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SALT LAKE CITY – The 18th-ranked Westminster College men's basketball team looks to snap a two-game losing streak with two home games this week. Westminster begins a four-game home-stand on Thursday when they welcome Great Falls (Mont.) to town. On Saturday, No. 10 Montana State-Northern makes the annual trip to Salt Lake City. Both games will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Behnken Field House.
Game Coverage
Both games will be carried live on Griffins TV and Comcast 6 in Northern Utah. Mike Lageschulte (play-by-play) joins Lance Barton (analyst) on the call of both games. Westminster will also have Live Stats available for both of the games. Links for both Griffins TV and Live Stats can be found in the calendar section at WestminsterGriffins.com.
Griffin Notebook
Westminster begins the week at 13-3 overall this season and 1-2 in Frontier Conference play. They dropped 11 positions to No. 18 in this week's NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll after dropping two road games at Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) and Montana Tech over the weekend.
The Griffins have a perfect 5-0 record in the Behnken Field House this season, including an84-63 win over Montana Western in the Frontier opener on Dec. 1. They have won five of the last six conference games played at home dating back to last season and are 37-4 all-time in Frontier Conference games in the Behnken Field House.
The team is scoring 80.7 points per game and rank second in the league and 23rd in the country in that category. Westminster shoots 46.9 percent from the floor and 36.9 percent from beyond the arc to rank 27th and 26th in the NAIA respectively. The 1.16 assist-to-turnover ratio is 12th in the country and they also make 7.2 treys per outing.
Westminster is holding the opposition to 63.9 points per game and rank 34th nationally in that category and 29th by holding opponents to 31.3 percent from beyond the arc. They give up just 33.8 rebounds per game while ranking eighth in the NAIA by taking 11.8 steals per game. The Griffins force 21.6 turnovers per game and led the country with a turnover margin of 8.67.
Against the Opposition
Westminster leads the all-time series with Great Falls, 28-1. The Griffins have won two straight after having a 26-game winning streak in the series snapped on Feb. 26, 2001 in Great Falls. The Argonauts have never won in Salt Lake City and they lost 72-57 in last season's meeting in the Behnken Field House.
The Griffins hold an 18-10 lead in the all-time series with MSU-Northern. The Lights have won the last three meetings after the Griffins had won seven of the previous eight match-ups. Northern won the meetings in Salt Lake City last season, 53-50.
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 13.4 points per game and shoots 47.9 percent from the floor. The senior leads the team with 32 steals and is second with 36 assists. He also has grabbed 50 rebounds and is shooting 73.1 percent at the foul line.
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 1,141 career points entering the weekend to rank seventh in school history. At his current career scoring average of 15.4 points per game, Orchard is on pace to score 1,357 points through the team's first game of the Frontier Conference Tournament. He needs to average 16.3 points and 2.4 steals per game to become the career leader in each of those categories.
Shoot the Moon
Colton Moon continues to orchestrate the Griffin offense to success. Moon leads the team with 41 assists and averaging 9.1 points per game. The sophomore is shooting 48.6 percent from beyond the arc and ranks 12th in the NAIA in that department. Moon has reached double figures in five games, including back-to-back 18-point performances against Fort Lewis (Colo.) and Western State in November.
Robertson Making an Impact
Tallon Robertson has made a significant impact of the Griffins front line this season. The junior is averaging 10.9 points per game while shooting 54.2 percent from the floor. Robertson has led the team in scoring in four games and has reached double figures eight times. He has one double-double and his career-high 21 points over Saint Xavier led him to MVP honors at the Tom Byron Classic.
Microwave Version 22
Blake Skidmore has provided the Griffins with instant offense off the bench this season. The junior is averaging 10.5 points in 22.1 minutes per night off the bench. He is shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 84.8 percent at the foul line. Skidmore shoots 41.2 percent from beyond the arc and grabs 2.9 rebounds with 22 assists and 22 steals.
Crashing the Glass
Senior
Alex Drecksel is the team's leading rebounder at 6.33 rebounds per game. He ranks seventh in the Frontier in rebounding and third in the league by grabbing 2.8 offensive rebounds per night. Drecksel grabs 13.3 percent of all available rebounds while he is on the floor with a 9.8 percent on the offensive end.
Creating Scoring Opportunities
Westminster currently leads the NAIA in turnover margin (+8.67) thanks to forcing 21.6 turnovers per game. They are coming up with 11.8 steals to rank eighth in the NAIA. The Griffins score 24.3 points per game from opponent turnovers which accounts for 30.1 percent of the team's 80.7 points per game. In contrast, Griffin opponents are scoring just 9.7 points from turnover per game or just 15.2 percent of their total points.
What Does Massey Say
The Massey Computer Ratings have the Griffins rated No. 4 in the current edition. They are still ranked No. 1 in the power category and sit fifth in the defensive rating. Westminster dropped three spots this week and have played the seventh-best schedule accruing to the computers.
Looking Ahead
Westminster remains at home to continue this four-game home-stand next week. They host Dickinson State (N.D.) in their first trip to Salt Lake City on Jan. 17 before a Jan. 19 contest against Carroll (Mont.). Both games will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Behnken Field House.
