ST. LOUIS, Mo. – This evening the Webster University men's basketball team was back in action when they traveled down Big Bend Road to take on the Fontbonne (Mo.) University Griffins in the semifinals of the SLIAC Tournament. The Gorloks, who are the fifth seed in the tournament, defeated the top seeded Griffins by a final score of 81-80 to advance to the SLIAC Men's Basketball Tournament Final. With the loss, the Griffins end their season with a 17-7 overall record and 12-2 mark in conference play.

Prior to the start of the game, the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced the all-conference awards as well as the superlative awards for the 2021-22 season. Karl Moore Jr. was named the SLIAC Newcomer of the Year, to the SLIAC All-Defensive Team, and Second Team All-SLIAC. Wynne Brown Jr. was recognized as Second Team All-SLIAC and Cody Parks was named to the SLIAC All-Sportsmanship Team.

The Gorloks went 29-for-68 (42.6%) from the floor and 9-for-26 (34.6%) from behind the arc. They outrebounded the Griffins 50-36 and pulled down 20 offensive boards. They forced Fontbonne to turn the ball over 10 times in the game while dishing out 17 assists.

Webster came out in the first half and jumped out to an early 6-2 lead. Fontbonne settled in and tied the score at 10 with just under 16 minutes to play and the half and the game remained close over the next few minutes of the period. With the score tied at 23, the Griffins went on an 8-0 run to take a 31-23 lead with five minutes to play in the half. They pushed their lead to as many as 10 in the half before taking a 39-30 lead into the locker room.

The Gorloks came out in the second half and quickly tied the score at 40 in the first four minutes of the frame. They grew their lead to four over the next few minutes, but a 9-2 run from the Griffins put them up 51-48 with 12 minutes to play in regulation. The Gorloks tied the game back up at 51, but another run from Fontbonne put them up 58-53 midway through the half. Webster retook the lead with five minutes to play, and the game remained close down the final stretch. With the Griffins leading 71-68 in the final seconds, a desperation three from Mark Moore found the bottom of the net to tie the score at 71 and send the game to overtime.

Webster once again found themselves trailing with 10 second left in overtime when they got the ball for their final possession. Stephen Hawkins received the ball on the wing for the Gorloks and was able to knock down a three in the final seconds to solidify the win for Webster.

Wynne Brown Jr. led all scorers in this one as he finished with a game high 20 points to go along with six rebounds. Karl Moore Jr. also played a phenomenal game as he finished with 11 points and a season high 21 rebounds for his 10^th double-double of the year. In addition, Bryce Woolridge finished with 14 points while Rodson Etienne and Stephen Hawkins both added 11.

With the win, the Gorloks have advanced to the SLIAC Men's Basketball Tournament Final. They will take on the defending SLIAC Tournament Champion, Blackburn (Ill.) College tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Fontbonne (Mo.) University.