Complete release in PDF format
SALT LAKE CITY – The 10th-ranked Westminster women's basketball team will play at home for the first time this season with two games at the Westminster Tipoff Classic presented by Sports Med Utah. Westminster will play Concordia (Ore.) in the home opener on Friday, November 5 at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, November 6, the Griffins will face Warner Pacific at 5:30 p.m. Both games will be played in the Behnken Field House on the campus of Westminster College.
Westminster is coming off a 2-1 trip to California to start the season. They began the year with an 81-73 win over San Diego Christian before dropping a 60-43 decision at No. 5 Vanguard. The trip concluded with a 78-67 win against La Sierra on Monday.
This will be the first weekend of competition for both Concordia and Warner Pacific. Both teams play in the Cascade Collegiate Conference which is a NAIA Division II conference. Concordia went 13-16 last season and finished eighth in the Cascade. The Cavaliers dropped a 68-50 decision to the College of Idaho in the first round of the conference tournament. Danielle Clauson had 14 points and 10 rebounds in an exhibition loss against the University of Portland on Monday.
Warner Pacific finished 18-10 last season and were tied for second in the Cascade with a 13-5 record. They were upset by Southern Oregon 68-55 in the first round of the conference tournament. Juniors Kelsey Mattsen and Cameryn Calhoun were named preseason all-conference by the Cascade coaches.
Griffins TV
The Westminster Athletics Department recently partnered with Penn Atlantic to provide fans the opportunity to watch home athletic events live on the internet. Griffins TV will broadcast select Westminster events for FREE for fans to watch on their computers. All Westminster women's basketball home games will be available on Griffins TV with Mike Lageschulte providing the play-by-play. For a complete schedule visit WestminsterGriffins.com/GriffinsTV.
Live Stats
All home games this season will feature Live Stats. The feed goes live shortly before first serve so fans can get all the action directly on their computer or mobile device. Visit www.WestminsterGriffins.com to access the Live Stats.
Offensive Notebook
>Westminster is scoring 67.3 points per game while shooting 42.3% from the field.
>They have gone 15 of 50 (30%) from three-point territory and shoot 77.5% from the foul line.
>The Griffins have posted 44 assists on 66 made field goals.
>The team is averaging 39.7 rebounds per game while grabbing 33 offensive boards.
Defensive Notebook
>Westminster opponents are shooting 41.7% from the field and averaging 66.7 points per game.
>The opposition is shooting just 25.8% from beyond the arc and 64.2% from the charity stripe.
>Westminster has forced 52 turnovers and recorded 16 steals with three blocked shots.
Second Half Control
Through three games this season, Westminster has been outscored 111-101 in the first half. The Griffins have gone 2-1 to start the year by winning the second 20 minutes to the tune of 101-89. Westminster held Vanguard to just 23 points and 23.3% shooting in the second half of their game on October 30.
Frontier Favorites
In a poll of the Frontier Conference women's basketball coaches, the Westminster women's basketball team was chosen to win the 2010-11 championship. The Griffins received five first-place votes and 47.5 total points in the poll. They also received a split first-place vote with Lewis-Clark State College. This is the first time the Griffin shave been chosen to win the league and the first time they have received a first-place vote.
Nation Taking Notice
The Westminster women's basketball team will start the 2010-11 season with a No. 10 national ranking. The NAIA Women's Division I Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Preseason Poll was released by the NAIA on October 25 with the Griffins receiving 223 points to earn the highest preseason ranking in school history. Westminster finished last season ranked ninth in the final poll.
Doubling Up
Westminster will play on back-to-back nights 10 times during the 2010-11 season. The team split the first back-to-back of the season, picking up a win over San Diego Christian and losing to Vanguard the next night. The Griffins played nine back-to-backs last season and came up with six sweeps and three splits. The team went 9-2 in the first game of the back-to-back and matched that with a 9-2 record in the second night.
Home Cooking
Over the past two seasons, Westminster has gone 26-5 at home including a perfect 14-0 in Frontier Conference action. They have won 17 straight conference home games dating back to the 2007-08 season with the last conference home loss coming on January 24, 2008 to Carroll, 66-56.
Handling Their Business
The Griffins went 24-0 against teams that were not ranked in the NAIA top 25 last season and have started with two wins this year. Over the past three seasons, Westminster is 50-2 against non-ranked opponents. The last unranked team to defeat Westminster was Georgetown College (Ky.) on December 6, 2008. That is a span of 42 straight wins over unranked opposition.
Next Week
Westminster will remain at home for three games next weekend at the Westminster Fall Classic. The Griffins will play Cal Baptist on November 11 and then face College of Idaho and Pacific Union on November 12 and 13 respectively. All games will be played in the Behnken Field House.
