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SALT LAKE CITY – The Westminster College women's basketball team will play at Southern Utah on Saturday in the only games of the week for the Griffins. This will be the fifth meeting between the two teams that has counted for Westminster. They have met twice previously in exhibition games for the Griffins. Saturday's game will tipoff at 7 p.m. in Cedar City.
Griffin Notebook
Westminster travels south at 5-5 on the year after picking up two home wins during the Griffin Invitational on December 1-3. They are 5-2 at home this season and 0-3 in games away from home. Westminster is 0-1 in true road games, dropping a 67-58 decision at Union (Tenn.) on Nov. 17.
Westminster is third in the Frontier in scoring at 70.1 points per game. That ranks 36th in the NAIA while the 701 total points in 46th nationally. They are shooting 40.8% from the field and 33.6% from beyond the arc. The team leads the Frontier in free throw percentage (78.4%) and 3-pointers made per game (7.8).
The Griffins are holding the opposition to 61.2 points per game and 38.9% shooting. They grab 38.7 rebounds per game, with 26.7 coming on the defensive end. The team averages 14.1 assists per outing and rank sixth in the NAIA with a 1.04 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Dana Bates has assumed the top scorer position for the Griffins at 14 points per game. She is shooting 52.6% from the field and 77.5% at the foul line.
Nicole Yazzie is averaging 13.1 points per game and leads the Griffins with 40 assists.
Shelby Ellsworth is scoring 12.7 points per game with a team-best 94 rebounds.
Game Coverage
Saturday's game will be available with both Live Stats and Video Streaming. Fans can follow the action at www.SUUTBIRDS.com. You can also access the radio broadcast online at www.suu.edu/hss/comm/ksuu/webcast.html.
Looking Back
Westminster went 2-0 at the Griffin Invitational over December 1-3. They defeated Holy Names 94-60 and then dropped Simpson 75-43.
Against Holy Names, the Griffins shot 48.5% from the floor in the game and scored 38 points in the paint. They grabbed a season-high 56 rebounds, including 17 on the offensive end that resulted in 20 points. Westminster made eight threes and recorded 18 assists on 33 made field goals.
Bates led four Griffins in double figures with 22 points on a 7-of-11 shooting night. Bates finished the night with eight rebounds that all came on the offensive end. She also had three steals and two assists.
Jenteal Jackson added a season-high 17 points and was 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.
Westminster scored the first 16 points of the game against Simpson and never let the lead get below 13 the remainder of the night. The Griffins shot 45% from the field and went 9-of-20 (45%) from beyond the arc. They made six threes in the first half en route to a 36-18 halftime advantage. Westminster turned to the inside game after intermission, shooting 50% in the half and scoring 18 of their 30 points in the paint in the final 20 minutes.
Three Griffins scored in double figures with Yazzie leading the way with 21 points. Yazzie was 4-for-7 from the field with three treys while also making all 10 of her free throws. The junior guard also contributed four assists and two steals in her 29 minutes.
Chasing 20
The season begins with the Griffins looking for a sixth straight 20-win season. The team had never had a 20-win year prior to the 2006-07 season when they won 22. During the current five-year streak, the Griffins are averaging 25 wins per season and qualified for the NAIA National Championships each season. Westminster set a school record with 28 wins last season.
Sharing the Rock
Westminster is again one of the Frontier's best when it comes to sharing the basketball. The Griffins have 141 assists this season and rank fourth in the Frontier with an average of 12.6 per outing. The team has posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.04 which ranks first in the league and sixth nationally.
Yazzie and Jackson are both in the Frontier top-10 in assists. Yazzie is averaging 4.0 assists per night to rank fourth in the league and 34th nationally. Jackson ranks seventh in the Frontier and 48th nationally at 3.4 assists per game.
Clutch at the Stripe
Westminster can be found first in the conference with a 78.4% free throw percentage. They have shot above 70% at the stripe in eight of the 10 games and seven times have been above 80%. They rank third in the NAIA in free throw percentage. In clutch situation, Westminster shoots 83.3% at the line this season. Clutch situations are defined as any free throw with less than 5:00 remaining in the game (plus all of overtime) and a positive or negative differential of 10 points or less.
Yazzie is the top free throw shooter in the NAIA. The junior guard has made 95.7% of her attempts this year and has made her last 18 attempts at the stripe after staring the season with 24 straight makes at the line. Bates ranks fifth in the Frontier with her 77.5% percentage. Yazzie is 6-for-7 (85.7%) in clutch situations while Bates is 8-of-10 (80%).
Massey Ratings
Westminster is currently No. 49 in the current Massey Ratings that were released on Sunday. The Griffins have a rating of 0.359 and sit fourth in the Frontier Conference. They have played the 35th-ranked schedule and have the 39th-ranked offense and 45th-ranked defense.
The Massey Ratings are compiled each week with new ranking being released on Sundays. Kenneth Massey is the creator of the rating formula and all ratings can be found on his web site at www.masseyratings.com.
Bates Playing Big Time
Senior Bates has an excellent weekend during the Griffin Invitational. After leading the team with 23 points and eight rebounds against Holy Names, she came back with 14 points and 10 rebounds against Simpson. The double-double was the first of the season and third of her career.
She has scored in double figures in eight games and twice gone for at least 22 points. Bates has also grabbed a minimum of three rebounds every night to rank second on the team with 68 boards. In 10 games played, she also has 14 assists, 12 steals and two blocks.
Freshman Sensation
Ellsworth is off to a hot start in her freshman campaign. The forward has started all 10 games this season and is averaging 12.7 points per game, scoring in double figures eight times. She is 13th in the Frontier in scoring and is the second-highest scoring freshman in the league. Ellsworth is 25th in the NAIA in rebounding at 9.4 per contest and also ranks fourth in the Frontier.
She matched a school-record with 20 rebounds in a win over Cal Maritime on Nov. 10. During that game, Ellsworth had 14 offensive rebounds while also scoring a career-high 23 points. She has four games with double-digit rebounds and three double-doubles so far this season.
Yazzie Named Preseason All-Conference
Yazzie was selected to the Preseason All-Frontier Conference team, commissioner Kent Paulson announced last month. Yazzie was the only player from Westminster named to the five-player team. She is a two-time all-Frontier Conference first team performer and was named honorable mention All-American for the second straight year last season. The 5-foot-7 guard averaged 12.2 points per game in 2010-11 along with finishing third in the Frontier with 129 assists.
Frontier Coaches Select Griffins to Finish Second
In a poll of the Frontier Conference women's basketball coaches, Westminster was picked to finish second in the upcoming season. Westminster is the three-time defending conference champion. The Griffins received 44 points in the poll along with two first-place votes. The coaches picked conference tournament champion Lewis-Clark State as their preseason pick to win the 2011-2012 league title. Westminster was followed by Carroll College, Rocky Mountain College, Montana Western, Montana State-Northern, Montana Tech and the University of Great Falls. Lewis-Clark State received six first place votes.
