ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Webster University men's basketball team was back in action this evening when they played host to the Eureka (Ill.) College Red Devils for a SLIAC matchup. The Gorloks defeated the Red Devils by a final score of 71-64 to improve to 9-9 on the season and 7-4 in the SLIAC. With the loss, Eureka drops to 5-13 on the season and 3-8 in conference play.

Webster went 28-for-60 (46.7%) from the floor and 5-for-21 (23.8%) from behind the arc. They outrebounded the Red Devils by a final count of 34-33 with 10 boards coming on the offensive end. They forced the Red Devils to turn the ball over 13 times in the game and turned those turnovers into 11 points on the other end of the floor. Webster also dished out 14 assists while recording 9 steals.

In the first half of the game, both sides came out and exchanged baskets early. With the score tied at 16, Eureka went on an 11-3 run to give themselves an eight-point advantage midway through the half. The Red Devils held an eight-point lead for most of the half, but the Gorloks were able to end the period on a 10-0 run to take a 36-34 lead into the locker room. Booker Simmons capped off the scoring run for Webster with a last second three as the buzzer sounded.

The Red Devils came out of the locker room and quickly tied the score at 36 in the first minute of the frame. With the score tied at 41, Webster went on a 12-6 run and held a 53-47 lead with 11 minutes to play in the contest. They stayed one step ahead of the Red Devils for the rest of the half and were able to knock down their free throws down the stretch to solidify their ninth win of the year.

Booker Simmons led the way for Webster as he finished with a team high 23 points to go along with five rebounds. Karl Moore Jr. also played well as he finished with 21 points and a game high eight rebounds. In addition, Nate Jones and Alpha Diallo each finished with eight points while Jason Coleman dished out a game high six assists.

The Gorloks will return to the court on Saturday, January 27^th when they host the Greenville (Ill.) University Panthers for a SLIAC matchup. The game is set to start at 3 p.m. in Grant Gymnasium.