Box Score FRANKFORT, Ky. – The 15th-ranked Westminster College women's basketball team defeated No. 17 Belhaven, 75-49, on Wednesday in the first round of the 32nd annual NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship presented by Kentuckytourism.com.

Westminster, the No. 4 seed in the first quadrant, is now 23-8 on the season and they win an opening round game for the fifth time in six trips to the national tournament. Belhaven was the No. 5 seed in the quadrant and they end their season at 26-7 overall.

Defense was once again the story of the game for the Griffins. Westminster held Belhaven to 32.8% shooting and just 1-of-17 (5.9%) from beyond the arc. Regena Jackson, who entered the game leading the NAIA in scoring at 24.3 points per game, was held to just 15.

The Griffin offense was also clicking on Wednesday. Westminster finished the afternoon shooting 47.2% from the field after a blistering 52% in the second half. They picked up 19 assists on 25 made field goals while also going 10-of-24 (41.7%) from beyond the arc.

Cydney Tibbitts led three Griffins in double figures with 19 points. The junior recorded her team-best fifth double-double of the campaign with 12 rebounds. She also hade three makes from deep and two assists. Nicole Yazzie finished with 18 points and matched a season high with seven assists. She was 4-of-8 from beyond the arc and made al four of her free throws. Shelby Ellsworth added 14 points off the bench while Jenteal Jackson had nine points, four rebounds and six assists.

Belhaven hung around during the opening moments of the game and would eventually lead 9-6 with 13:43 remaining in the first half. Westminster then scored six straight points to start a 14-3 run that would give the Griffins a 23-12 advantage with 5:07 to play in the first half. The lead would reach 15 in the first half before Westminster carried a 31-19 lead into the intermission.

Belhaven would twice cut the deficit to 10 early in the second half, but that would be as close as they would come. The Griffins would maintain a double-digit lead throughout the second half and they used a 17-6 run late in the stanza to open up a 26-point cushion. That run was capped with 10 straight points over a 2:30 stretch to eliminate any chance of a Belhaven rally.

Jackson's 15 points led the Blazers while Kiara Johnson added 12 points. As a team, Belhaven collected 33 rebounds with 12 coming on the offensive end.

Westminster will next face top-seeded Oklahoma City in a second round game on Friday morning. Oklahoma City is the No. 1-ranked team in the NAIA and they advanced with a 91-73 win over Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) earlier today. The first-ever meeting between the two schools will tip at 8:45 a.m. MST on Friday.