ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Webster University men's basketball team was back in action this evening when they played host to the Willamette (Ore.) University Bearcats for their first game of the 2023 Webster Tip-Off Classic. The Gorloks defeated the Bearcats by a final score 71-61 to improve to 1-1 on the season. With the loss, Willamette drops to 1-3 on the year.

The Gorloks went 25-for-67 (37.3%) from the field and 3-for-19 (15.8%) from behind the arc. They were outrebounded by the Bearcats 53-47 in the game and pulled down 12 rebounds on the offensive end. They forced the Bearcats to turn the ball over 15 times in the game and turned those turnovers into 12 points on the other end of the floor.

Webster came out in the first half of the game and went on a 16-2 run in the first six minutes of the contest. Willamette would settle in as the game progressed and cut the lead to seven with just under 13 minutes remaining in the period. Webster would push their lead back out to 14 midway through the frame, but the Bearcats would end the half on a 21-10 run to cut the lead to 37-34 at the break.

The Gorloks came out of the locker room and quickly extended their lead to nine in the first five minutes of the period. They continued to play well as the half progressed and grew their lead to as many as 13 with just under 12 minutes to play in the game. The Bearcats would battle back and cut the lead to one with five minutes to play, but Webster would end the game on a 14-5 run to capture their first win of the season.

Jason Coleman led the way offensively for Webster as he finished with a game high 15 points. Markus Becton also had a great game as he finished with 13 points. In addition, Booker Simmons added 10 points, Nate Jones recorded a game high five assists, Jemard Sykes II grabbed a team high 11 rebounds, and Justin Ugo grabbed 10 rebounds to round out the top performers for Webster.

The Gorloks will wrap up play in the 2023 Webster Tip-Off Classic tomorrow, November 19^th when they host the Maryville (Tenn.) College Scots. The game is set to start at 2:30 p.m. in Grant Gymnasium.