Box Score BOX SCORE

SALT LAKE CITY – Playing a ranked team for the second consecutive game was no problem for the Westminster men's basketball team on Thursday night. Five days after defeating No. 21 Montana State-Northern, No. 8 Westminster used a scorching first half to defeat No. 23 Montana Western 95-77 on Thursday night in the Behnken Field House.

Westminster (19-5, 9-1) shot 80.8% from the field in the first 20 minutes while posting 59 points in the period. They entered the game averaging just 69.5 points per game. The Griffins went on a 16-0 run during a five minute stretch that saw them turn a 34-33 lead into a 52-35 advantage. The finished the half leading 59-41 and then played to a 36-36 second half for the victory.

“That was an unbelievable offensive first half for us,” head coach Tommy Connor said. “This is a good win because Western is a good team and we need to defend our home court.”

The Griffins finished the night shooting 58.2% from the floor and went 25-of-27 at the charity stripe. The offense was in sync much of the night leading to 22 assists on 32 field goals. Westminster committed just eight turnovers and grabbed nine offensive rebounds. They held Montana Western (19-7, 7-3) to 48.9% shooting and forced 12 turnovers which resulted in 17 Westminster points.

“I felt everyone played well tonight,” Connor stated. “I really like 22 assists on 32 field goals and only eight turnovers, especially since we weren't prepared for their defense in the second half.”

Ben Walker led all scorers with 23 points in just 17 minutes due to foul problems. Walker went 9-of-10 from the filed while collecting six rebounds and posting two assists. Weston Anderson added 15 points and five assists and Blair Prowse finished with 14. Michael Stockton recorded 13 points, four rebounds, and four assists off the bench where Westminster got another 12 points from Tanner Gregory.

The win puts Westminster two full games ahead of Western in the Frontier Conference standings with six games remaining. It also locks up a home game in the opening round of the Frontier Conference Tournament.

Layne Glaus led four Bulldogs in double figures with 14 points. JaRon Brown and Cody Thueringer had 13 points apiece while Brandon Brown added 12.

Westminster returns to action on Saturday, February 13 when they host Montana Tech. Action from the Behnken Field House begins at 7:30 p.m.