Box Score BOX SCORE

SALT LAKE CITY – Behind six players in double figures the Westminster women's basketball team defeated Lewis-Clark State College 88-59 in a battle of two nationally ranked teams. Westminster entered the game selected as the NAIA Game of the Week with a No. 13 national ranking while LCSC was ranked fifth.

The win moves the Griffins into a first place tie in the Frontier Conference with a 4-1 record and they improve to 17-4 overall. Lewis-Clark state slips to 3-2 and 17-3.

“This is a pretty big win for us,” head coach JD Gustin said. “Our kids came in with a lot of focus and gave a tremendous effort.”

Westminster scored the first eight points of the contest before LCSC went on a 9-2 run to get within one at the 14:14 mark. The visiting Warriors would take their only lead of the night at 18-16 with 10:56 to play in the half. Westminster would then take the lead for good with a 9-0 run over the next three minutes and they enjoyed a 15-3 run over the final five minutes of the period.

Westminster was hot from the field shooting 45.6% in the contest and going 11-of-23 (47.8%) from beyond the arc. Five different Griffins connected from deep. Nicole Yazzie finished with four treys on seven attempts while Allie Eastman connected on all three of her triple attempts. Westminster also posted 20 assists on the 26 made field goals while only committing 11 turnovers.

Westminster also controlled the glass with a 42-37 edge in rebounds. Eastman grabbed a career high 11 boards and it's just the fourth time a Griffin has reached double figures in rebounds all season. She had five boards on the offensive end where the team turned 13 offensive rebounds into 12 points.

Brooke Larsen led all scorers with 15 points off the bench. Larsen made all six of her field goal attempts including two threes during the Griffins 15-3 first half run. The Griffin bench outscored the LCSC reserves 25-16 in the game.

“Brooke is starting to get comfortable with us,” Gustin said of Larsen. “I think her best basketball is yet to come.”

Yazzie finished with 14 points while Eastman 13 for her first career double-double. Jenteal Jackson, Dani Evans, and Michelle Pace all scored 12 points and Jackson added seven assists and three steals.

Alyssa Fierro led the Warriors with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and seven blocks. Frontier Conference leading scorer Jasmine Stohr had just 11 points, falling nine shy of her average.

The Griffins will return to action on Thursday, January 27 when they host Great Falls in the Behnken Field House. The Frontier Conference action will begin at 5:30 p.m.