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This Week
The Westminster women's basketball team hits the road for the first time during Frontier Conference action for two games this weekend. No. 15 Westminster will face Montana Tech in Butte on Friday, January 15. They play Montana Western on Saturday, January 16 in Dillon. Both games begin at 5:30 p.m.

Westminster enters the week at 13-4 and winners of nine straight games. They have won 16 consecutive Frontier Conference regular season games and 23 of the last 24. The Griffins went 2-0 to open conference last week with wins over Montana State-Northern and Great Falls.

The Griffins lead the nation in field goal percentage through the first 17 games shooting 50.4% from the field. They average 79.5 points per game to rank 12th nationally and lead the Frontier. Defensively they allow just 64.3 points per game and limit opponents to 40% shooting and force 20.5 turnovers.

McKenzie Jessop leads a group of four Griffins averaging double figures in scoring. Jessop averages 13.2 points per game and scored a career high 30 points against Northern on January 7. Jessop also leads the team with 125 rebounds and 55 steals. Nicole Yazzie averages 12.8 points per game and has made a team-best 41 threes. Keshia Catten at 11.9 and, Allie Eastman at 11.6 also average double figures in points.

Live Stats
Live Stats will be available for both games on the road this week. Live Stats is a free service and fans can access the links for each game at westminstergriffins.com.

Women's Basketball Fast Break
•The current nine-game winning streak is tied for the second longest in school history.

•The Griffins lead the Frontier Conference in eight statistical categories and rank in the top 5 nationally in seven different categories.

•McKenzie Jessop posted back-to-back double-doubles last week to earn Frontier Conference Player of the Week honors.

Inside the Series with…
Montana Tech
Series Record: Westminster leads 13-7
Current Streak: Westminster 7 wins
Last Meeting: Westminster 76, Montana Tech 63 (2/14/09)

Montana Western
Series Record: Montana Western leads 15-6
Current Streak: Westminster 4 wins
Last Meeting: Westminster 88, Montana Western 55 (3/6/09)

Just Keep Winning
Westminster is riding a nine-game winning streak to match the second longest such streak in school history. The Griffins ran 16 wins together during the 2008-09 season to set a school record. They won nine straight during the 2000-01 season and eight straight to open the year last season. Westminster is currently riding a 16-game winning streak against Frontier Conference foes in regular season action.

From Way Downtown
Once again Westminster is not afraid to fire from long range. Through the first 15 games, Westminster ranks second in the NAIA with 164 total makes from beyond the arc and are fifth with an average of 9.6 makes per game. The 40.9% they shoot from deep is second nationally.

Nicole Yazzie leads the team and is 11th nationally with 41 total threes. She ranks 19th nationally by shooting 45.1% from distance. Dani Evans is 20th nationally shooting 44.3% from deep and Keshia Catten is 30th with 32 triples made.

Magical Mark
The Griffins are 7-0 this season when they score 80-plus points. They have gone 6-4 when they fail to reach the 80-point barrier, but have won six straight when not scoring 80. Westminster has allowed the opposition to reach 80 points in four games and are 2-2 in those contests. In the past two seasons, Westminster is 24-0 when they score at least 80 points.

Jessop Does it All
McKenzie Jessop posted solid numbers during the non-conference schedule. Jessop is third on the team with 179 points while leading the team with 103 rebounds and 46 steals. She is shooting 58.6% from the floor and has led the team in scoring five times this season. Her first week in Frontier Conference action saw two straight double-doubles highlighted by a 30 points and 12 rebounds performance against Montana State-Northern.

Fabulous Freshman
Freshman guard Nicole Yazzie is having a great start to her Westminster career. Through the first 17 games as a Griffin, Yazzie has scored 217 points and leads the team with 61 assists. She shoots 50.7% from the field and 45.1% from beyond the arc. She has five times led the team in scoring and has three of the six highest point totals in a game this season. As a starter she averages 15.0 points per game and shoots 56.5% from beyond the arc. Westminster has gone 7-0 in games Yazzie has started.

Weekly Awards Continue for Griffins
One week after Keshia Catten was named the Frontier Conference Player of the Week, McKenzie Jessop was named the winner this week. Jessop averaged 22.5 points and 11 rebounds per game during two Griffin wins in open conference action. The week previous, Catten averaged 18 points, 2.5 rebounds, and two assists during the final week of December to win the award.

In the Polls
The Westminster women's basketball team is ranked 15th in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll that was released on January 11. Westminster received 166 total points in the poll that was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and independents. The Griffins were at No. 19 in the poll released on December 14, and sat just outside the top 25 at No. 27 in the preseason poll. The next poll will be released on January 18.

Coaches Select Griffins Third
The Westminster women's basketball team was selected to finish third in the upcoming 2009-10 basketball season according to a poll of Frontier Conference coaches. Westminster received 38.5 points in the poll, finishing behind Lewis-Clark State and Carroll College. Lewis-Clark received seven first place votes and Carroll College received one.

Upcoming Promotions
Westminster has some exciting game promotion and theme nights coming to the Behnken Field House. On Thursday, January 21 the game with Carroll is the NAIA Game of the Week and it's Pack the Field House Night. January 23 is Country Western Night with Jean's Golden Girls performing at halftime of the men's game. February 13 is National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

Next Week
Westminster returns to the Behnken Field House to face Carroll College on Thursday, January 21 and Rocky Mountain College on Saturday, January 23. Both games begin at 5:30 p.m.