Junior forwards Kellen Brondel and Matt Murphy scored 10 points points as the Blue Jays tumbled to the visiting Gorloks 71-53 in their SLIAC opener Wednesday night.
Westminster College (1-4) trailed 30-25 at halftime, but netted the first four points of the second half to close within one with 17 minutes, 59 seconds left. Webster University, though, responded with a 12-3 run over the next 4:23 and eventually increased its advantage to as many as 19 points.
Senior guard Brandon Moore chipped in with nine points for the Blue Jays, who shot just 36 percent (20-of-56) as a team and finished with 16 turnovers. Sophomore forward Tanner Gentges tallied seven points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds as Westminster was outrebounded by a 40-30 margin.
Ahmad Smith answered with a game-high 14 points to spark three players in double figures for the Gorloks (5-2, 2-0), who shot 48 percent (25-of-52) from the field and also had 16 turnovers. Danny Zehner and CJ Moore contributed 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Westminster travels to Greenville (Illinois) College for a SLIAC matchup at 3 p.m. Saturday.