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SALT LAKE CITY – The 13th-ranked Westminster College men's basketball team returns to the Behnken Field House this weekend as they play host to the Westminster Thanksgiving Classic presented by Red Lion Hotel Salt Lake Downtown. Westminster will open the event on Friday against No. 20 Cal State San Marcos at 7 p.m. They will then play Chadron State (Neb.) at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
The tournament will also feature Montana Tech playing Chadron State on Friday and then facing Cal State San Marcos on Saturday. Both of those games will begin at 5 p.m.
Game Coverage
All four games of the Thanksgiving Classic will be streamed live on Griffins TV and have live stats available. Links for both of these features can be found in the calendar section at WestminsterGriffins.com. The Westminster games will also be carried live in Utah on Comcast channel 6.
Griffin Notebook
Westminster heads into the weekend at 6-1 overall this season after sweeping two games last weekend to win the Golden Rule Shootout. The Griffins defeated Walla Walla (Wash.), 85-44, on Friday before knocking off College of Idaho, 68-50, on Saturday. Westminster is a perfect 2-0 at home this season and has won seven of the last eight played at home dating back to last season.
The Griffins are averaging 80.7 points per game this season and have scored above 75 points in six of the seven games played. They are shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc. The 52 made threes rank 13th in the NAIA and they sit 18th in free throw percentage at 72.1 percent.
The defense has been timid this season in allowing just 60.1 points per game. Westminster opponents are shooting 40 percent from the floor and just 24.2 percent from beyond the arc. The Griffins rank seventh in the country in 3-point field goal defense and 13th in scoring defense. They are forcing 22.1 turnovers per outing and rank 13thnationally with an average of 12.29 steals per game.
Against the Opposition
Westminster leads the all-time series against Cal State San Marcos, 1-0. The two met for the first time last November with the Griffins taking a 76-66 decision on a neutral site in Las Vegas. Saturday's game against Chadron State will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Orchard's the Pick
Jake Orchard is once again having a balanced season for the Griffins. The Frontier Conference Preseason Player of the year is averaging 11.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He also is second on the team with 14 assists and tied for the team lead with 15 steals. Orchard has scored in double figures five times this season with a season-best 19 coming against Western State.
Join the Club
With those 18 points against Vanguard, Orchard became the ninth Griffin to score 1,000 points for a career. The senior has 1,020 career points entering the weekend and he needs 56 points to surpass Danny Stosich for eighth. At his current career scoring average, Orchard would finish with 1,375 points and rank third in school history.
Shoot the Moon
Colton Moon continues to orchestrate the Griffin offense to success. Moon leads the team with 23 assists and is one of four Griffins to average in double figures with his 10.1 points per game. The sophomore is shooting 52.8 percent from beyond the arc and ranks 26th in the NAIA in that department. Moon has reached double figures in three games, including back-to-back 18-point performances against Fort Lewis and Western State,
Robertson Making an Impact
Tallon Robertson has made a significant impact of the Griffins front line this season. The junior is averaging 11.7 points per game while shooting 58.6 percent from the floor. Robertson has led the team in scoring in three games and has reach double figures five times. He is coming off his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win over College of Idaho last Saturday.
Microwave Version 22
Blake Skidmore has provided the Griffins with instant offense off the bench this season. The junior is averaging a team-best 12.1 points per game in 22.4 minutes per night. He is shooting 49.1 percent from the field and ranks 10th in the NAIA with his free throw percentage of 91.7. Skidmore has been in double figures five times and in each of the last four games. He has also grabs 3.6 rebounds per game and has 12 steals.
Starting Fast
Historically the Griffins have been excellent in the first few weeks of the season. Since the program was reinstated in 1999, Westminster is 87-36 (.707) in all games played before Dec. 1. In the past three seasons, Westminster is 23-3 (.885) in November games. The Griffins are 36-7 (.837) in the first month of games dating back to the 2008-09 season.
Creating Scoring Opportunities
The Griffins have been lethal at taking the ball away from the opposition and then turning those chances into points. Westminster forces 22.1 turnovers per game and is scoring 25.3 points per game off of turnovers. Those points from turnovers result in 31.3 percent of all Griffin points this season. In comparison, Westminster commits just 13.1 turnovers per game and allows just 10.3 points from them. That is only 17.1 percent of the opposition's total.
Looking Ahead
The Griffins will be back in the Behnken Field House on Dec. 1 for the Frontier Conference opener against Montana Western. The action will begin at 7:30 p.m. and follows the women's game which starts at 5:30 p.m.
