ST. LOUIS, Mo. – This evening the Webster University men's basketball team was back in action when they played host to the Principia (Ill.) College Panthers in the SLIAC Tournament Semifinals. The top seeded Gorloks defeated the fourth seeded Panthers by a final score of 75-60 to improve to 14-12 on the season and advance to the SLIAC Tournament Final. With the loss, the Panthers season comes to an end with a 18-9 overall record.

The Gorloks went 26-for-60 (43.3%) from the floor and 6-for-14 (42.9%) from behind the arc. They outrebounded the Panthers by a final count of 49-27 and pulled down 17 boards on the offensive end. They forced Principia to turn the ball over six times and scored 28 of their 75 points in the paint. Webster also dished out 10 assists.

Webster came out in the first half and found themselves trailing 7-4 through the first five minutes of the period. They settled in as the game progressed and took the lead with 12:30 left to play in the half. The game went back-and-forth over the next few minutes, but an 8-4 run from Webster midway through the half would give the Gorloks a 23-20 lead late in the period. The Panthers would retake the lead with two minutes to play in the half, but four straight points from the Gorloks to end the frame would give them a 27-24 lead at the break.

The Gorloks came out of the locker room and quickly extended their lead to 33-26 with 17 minutes to play in the game. The Panthers battled back and cut the lead to one, and then took their first lead of the half with 11 minutes remaining. Webster tied the score at 47, and then went on a 15-3 run over the next few minutes to give themselves a 12 point lead late in the contest. They held off the Panthers down the final stretch of the game and solidified their spot in the SLIAC Tournament Final.

Wynne Brown Jr. and Jason Coleman has huge games for the Gorloks as Brown Jr. finished with a game high 27 points while Coleman finished with 24. Coleman also pulled down eight rebounds while Brown Jr. grabbed five. In addition, Karl Moore Jr. finished with a game high 12 rebounds and four blocks while Javane Nugent grabbed nine rebounds.\

The Gorloks will advance to the SLIAC Tournament Final for the second straight season and will take on the second seeded Fontbonne (Mo.) University Griffins tomorrow, February 25^th in Grant Gymnasium. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.