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This Week
The Westminster men's basketball team begins defense of their 2009 Frontier Conference championship as the open conference play for 2010 with two games in the Behnken Field House this week. No. 12 Westminster welcomes Montana State-Northern on Thursday, January 7 at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, January 9, Great Falls makes the trip to Salt Lake City for a 7:30 p.m. contest.

Westminster enters conference play with a 10-4 overall record and winners of seven straight games after staring the season at 3-4. They have won three consecutive home games this season and are 25-3 all-time in the Behnken Field House during Frontier Conference games.

The Griffins are currently scoring 72.4 points per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. The have climbed to 30th in the country in field goal percentage by shooting 51.6% during the current seven-game winning streak. They lead the conference in assists with an average of 16 per contest. The 224 total assists they have recorded is the 13th-best total in the country. Defensively they hold the opposition to just 65.6 points per game while holding them to 41.2% shooting.

Blair Prowse leads the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game and his 40 makes from three is the 10th highest total in the NAIA. Ben Walker has climbed to 14 points per game and leads the conference by shooting 63.4% from the field. He is averaging 15.7 points per game during the current winning streak to lead the team. Weston Anderson is the team's third leading scorer at 13.6 points and leads the team with 57 assists.

Live Media
There will be Live Video Streaming and Live Stats available for both games this week. The Video Streaming is $5 per game or you can purchase a season pass for $50 and have access to all Westminster home games this season. The Video Streaming has no audio. The Live Stats is a free service. Fans can access both of these options by visiting westminstergriffins.com.

Men's Basketball Fast Break
•The current seven-game winning streak is the eighth longest streak in school history.

•Weston Anderson, Blair Prowse, and Ben Walker have scored 59% of the Griffins total points this season.

•Westminster has reached 80 points four times during the current winning streak and 70 points one other time.

About Montana State-Northern
Montana State-Northern comes to town at 12-4 overall and riding a nine-game winning streak. They picked up home wins against Lethbridge and Augustana last weekend. The Lights average 75.4 points per game and shoot 49.4% from the field. They lead the nation by shooting 76.4% from the foul line. The 60.4 points per game they allow defensively is the fifth-best total in the NAIA. Andrew Sellars leads the team at 15.4 points per game while shooting 50.4% from the field. Eric Tisby averages 4.9 assists to lead the team and his 2.9 steals per game leads the conference.

About Great Falls
Great Falls enters the week at 4-10 overall and have dropped seven of eight. They face Lewis-Clark State on Thursday, January 7 before making the trip to face the Griffins. The Argonauts score 66.5 points per game and shoot 42.8% from the field. They are 23rd in the NAIA in blocks with an average of 3.9 per game. Kevin Harris is the team's leading scorer at 14.1 points per night and leads the team with 26 steals. Dyston Madsen ranks 14th nationally with an average of 2.1 blocks and his 72 rebounds is tops on the team.

Inside the Series with…
Montana State-Northern
Series Record: Westminster leads 15-7
Current Streak: Westminster 2 wins
Last Meeting: Westminster 74, MSU-Northern 64 (2/7/09)

Great Falls
Series Record: Westminster leads 22-0
Current Streak: Westminster 22 wins
Last Meeting: Westminster 87, Great Falls 32 (2/5/09)

Let's Go Streaking
Westminster is currently riding a seven-game winning streak after starting the season 3-4. This is the eighth longest streak since basketball was reinstated in 1999. There have been three winning streak reach eight games and once the streak reached nine. The record is a 12-game winning streak during the 2000-01 season. The Griffins have also won 22 consecutive games against Saturday's opponent Great Falls which is the longest winning streak against any one team.

They are scoring 74.9 points per game during the current streak and shooting 51.6% from the field. That is 2.5 points above their season average and a 3.9% higher shooting percentage. They are also holding the opposition to just 62.1 points per game during the streak. That is 3.5 points per game lower than the 65.6 season average.

Three Headed Monster
Westminster has been led all season by the combo of Weston Anderson, Blair Prowse, and Ben Walker. All three players average double figures in scoring and one of the three has been the team leader in scoring in all 14 games played this season. Prowse leads the team with 216 points and 40 triples. Walker has 196 points and leads everyone with 82 rebounds. Anderson has 190 points and a team-best 57 assists.

Stock Rising
Junior Michael Stockton has become the Griffins top player off the bench. He averages 7.4 points and is second on the team with 45 assists in 14 games off the bench. The six foot guard is shooting 53% from the field this season and his 25 steals is the 42nd most in the NAIA. He is averaging 9.3 points per game over the last three games and he made two free throws with two second remaining to seal the win over Wisconsin-Platteville on December 30.

Coaches like the Griffins
The Westminster men's basketball team was selected to win the Frontier Conference according to a poll of the conference coaches. The Griffins received 47 total points and five first-place votes in the poll of the eight conference coaches. Defending NAIA national champion Rocky Mountain College finished second with 44 points and three first-place votes.

In the Polls
The Westminster men's basketball team is currently ranked No. 12 in the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll that was released on December 14. The Griffins climbed one spot from No. 13 in the December 7 poll. Westminster received 189 points in the recent poll that has Mountain State (W.Va.) as the nation's No. 1 team. The Griffins began the season at No. 9 in the preseason poll. The next poll will be released on January 11.

NAIA Game of the Week
College Fanz Sports Network, launched by ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen, is partnering with members in the NAIA to present the College Fanz NAIA Basketball Game of the Week. The Westminster basketball teams will be featured as the game of the week on January 21, 2010 when they host Carroll College in Frontier Conference action in the Behnken Field House. The women's game will begin at 5:30 p.m. and be followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.

Next Week
Westminster will get their first conference road test as they head to Montana for two games. The trip opens in Butte on January 15 with a game against Montana Tech. On January 16, the Griffins head to Dillon to battle Montana Western. Both games begin at 8 p.m. and follow the women's action.