Box Score SALT LAKE CITY – For the first time in school history the Westminster men's basketball team are the champions of the Frontier Conference Tournament. No. 7 Westminster (28-4) used a stellar defensive effort and three players in double figures to beat No. 21 Rocky Mountain College (23-9) on Tuesday night, 71-53. With the win Westminster claims an automatic invite to the 2009 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship in Kansas City starting on March 18.

With the game tied at 12 with 13:54 to play in the opening half, Westminster went on a 15-0 run and held Rocky without a basket for over nine minutes. The Griffins got four layups during the run and forced Rocky into five missed jump shots. Westminster shot 48.4% in the half and forced eight turnovers to just three of their own.

Rocky started a comeback in the second half, cutting the lead to 47-39 with just over 12 minutes left. A quick 7-0 run by Westminster capped by a three from Jordan Jacobs put the lad back to 15 and out of reach. Rocky finished the night shooting just 38.9% from the field and committed 16 turnovers.

“Defensively I just thought we were terrific,” head coach Tommy Connor said. “I'm really proud of the guys, this wasn't easy to do.”

Geoff Payne led the Westminster attack with 22 points and 10 rebounds, his seventh double-double of the season. Payne went 8-of-12 from the field and added four assists, two blocks, and one steal. Danny Stosich led a 19-1 bench advantage with 15 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Westminster turned the 16 Rocky turnovers into 19 points.

“Coaches had us ready and they wanted us to get on them quick,” Payne commented. “We were able to do that and it paid off for us.”

Jeramie Hopson finished with 11 points and four assists. Les Brown and Nate Sanchez scored seven points apiece. Westminster only had seven turnovers in the game and had 32 points in the paint. They were 5-of-17 from beyond the arc while handing out 18 assists.

Rocky received an excellent performance from Devin Uskoski. He finished the night with 21 points and 18 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. Chase Sukut added 14 points and James Bulluck chipped in 13. Rocky had a 39-32 advantage in rebounds.

Westminster will now wait for the bracket to be announced for the national tournament. The qualified teams should be announced on Sunday, March 15 with the complete bracket one day later.