By Josh Sellmeyer & Tim Doty
The Webster University men’s basketball team defeated the MacMurray College Highlanders in double overtime, 88-81, on Feb. 18 in Jacksonville, Ill.
The win, coupled with Eureka College’s 76-74 loss at Westminster College on Feb. 18, means the Gorloks are all alone in first place in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Webster has a one-game lead over Eureka with one regular-season game remaining for both teams.
Regardless of the outcomes of Webster’s and Eureka’s final regular-season games, the Gorloks have already clinched at least a share of the SLIAC regular-season title. Webster will be the No. 1 seed in the SLIAC tournament and, as a result, will host the SLIAC tournament semifinals and final at Grant Gymnasium.
The Gorloks earned the home-court advantage by virtue of their two wins over MacMurray. Eureka lost to the Highlanders on Jan. 25. The SLIAC tiebreaker process can be read here.
Webster will play either Greenville or MacMurray in a SLIAC tournament semifinal matchup at 8 p.m. on Feb. 23. Eureka and Westminster will face off in the other semifinal at 6 p.m. on Feb. 23. The two semifinal winners will play each other in the championship at 1 p.m. on Feb. 25.
Webster’s Feb. 18 victory over MacMurray gives the Gorloks a .500 overall record at 12-12 and a 12-3 mark in the SLIAC. MacMurray fell to 12-12 overall and 9-6 in the SLIAC.
The Gorloks start a late-season winning streak with the victory. They have now won two in a row after losing three of their last four.
On Feb. 15, Webster defeated Greenville College, 85-72. Webster lost its first-place grasp in the SLIAC with a loss to Spalding University on Feb. 11, but reclaimed a share of first place with the win over Greenville.
The Gorloks will wrap up their regular season with a showdown at Grant Gymnasium. The Gorloks will host a fellow SLIAC member and rival, the Fontbonne University Griffins (4-19, 3-12), at 8 p.m. on Feb. 21.
The Journal will have full coverage of both the men’s and women’s basketball squads in its next print issue.
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