SLIAC Tournament Race Heats Up; Men’s Basketball Drops Key Contest to Webster
Published: April 13, 2021
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - After winning five of their last six contests the surging Panthers were halted in St. Louis as Webster University downed the Black & Orange 85-72 on Wednesday night. With the loss, mens basketball now moves into sixth place in the SLIAC standings.
The Panthers (13-9, 8-6 SLIAC) came into the mid-week contest tied for fourth place in the late season scramble for the SLIAC Tournament birth. GC also entered last nights battle as winners of three straight, and had only dropped three games in 2012 (10-3). With the win, the Gorloks of WU moved into a tie for first placein the SLIAC at 11-3 with Eureka College with two conference games remaining.
Senior K.J. Hilliard headlined the GC efforts in St. Louis, posting 26 points on 10-16 shooting. Hilliard also added nine boards, five steals, and three asssits (all team highs) in the defeat.
Junior forward Simon Martin continued his strong late-season play, notching 10 points and six rebounds in only 20 minutes of play.
Greenville College opened the duel with a 28-26 lead at the half due to a sharp defensive effort, holding the Webster attack to only 29% shooting from the floor. However, it was the home team that controlled second period play, as Websters offense began to fire on all cylinders. An 18-4 run to open the half put Webster up, 44-32, and the Gorloks extended the lead to 16 before cruising to victory. Webster wound up shooting a scorching 78% (22-28) in the second half, bringing its game percentage to 52%.
On the Webster side, Stefan Whittingham and Roman Robinson both recorded double doubles in the win. Whittingham had his eighth of the season, scoring 19 points, on eight of 12 shooting, and cleaning the boards for a team-high 15 rebounds.Robinson tied Whittingham for a team-high 19 points and pulled down 10 boards.
With their backs against the wall, GC mens basketball will return to the court on Saturday, February 18 as they travel to Elsah, Ill. and take on the Panthers of Principia. The game will follow the womens contest, and tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 pm.
