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SALT LAKE CITY – The seventh-ranked Westminster College men's basketball returns to action early next week with two games in California. Westminster will play at California-Merced on Tuesday at 8 p.m. in Merced, Calif. They will then play at Pacific Union (Calif.) on Wednesday in Angwin, Calif. at 8 p.m.
Game Coverage
There will be live video available for Wednesday's game against Pacific Union. You can find a link for the video in the calendar section at WestminsterGriffins.com.
Griffin Notebook
Westminster heads to California at 9-1 overall on the season and riding a five-game winning streak. They haven't played since an 84-63 win over Montana Western in the Frontier Conference opener on Dec. 1. The Griffins are 2-0 in road games this season and 4-1 in all games played away from the Behnken Field House.
Westminster is scoring 82.8 points per game on the year and has gone over 80 points seven times. They have twice scored above 90 points and only once were held below 75. The team is shooting 48.8 percent from the floor and rank 18th in the NAIA in that category. The Griffins are 11th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage at 39.3 percent. The 1.22 assist-to-turnover ratio is 11th-best in the country and the 16 assists per game place 16th.
On the defensive end, Westminster is holding the opposition to 61.4 points per game and just 41.8 percent shooting. They are 11th in the nation in scoring defense and 37th in field goal defense. Griffin opponents shoot 28.9 percent from beyond the arc and commit 21.5 turnovers per game. At 12.5 steals per game, Westminster ranks sixth in the NAIA and they lead the country in turnover margin at 8.6.
Against the Opposition
Westminster has never played either of the opponents they face on this road trip.
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 a team-high 12 points while grabbing 379 rebounds per game. He also is second on the team with 27 assists and 19 steals. Orchard has scored in double figures seven times this season with a season-best 19 coming against Western State (Colo.).
Join the Club
With 18 points against Vanguard (Calif.) on Nov. 9, Orchard became the ninth Griffin to score 1,000 points for a career. The senior has 1,060 career points entering the weekend and he needs 16 points to surpass Danny Stosich for eighth. At his current career scoring average, Orchard would finish with 1,367 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 29 assists and averaging 9.9 points per game. The sophomore is shooting 53.8 percent from beyond the arc and ranks second in the NAIA in that department. Moon has reached double figures in four games, including back-to-back 18-point performances against Fort Lewis (Colo.) 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 10.8 points per game while shooting 60.3 percent from the floor. Robertson has led the team in scoring in three games and has reached double figures six times. He had his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win over College of Idaho on Nov. 17.
Microwave Version 22
Blake Skidmore has provided the Griffins with instant offense off the bench this season. The junior is averaging 10.9 points per game in 21.7 minutes per night off the bench. He is shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 82.8 percent at the foul line. Skidmore also grabs 3.3 rebounds per game and has 17 assists and 16 steals.
Starting Fast
By going 9-1 through Dec. 1, Westminster has kept up with the tradition of being excellent in the first month of the year. Since the program was reinstated in 1999, Westminster is 90-36 (.714) in all games played through Dec. 1. In the past three seasons, Westminster is 26-3 (.897) in November games. The Griffins are 39-7 (.848) 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 21.5 turnovers per game and is scoring 24.8 points per game off of turnovers. Those points from turnovers result in 29.9 percent of all Griffin points this season. In comparison, Westminster commits just 13.1 turnovers per game and allows just 9.8 points from them. That is only 15.9 percent of the opposition's total.
Looking Ahead
The Griffins will take time off for the holidays before a trip to Santa Barbara, Calif. for the Tom Byron Classic. They will open the tournament against St. Xavier (Ill.) on Dec. 28 before facing the winner of Westmont (Calif.) and William Jessup (Calif.) on Dec. 29.
