Webber Athletics
Ricky Baptist, Director of Sports Media
BABSON PARK, Fla. – Behind a double-double of 21 points and 16 rebounds from Kris Goettert, the Webber International University men’s basketball team earned the first win of its 2020-21 season on Monday as the Warriors defeated Johnson University – Florida 79-66 during their home opener inside the Sabbagh Athletic Center.
The win for Webber (1-3) represented the first win as a collegiate head coach for Gabriel Rutledge, who has taken over the reins of the Warrior program after serving as an assistant coach with the team for the past four seasons.
“It feels great to get the first win of the year,” Rutledge said. “The guys played hard on both ends of the floor while playing great team basketball. I’m thankful for our assistants that did a great job making sure we were prepared for the game. I’m grateful for the love and support our Webber fans showed tonight. Go Warriors.”
The Warriors shot over 57 percent from the field in the first half and finished the game shooting 49.2 percent overall, but struggled shooting from three (28.6 percent) and from the free throw line (57.9 percent) to allow Johnson (1-3) to stay within striking distance.
Webber led by as much as 16 in the first half twice, first at 26-10 on a layup by Herman Robinson with 9:40 on the clock and then again at 28-12 on a layup by Loro Natana with 8:44 left before halftime.
The Warriors then led by 15 (46-31) at the break on a put back-dunk by Natana, but in the second half, the Suns got back to within single digits less than five minutes in and then got to within four at 57-53 with 10:53 left to play.
Johnson got back to within four again at 60-56 with 9:21 remaining, but a layup by Natana jumpstarted a 12-0 Warrior run to make it a 16-point lead yet again at 72-56 with less than five minutes left. From there, the Suns would not get back to within single digits.
In addition to Goettert’s career-high in both points and rebounds, the sophomore from Hollywood, Florida, also shot 50 percent (8-16) from the floor and added two blocks and two steals.
Next in scoring was Jaylon Myles with 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting, followed by Rasheem Etienne with 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Natana finished with six points; Eddie Davis with five points and five boards; Justin Boyd added five points, a game-high five assists and had three steals; and George Davey had four points and six rebounds.
Next up for Webber in six days will be a second straight home game as the Warriors host Southeastern Baptist College at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 8. Then, on Thursday, November 12, Webber will open up Sun Conference play on the road at Ave Maria University at 7:30 p.m