the Tigers, who have now lost five straight games in the series to the Gorloks, answered with a 12-2 run to take a 25-19 lead. 

That run seemed to wake up the Gorloks as they scored 15 consecutive points to push its lead to 34-25 with 2:48 left in the half. The run began with back-to-back baskets from freshman forward Markus Becton (Bellwood, Ill./Westchester Saint Joseph) and was capped by a Nugent lay-up.

After Alex Dentlinger drew a foul as he attempting a 3-point shot and would hit three free throws to drop WU's lead to 34-28, the Gorloks would close the half on a 6-2 run to push in front 40-30 at halfitme. 

Webster came out hot to open the second half as the Gorloks turned its 40-30 halftime lead into a 47-34 lead just a little over six minutes into the second half following a theee-pointer by sophomore forward Connor Diecker (Freeburg, Ill./Bethel University). 

Diecker's trey would help spark a rally by the Tigers as they cut Webster's lead from 13 to just three points in a tip-in by Jarryd Fernandes that made the score, 61-58 in Webster's favor. After the two teams would trade baskets to keep WU's lead at 63-60, the Gorloks would make one final push as they scored those 11 consecutive points to push out to a 71-60 lead. 

Carver Locke, who played his first game as a Tiger in Tuesday's game, led the way for Iowa Wesleyan with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. In additiion to Locke, who scored 15 of his points after halftime, Fernandes added 15 points and 14 rebounds. 

The Tigers outrebounded the Gorloks, 45-29, but committed 17 turnovers that led to 18 points for the Gorloks. Webster committed a season low four turnovers. 

Webster shot 48 percent from the field and 23 percent from the 3-point line in the win. 

The Gorloks will look to make its three straight wins as they host Greenville University for a 7:30 pm. game on Friday, March 12 at Grant Gymnasium. Greenville picked up a 140-129 win over the Gorloks on Feb. 24.