Box Score BOX SCORE

JACKSON, Tenn. – After suffering defeat in the second round for the past two seasons, the eighth-ranked Westminster women's basketball team moved into Saturday's quarterfinals with a 49-40 win over William Woods (Mo.) at the 2011 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship Friday in Oman Arena. The Griffins, now 28-6, will meet No. 1 Union (Tenn.) at 6 p.m. CDT.

“To be still playing with only eight teams left is really exciting,” head coach JD Gustin said. “We are excited for the chance to play Union with a trip to the semi-finals on the line.”

This is the first-ever trip to the quarterfinals for the Griffins. The Owls exit from their fourth National Championship after advancing to the second round for the first time and wrap up their season with a record of 28-6.

Both teams struggled to find an offensive groove in the first half. Combined they hit just 13-of-60 (.216) field goal attempts and 7-of-32 tries from downtown. William Woods' Rachel Baker led all-scorers at the break with eight points, but Westminster held a 24-18 lead at halftime. The Griffins held their largest lead at 49-36 following an 8-0 run with 3:23 remaining in the game.

“It's hard to believe we won this game,” Gustin commented about his team's performance. “Our defensive effort was average and our execution wasn't sharp.”

For the second straight game Westminster controlled the glass. The Griffins collected 47 rebounds to just 36 by William Woods while also grabbing 10 boards on the offensive end. Westminster has now outrebounded its two opponents at the tournament 91-74.

“We knew coming into the tournament we would have to rebound to have a chance to win,” Gustin commented. “We did a really nice job tonight in that department.”

Westminster had three players finish with double figures in the low scoring affair. Michelle Pace racked up 14 points and scoring a dozen was Dani Evans and Nicole Yazzie. Dana Bates pulled down nine rebounds. The Griffins shot just 28 percent from the field and 27 percent from behind the 3-point line.

Baker recorded 15 points in the loss and received little help from her supporting cast, as the next highest scorers were Miranda Loesch and Megan Aubuchon with six apiece. Baker also blocked six Griffin shots in her final outing in an Owl uniform. Sharron Andrews matched Bates as the game's leading rebounder with nine.