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SALT LAKE CITY – The 11th-ranked Westminster women's basketball team will return to action for the first time in two weeks with two games at the Golden State Athletic Conference Challenge hosted by Westmont College. The Griffins will open against the host Warriors on December 29 at 6:30 p.m. Westminster will then face Cal Baptist on December 30 at 2 p.m.

Westminster will enter the Challenge with a 12-2 record. They haven't played a game that counts since an 87-76 win over The Master's College on December 4. The Griffins did drop two exhibition games against NCAA DI opponents Utah and Wyoming during the time off. They are averaging 75.2 points per game and rank 28th nationally in the category while shooting 45.7% from the floor.

Challenging the Warriors
Westminster will face Westmont for just the third time ever. The two teams have split the first two meetings with Westmont taking the last match-up 72-63 in November of 2009. The Warriors are 8-2 but, they have split the last four games after starting the year 6-0. The team is averaging 73.7 points per game and shooting 41% from the floor. Vanessa Farias leads the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game and is 17th nationally shooting 46.3% from beyond the arc.

Round Two with the Lancers
Thursday's game with Cal Baptist will mark the second meeting with the Lancers this season. Westminster claimed a 65-54 win over Cal Baptist on November 11 in Salt Lake City. The Griffins now hold a 2-1 advantage in all-time meetings against Cal Baptist. CBU is 9-3 on the season and have won three straight, all in the GSAC. They are averaging 80.2 points per game and rank second nationally with an average of 8.8 made threes per game. V.V. Vasciunaite averages 20.6 points per game and makes 3.4 triples per contest.

Griffins TV
The games this week will feature audio only on Griffins TV. Fans can listen to the games live online by clicking on the Griffin TV link at WestminsterGriffins.com. Westmont College will offer a live video feed of both games. That feed can also be found at WestminsterGriffins.com.

Live Stats
Both games at the GSAC Challenge will feature Live Stats. Fans can follow the action online by choosing the Live Stats link at WestminsterGriffins.com.

Ranking the Griffins
Westminster can be found in the NAIA top 50 in 20 statistical categories. They rank second nationally on total 3-point field goals made with 106. The Griffins are third in total assists (242), fourth in total scoring offense (1,053), seventh in total blocks (52), and eighth in free throw percentage (.760). Michelle Pace ranks 10th in field goal percentage at 59.5% and Nicole Yazzie is 12th in free throw percentage at 87.8%.

Chasing 1,000
Senior Dani Evans has scored 826 points in her career and sits just 176 shy of becoming the fifth player in school history to join the 1,000 Point Club. Evans is averaging 9.4 points per game this season and is on pace to finish her career with 986 points. She currently ranks fourth in school history with 135 made 3-pointers which are 14 shy of Keshia Catten in third. Evans has never missed a game in her Westminster career, playing in all 113 contests. If that streak continues, Evans will finish her career having played in more games that anyone in school history.

From the Charity Stripe
Westminster leads the Frontier Conference shooting 76% from the foul line. They also rank fourth in the NAIA in that category. They have shot 75% or higher in eight of the 14 contest played this season. They team has gone 43-of-51 (84.3%) in the last two games played. Nicole Yazzie is shooting 87.8% from the line and ranks 12th in the nation. Yazzie has made he last eight free throw attempts and earlier this year made 22 straight.

Cleaning Their Mess
The Griffins have been aggressive on the offensive boards so far this season. Westminster has collected 157 offensive rebounds which is 31.6% of all available Griffin missed shots. They have reached double figures in offensive rebounds in nine games and grabbed a season-best 19 against George Fox on November 26. Michelle Pace has grabbed 30 offensive rebounds to lead the team while Brooke Larsen has collected 23. Larsen's offensive rebound percentage is 13.4% and Pace grabs 10.2% of available offensive rebounds while on the floor.

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 dropped one spot to No. 11 in the NAIA Women's Division I Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the NAIA announced on December 13. Westminster received 210 points in the poll and switched places in the poll with Bethel University. The Griffins have now been inside the top 25 in 11 consecutive polls dating back to last season. Westminster was ranked 10th in the first two polls released this season.

Home Cooking
Over the past three seasons, Westminster has gone 33-5 at home including a perfect 14-0 in Frontier Conference action. They have won seven straight at home to start the year and 19 of the last 20 games played in the Behnken Field House. Westminster has 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 are 11-0 against NAIA teams that are not ranked in the NAIA top 25 this season after going 24-0 in that situation last year. Over the past three seasons, Westminster is 59-2 against non-ranked opponents. The last unranked team to defeat Westminster was Georgetown College (Ky.) on December 6, 2008. That is a span of 47 straight wins over unranked opposition.

Next Week
Westminster will open Frontier Conference action against Montana Tech on Thursday, January 6 in the Behnken Field House. They will also face Montana Western at home on Saturday, January 8. Both games will begin at 5:30 p.m.