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SALT LAKE CITY – The fifth-ranked Westminster College women's basketball team takes a four-game winning streak on the road this week for two Frontier Conference games. Westminster will face Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) on Thursday in Lewiston, Idaho at 6:30 p.m. They will then travel to Butte, Mont. for a Saturday game with Montana Tech that starts at 5:30 p.m.
Game Coverage
Both games of the road trip will have live video available. Montana Tech does charge a fee to watch the video stream. There will also be live stats available for both of the game. Links for all of the live features can be found in the calendar section at WestminsterGriffins.com.
Griffin Notebook
Westminster returns to league play with a 12-2 overall record and winner of four straight and 12 of the last 13. They are 1-0 in Frontier Conference play after a 73-35 win over Montana Western in Salt Lake City on Dec. 1. The Griffins are coming off a 2-0 road trip that saw them pick up wins over San Diego Christian (Calif.), 60-40, and No. 4 Westmont (Calif.), 62-29.
The Griffins have gone 9-1 away from home this season and are 7-1 in true road games. They have a 4-1 mark against ranked opponents and are 8-1 against non-ranked opposition. Westminster is undefeated at 9-0 when holding a halftime lead and sit at 10-0 when leading with five minutes in the game.
Offensively the Griffins are scoring 61.3 points per game and shooting 41.4 percent from the floor. They are one of the top shooting teams in the country and rank 37th in field goal percentage. Westminster is also fifth in the NAIA in free throw shooting at 74.3 percent and they place fifth from beyond the arc at 37.5 percent.
Westminster is stingy on the defensive end where they hold the opposition to 50.5 points per game. Griffin opponents shoot just 36.1 percent from the floor and only 28.4 percent from beyond the arc. They are sixth nationally in scoring defense and 25th in field goal defense.
Against the Opposition
Lewis-Clark State leads the all-time series with the Griffins, 23-9. LCSC won two of the three meeting last season, including a 57-50 in Lewiston. The last road win by the Griffins in the series was a 65-62 overtime victory on Feb. 19, 2011.
Westminster holds an 18-8 lead in the all-time series against Montana Tech. They Griffins have won six straight meetings with the Orediggers in Butte. Tech last win by Tech was an 88-76 win in Salt Lake City on Jan. 6, 2011.
Locking Down the Opposition
Westminster has been stellar on the defensive end this season. They allow just 50.5 points per game to the opposition and rank sixth in the NAIA in that category. They also rank 25th in field goal defense at 36.1 percent and 45th against the three at 28.4 percent. The Griffins have held the last three opponents to 40 points or less and have held the opposition to 50 or less eight times. They are coming off a defensive effort that saw them hold No. 4 Westmont to 29 points and they matched the school record for fewest points allowed.
Sharing the Wealth
Besides being one of the most prolific shooters in the country,
Nicole Yazzie is also a top passer. The Frontier Conference Preseason Player of the Year is averaging 5.21 assist per game this season and ranks 15th in the NAIA in that category. The senior guard has recorded at least five assists in nine of the 14 games played this season, including six of the last eight. Yazzie also ranks 10th in the Frontier on scoring at 12.57 points per game.
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 1,453 points and her 247 career threes is most all-time. She is second all-time with 454 assists and third in steals with 172.
Tidbits on Tibbitts
Cydney Tibbitts currently leads the team in scoring at 13.71 points per game and is shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 38.9 percent from beyond the arc. The senior forward is also the team's leading rebounder at 7.6 boards per night to rank fifth in the league and she lead the Frontier in defensive rebounds at 5.64 per game. Tibbitts has recorded two double-doubles this season and has twice been named the Frontier Conference Player of the Week.
A Wells-come Addition
Kelsi Wells is the team's third-leading scorer at 10 points per game. The JC transfer is shooting 51.5 percent from the floor and 54.1 percent from beyond the arc. She has scored in double figures on seven occasions and has one double-double. Wells was named the Frontier Conference Player of the Week after her career-high 22 points in the win over Westmont on Saturday.
Tia-rrific
Tia Pappas has been a boost of energy off the bench this season. The sophomore is averaging 7.1 points in 23.6 minutes per game. She is second on the team in rebounds at 648 per game and leads the squad with 29 steals. Pappas had her first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Montana Western on Dec. 1.
Clutch at the Stripe
Westminster is one of the premier free throw shooting teams in the NAIA. The Griffins are shooting 74.3 percent at the stripe this season and rank fifth in the country in that category. They are also solid at the foul line in clutch situations shooting 82 percent with the game in the balance this year.
Brooke Blonquist is 2-of-2 in clutch situation while Tibbitts make 92.9 percent and Yazzie and
Brooke Larsen make 83.3 percent in the clutch.
Checking the Computers
Westminster is ranked No. 6 in the current edition of the Massey Ratings. The Griffins have a rating of 1.06 and also hold a power rating of sixth. They are the top rated defensive team in the computer ranking and have played the fourth-rated schedule.
Looking Ahead
The Griffins will return home for the next four games. The home stand begins on Jan. 10 when they welcome Great Falls (Mont.) to the Behnken Field House at 5:30 p.m. They will then play Montana State-Northern at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 12.
