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SALT LAKE CITY – The 14th-ranked Westminster College women's basketball team continues the 2012 Frontier Conference on Tuesday as they host No. 13 Lewis-Clark State College in the championship game.  The game will tipoff at 7 p.m. in the Behnken Field House and also be available to watch at WestminsterGriffins.com/griffinstv.

Westminster is the No. 1 seed and they advanced to the championship with a 58-46 win over Carroll on Saturday. The No. 2 seed LCSC made the game with a 60-49 win over No. 2 seed MSU-Northern.  Westminster and LCSC split the season series with both teams winning at home. This is the third time in the past four seasons they two teams have played in Salt Lake City for the Frontier title. LCSC is 2-0 in those previous meetings, last winning in 2010.

Griffin Notebook
The Griffins enter the championship at 22-7 overall and champions of the Frontier Conference with a 13-1 mark in league games. They have won 11 consecutive games and 19 of the last 21 games they have played. Westminster is 14-2 at home this season and is 9-0 against teams from the Frontier Conference.

Westminster is scoring 67.28 points per game to rank fourth in the Frontier and 44th in the NAIA.  They shoot 41.8% from the field and 34.7% from beyond the arc.  The Griffins lead the league with 216 threes and an average of 7.45 made per outing.  They also lead the Frontier by shooting 77.8% at the foul line and with a 1.09 assist-to-turnover ratio.

On the defensive end, Westminster holds the opposition to 54.72 points per game and leads the league in that category.  Griffin opponents are shooting 38.2% from the field and 31.1% from beyond the arc.  Westminster grabs 36.28 rebounds a night while also averaging 14.31 assists.  They gather 8.24 steals while also averaging 1.97 blocks per game.

Four Griffins are averaging double figures in scoring this season.  Nicole Yazzie leads the team at 13.28 points per game which ranks fifth in the league.  Dana Bates is 12th in the Frontier in scoring at 11.31 while Shelby Ellsworth is 17th at 10 points per contest.  Cydney Tibbitts averages 10.9 per game, but hasn't played enough games to qualify in the conference rankings.

Yazzie leads team with 57 made threes and is shooting 91.9% at the foul line to lead the Frontier.  Jenteal Jackson is shooting 43% from beyond the arc to rank first in the Frontier and fourth in the nation.  Jackson has a team-best 118 assists and leads the Frontier with a 2.11 assist-to-turnover ratio.  Bates leads the team with 185 rebounds while Ellsworth has grabbed 166 boards.  Bates' average of 6.38 rebounds a night is ninth in the conference.

Game Coverage
Tuesday's game will be broadcast live on Griffins TV with Mike Lageschulte providing the play-by-play and Lance Barton providing color commentary. The broadcast will begin at 6:45 p.m. and feature an interview with Griffins head coach Shelley Jarrard. Following the game, Jarrard and a student-athlete will chat with the guys to recap the game.  Live Stats will also be available for the game with links to both features available at WestminsterGriffins.com.

Frontier Dominance
Over the past five seasons, Westminster has been the best team in the Frontier Conference during league play.  The Griffins have compiled a 62-8 (.886) record during league action since the 2007-08 season.  Those 62 wins are six more than the 56 posted by Lewis-Clark State during that same time frame.  Only the Griffins and LCSC have been above .500 in league play during that stretch.

The dominance is even greater over the past four seasons.  Westminster has won four straight regular season conference championships and has gone 52-4 (.929) in league play since the 2008-09 season.  LCSC is again second over the span, winning 43 games in the same time span.

Taking Advantage at the Stripe
Westminster can be found first in the conference with a 77.8% free throw percentage.  They have shot above 70% at the stripe on 24 occasions while also going above 80% in 15 games.  The Griffins shot 81.9% at the stripe in conference games and sit third in the NAIA for the season.

Yazzie is the No. 1 free throw shooter in the conference and ranks second in the NAIA at 91.9% from the stripe. She has streaks of 24 and 34 consecutive makes and has gone 65-of-68 (95.6%) at home this season. She is on pace to set a new school record for a single season, surpassing the 87.1% that Elisa Leader shot during the 2007-08 campaign.

Just as Good When They Need It
The Griffins also shoot a high percentage at the foul line in clutch situations. A clutch situation is defined as any free throw with less than 5:00 remaining in the game (plus all of overtime) and a positive or negative differential of 10 points or less.  During that situation, Westminster is shooting 80.3% at the line, making 53 of their 66 clutch attempts this season.

Allie Eastman, Ellsworth and Tia Pappas have yet to miss a freebie in a clutch situation.  Tibbitts has gone 11-of-12 (91.7%) when it matters while Yazzie is 19-of-23 (82.6%). Bates is shooting 81.3% in clutch situations at 13-of-16.  Amy Krommenhoek and Jackson are a combined 5-of-10 with the game in balance.

Make That Three
Westminster currently leads the Frontier Conference with an average of 7.45 made threes per game.  The Griffins are shooting 34.7% from beyond the arc which ranks second in the conference and fifth in the NAIA.  Yazzie makes 1.97 threes per game to rank fourth in the league while Jackson is good for 1.69 triples per contest to rank sixth.

Defensive Excellence
The Griffins are one of the top defensive teams in the country this season.  Westminster opponents average just 54.72 points per game and shoot just 38.2% from the floor.  The Griffins rank 11th in the NAIA in scoring defense and 44th in field goal defense. Opponents are committing 15.8 turnovers per game which the Griffins turn into 16.1 points per night.

Westminster has held eight straight opponents under 60 points and they led the Frontier by allowing just 51.64 points per game during league games. The Griffins have held nine opponents under 50 points this season, including three of the last four, and twice limited the opposition to less than 40 points.

Dynamic Duo
Yazzie and Jackson combine to form one of the most productive backcourts in the NAIA. The two combine to average 22.3 points, 7.2 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game. They are ranked in the Frontier Conference Top 20 a combined 17 times in the statistical rankings.

Yazzie leads the Griffins at 13.3 points per game while making 57 total threes. Jackson scores 9.0 points per night and leads the league and ranks fourth in the NAIA at 43% from beyond the arc. She leads the team with 118 assists while Yazzie has 92 dimes. Jackson is ninth in the NAIA with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.11.

Tracking Tibbitts
After missing the first 11 games of the season, junior Tibbitts has made an impact since stepping on the court for the Griffins.  In 18 games played, Tibbitts is averaging 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.  She has recorded four double-doubles and been the team's leading rebounder in 13 games.  She is shooting 46.1% from the field and 34.7% from beyond the arc with the team going 17-1 with her playing.

After coming off the bench in her first two games, Tibbitts transitioned to the starting lineup when conference play began.  As a starter, Tibbitts is scoring 10.7 points per game while grabbing 7.3 rebounds in 32.8 minutes per night.  She has grabbed 35 offensive rebounds during that time while also recording a team-best 16 blocked shots.

Big Time Bates
Senior Bates is 12th in the Frontier on scoring at 11.3 points per game and is shooting 49.7% from the field.  She has scored in double figures 18 times this season and twice been above 20 points.  The forward from Warden, Wash. also grabs 6.4 rebounds per game to rank ninth in the league while placing seventh in offensive rebounds at 2.41 per contest.  Bates has led the team in scoring on 10 occasions this season and has also been the top rebounder 10 times with two double-doubles.

Freshman Sensation
Ellsworth is off to a fast start during her freshman campaign.  The forward has made 18 starts this season and is averaging 10 points per game while scoring in double figures 14 times.  She is 17th in the Frontier in scoring and is the second-highest scoring and rebounding freshman in the league.  Ellsworth is averaging 5.72 rebounds per game to rank 11th in the Frontier overall. Since moving to the bench, Ellsworth is scoring 9.5 points per game and shooting 45.3% from the field.

She matched a school-record with 20 rebounds in a win over Cal Maritime on Nov. 10.  During that game, Ellsworth had 14 offensive rebounds while also scoring a career-high 23 points.  She has four games with double-digit rebounds and three double-doubles so far this season.

Massey Ratings
Westminster currently sits at No. 16 in the latest edition of the Massey Ratings. They are second among the eight teams from the Frontier Conference with a rating of 0.83.  The Griffins rank seventh defensively and have played the 27th-rated schedule to date.

The Massey Ratings are compiled each week with new ranking being released on Sundays.  Kenneth Massey is the creator of the rating formula and all ratings can be found on his web site at www.masseyratings.com.