ST. LOUIS, Mo. – This afternoon the Webster University men's basketball team was back in action when they traveled down the road to Fontbonne (Mo.) University to take on the Blackburn (Ill.) College Beavers in the SLIAC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship Game. The Gorloks, who were the fifth seed in the tournament, were defeated by the third seeded Beavers by a final score of 76-56 to end their season with a 10-18 overall record. With the win, the Beavers have won their fifth SLIAC Tournament Championship and will advance to the NCAA DIII Men's Basketball National Tournament.
Webster had a tough time scoring the ball in this one as they went 22-for-67 (32.8%) from the floor and 4-for-21 (19.0%) from behind the arc. They were outrebounded 40-37 and turned the ball over 10 times. They forced Blackburn to turn the ball over 10 times and dished out 12 assists in the game.
The Gorloks came out on their first possession of the game and knocked down a three-point shot to take an early 3-0 lead. The Beaver answered by going on a 30-7 run to take a 30-10 lead midway through the half. Webster had a tough time getting anything going offensively and the Beaver were clicking on all cylinders as they extended their lead to 22 late in the period. The Gorloks cut the lead down to 17 in the final minutes of the frame, but a 5-2 run from the Beavers put them up 44-24 at the break.
Webster came out in the second half and cut the Beavers lead down to 14 with 15 minutes to play. Blackburn extended their lead back out to 22 over the next 10 minutes of the game and never let the Gorloks back in it as they held them off down the stretch to solidify their second straight SLIAC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship.
Wynne Brown Jr. led the way for the Gorloks offensively as he finished with a team high 13 points. In addition,
Bryce Woolridge added 12 points and seven rebounds,
Rodson Etienne finished with 10 points,
Karl Moore Jr. pulled down a team high nine rebounds, and
Javane Nugent added eight rebounds to round out the top performers for Webster.
This marks the end of the 2021-22 men's basketball season. They finish the year with a 10-18 overall record and a 6-8 mark in conference play. The Gorloks will return to the court in the fall.
