Complete Release | PDF
SALT LAKE CITY – The fifth-ranked Westminster College women's basketball team heads to Oklahoma to play two games. Westminster will play at No. 14 Rogers State (Okla.) on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Claremont, Okla. After a day off, the Griffins will play Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee, Okla. on Monday at noon.
Game Coverage
Both games of the trip will be available to watch online with live video streaming. There will also be live stats available for the two games. Links for all of the live features can be found on the calendar section of WestminsterGriffins.com.
Griffin Notebook
Westminster takes to the road at 8-2 overall this season. They split two road games last week, winning at Concordia (Calif.), 68-48. Last Friday before having their eight-game winning streak snapped with a 73-51 loss at No. 3 Vanguard (Calif.) on Saturday.
The Griffins have gone 5-1 in road games this season and are 6-1 in all games played outside of the Behnken Field House. They have also compiled a 2-1 record against teams ranked in the NAIA Top 25 at the time of the contest. Westminster is 6-0 when leading at the half and 7-0 when they hold a lead with five minutes remaining.
Offensively, Westminster is scoring 61.3 points per game to rank eight in the Frontier Conference. They are shooting 40.8 percent from the floor to rank third in the league and sit 13th nationally at 36.2 percent from beyond the arc. The Griffins average 7.5 threes per contest and distribute 15.5 assists.
The defensive end is where the team shines. Westminster opponents are averaging 53.4 points per game and shoot just 37.8 percent from the floor. They rank 15th in the NAIA in scoring defense and ninth in rebound defense at 31.6 per outing. The Griffins force 15.1 turnovers per game and have 80 steals and 51 blocked shots.
Against the Opposition
Westminster holds a 1-0 lead in the all-time series with Rogers State. The two teams met in the first round of the 2011 NAIA National Championships where the Griffins took a 60-56 decision. Current Griffins
Nicole Yazzie and
Brooke Larsen combined for 27 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in the win.
Monday's game will be the first-ever meeting between the Griffins and Oklahoma Baptist.
Connecting from Deep
Yazzie is one of the most prolific shooters in the NAIA this season. The senior guard is averaging 2.3 made threes per game and ranks 33rd in the country in that category. The Frontier Conference Co-Preseason Player of the Year shoots 33.8 percent from beyond the arc and leads the team in scoring at 14.4 points per game. She ranks third in the Frontier and 18th nationally with an average of five assist per outing.
Climbing the Charts
Yazzie continues to climb the charts in the Westminster career record book. She currently ranks in the top 10 in 12 statistical categories and is one of just six players to score 1,000 career points. Yazzie currently ranks fifth in school history with 1,421 points and her 243 career threes is most all-time. She is second all-time with 431 assists and third in steals with 163.
Tidbits on Tibbitts
Cydney Tibbitts is averaging 13.3 points per game to rank second on the team this season. The senior forward shoots 45.6 percent from the floor and has scored in double figures in nine of the 10 games played. She also leads the Griffins with 76 rebounds and eight blocked shots. Tibbitts ranks 22nd in the NAIA in free throw shooting at 81.3 percent and she shoots 36.1 percent from beyond the arc.
A Wells-come Addition
Kelsi Wells is averaging 8.6 points per game and is the team's No. 3 scorer. The JC transfer is shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 45.5 percent from beyond the arc. She has scored in double figures on four occasions, including a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds in her Westminster debut on Nov. 8 vs. The Master's (Calif.). Wells ranks 17th in the country with a 2.33 assist-to-turnover ratio while also grabbing 54 rebounds and 11 steals.
Clutch at the Stripe
Westminster is one of the premier free throw shooting teams in the NAIA. The Griffins are shooting 73.9 percent at the stripe this season and rank seventh in the country in that category. They are also solid at the foul line in clutch situations shooting 84.2 percent with the game in the balance this year. Wells (4-of-4) and
Brooke Blonquist (2-of-2) have made all of their clutch attempts with Tibbitts going 11-of-12,
Brooke Larsen making 5-of-6 and Yazzie 8-of-10.
In the Polls
Westminster slipped one position to No. 5 in the 2012-13 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday. Westminster received 254 points in the poll and is the highest ranked team with two losses.
Checking the Massey Computer
The Griffins sit at No. 13 in the current edition of the Massey Ratings. They dropped five positions from last week's rankings. The computer has the Griffins rated as the fifth-best defensive team in the country while playing the 10th-ranked schedule.
Looking Ahead
Westminster will return to action on Dec. 28 when they face San Diego Christian (Calif.) at the GSAC Challenge in Santa Barbara, Calif. The Griffins will also play Westmont (Calif.) at the event on Dec. 29.