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This Week
Frontier Conference action begins for the Westminster women's basketball team with two home games this week. The 19th-ranked Griffins host Montana State-Northern at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 7. Then on Saturday, January 9 Westminster welcomes Great Falls to the Behnken Field House for a 5:30 p.m. contest.

Westminster enters the week at 11-4 and winners of seven straight games. They have won 14 consecutive Frontier Conference regular season games and 21 of the last 22. The Griffins won two games at the Holiday Inn Express Invitational last week in Lake Wales, Florida.

Through the first 15 games of the season, Westminster is shooting 50.7% from the field to lead the NAIA. They are ranked in the top-6 in the NAIA in eight statistical categories. The Griffins are second nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (40.4%), total assists (284), total rebound defense (29.3), and total 3-point field goals made (144). They are averaging 79.9 points per game and holding the opposition to 66 points per game. Westminster opponents are shooting 40.8% from the field and average 20.5 turnovers.

Five different Griffins are averaging double figures in points, led by Nicole Yazzie at 12.6 per game. Yazzie is shooting 50.4% from the floor and leads the team with 35 makes from beyond the arc and 60 assists. Keshia Catten averages 12.1 points per game while shooting 53.1%. Allie Eastman and McKenzie Jessop average 11.9 points per game and Dani Evans records 10.1 per night. Jessop leads the squad with 103 rebounds and 46 steals.

Live Media
There will be Live Video Streaming and Live Stats available for both games this week. The Video Streaming is $3 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.

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

•The Griffins lead the Frontier Conference in eight statistical categories.

•Westminster made 18 three-pointers during the two games last weekend with Catten and Yazzie making six apiece.

Quoting Coach Gustin
About the non-conference season
“We feel really god about our non-conference results. We lost Michelle Pace and then had to face six teams in the top-13 over the next ten days. To survive that and then continue to get better and finish 11-4 we are really happy with that.”

About defending the conference championship
“We know we have a bulls-eye on our back now, but this is a new group with a clean slate. Our group is not concerned about defending we just want to win a league championship again. The league is better than it has been and defending is going to be a hard challenge.”

About this week's opponents
“Northern has played a lot of good teams to prepare them for the conference schedule. They are extremely well coached and if we don't play well they could knock us off. Great Falls we don't know a lot about but we know they are more talented. We are excited to have good teams come into our gym to open conference play and challenge us.”

Inside the Series with…
Montana State-Northern
Series Record: Westminster leads 13-9
Current Streak: Westminster 6 wins
Last Meeting: Westminster 78, MSU-Northern 63 (2/7/09)

Great Falls
Series Record: Westminster leads 15-4
Current Streak: Westminster 9 wins
Last Meeting: Westminster 83, Great Falls 66 (3/4/09)

Just Keep Winning
Westminster is riding a seven-game winning streak to match the fourth 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 14-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 is averaging 23.7 attempts from 3-point range per game. They rank second in the NAIA with 144 total makes from beyond the arc and are fifth with an average of 9.6 makes per game. The 40.4% they shoot from deep is second nationally.

Nicole Yazzie leads the team and is 11th nationally with 35 total 3-pointers. She ranks 23rd nationally by shooting 44.3% from distance. Keshia Catten is 26th with her 28 total makes and 42nd behind her 39.4% shooting.

Magical Mark
The Griffins are 6-0 this season when they score 80-plus points. They have gone 5-4 when they fail to reach the 80-point barrier, but have won five 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 23-0 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. She posted her first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds against Emmanuel College on December 29.

Fabulous Freshman
Freshman guard Nicole Yazzie is having a great start to her Westminster career. Through the first 15 games as a Griffin, Yazzie leads the team with 189 points and 60 assists. She shoots 50.4% from the field and 44.3% from beyond the arc. She has five times led the team in scoring and has three of the five highest point totals in a game this season. As a starter she averages 15.4 points per game and shoots 51.9% from beyond the arc. Westminster has gone 5-0 in games Yazzie has started.

In the Polls
The Westminster women's basketball team is ranked 19th in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll that was released on December 14. Westminster received 177 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. 20 in the poll released on December 7, and sat just outside the top 25 at No. 27 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
Frontier Conference action continues with two road games in Montana. Westminster will face Montana tech in Butte on Friday, January 15. The Griffins and Montana Western play in Dillon on Saturday, January 16. Both games will begin at 6 p.m.