SALT LAKE CITY – The Westminster men's basketball team will play of pair of games at the Tom Byron Classic hosted by Westmont (Calif.) College on Monday and Tuesday. Westminster begins the week against Victoria (Canada) on Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. MT before facing Saskatchewan (Canada) on Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. Both games will be played at Murchison Gymnasium on the Westmont campus.
 
On the Web: Both games from the trip will be broadcast live on the web through the Westmont Game Central portal. They will also have live stats available for both of the games. Links for the live features are available at WestminsterGriffins.com/live.
 
Griffin Fast Break: Westminster heads to California at 5-6 on the season and riding a three-game winning streak. After starting the season with five straight losses, the Griffins have won five of six to get within one game of .500. They are 1-3 overall away from home this season and 1-2 in neutral site contests.
 
Offense Notebook: The Griffins take a scoring average of 78.73 points per game into the action and they are averaging 90.5 points per game over the past six outings. They are coming off 100-plus points in consecutive games for the first time in school history. The team shoots 47.3 percent from the field – 19th in the NAIA – and they sit 31st in the country by making 36 percent from beyond the arc. The Griffins average 16.1 assists per contest with a 0.98 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
Defense Notebook: Westminster is holding the opposition to 71.73 points per game and allowing just 43.8 percent shooting from the field. Opponents make 33.1 percent from beyond the arc while committing 17 turnovers per game. The Griffins place 22nd in the nation at 9.09 steals per game while recording 2.27 blocks per night.
 
Leaders: Four Griffins are averaging double figures in points on the year with Kenny Woodard leading the way at 12.5 per game. Jordan Pryor puts up 12.4 per night with Quincy Bair adding 12.2. Nick Jenson is up to 10.1 points per game and he leads the team by shooting 63 percent from the field and with 80 rebounds. Woodard has a team-best 34 assists with Colton Moon getting a team-leading 23 steals. Casey Evans leads the squad with eight blocked shots.
 
Looking Back: Westminster is coming off its highest scoring two-game span in school history in a pair of victories against Concordia-Alberta (Canada) on Dec. 19-20 in the Behnken Field House. They set the school-record for points in a game in a 124-40 win on the 19th. They then put eight players in double figures as they completed the sweep with a 110-65 win on the 20th.
 
Frontier Favorites: In a poll of the Frontier Conference coaches, Westminster was selected as the favorite to win the conference title this season. They received four first-place votes and finished with 42 total points to take the top spot. Defending regular season and tournament champion Rocky Mountain (Mont.) was picked to finish second after receiving 41 points and two first-place votes. Montana State-Northern and Montana Western each received one first-place vote.
 
Home Dominance: Westminster has been tough to beat in the Behnken Field House since it opened in 2006. While the Griffins have always been good at home, going 168-33 (.836) since the program was reinstated in 1999, they have compiled a 103-18 (.851) mark in their current home. The Griffins are 4-3 in the Behnken Field House this season and they have won five straight Frontier Conference home games.
 
Bombs Away: The Griffins have been taking advantage of the 3-point line this season, ranking 29th in the NAIA by making 7.73 triples per game. They shoot 36 percent from beyond the arc to rank 31st in the nation. They are scoring 29.4 percent of their total points from deep while making at least seven treys in a game eight times. Pryor leads the team by making 2.64 threes per game – 24th in the nation – and he is 33rd nationally by shooting 44.6 percent from three.
 
Inside the Metrics: Westminster saw their scoring efficiency rise after the weekend against Concord-Alberta as they raised the offensive rating to 104.5 points per 100 possessions. The Griffins are currently averaging around 75 possessions per game and posting a 56.7 true shooting percentage. At the defensive end, Westminster is allowing 95.2 points per 100 possessions. Both Nick Jenson and William Walker are grabbing 25.3 percent of available defensive rebounds while on the floor.
 
Performance from Pryor: After scoring a career-high 312 points last season, expectations are high this season for Jordan Pryor. The junior was named preseason all-conference after being selected as the Frontier Sixth-Man of the Year last season. Pryor is currently scoring 12.4 points per game and making 2.64 threes per outing and he made at least one three in 13 straight games dating back to last season. He has scored in double figures seven times on the year and had a career-high 27 points with six threes against Concordia-Alberta on Dec. 19.
 
Spark off the Bench: After a slow start to the season, Kenny Woodard has come on lately and currently leads the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game. He has scored in double figures eight times this season and had a career-high 21 points against Vanguard on Nov. 14. Woodard also leads the team with 34 assists and he has 11 steals on the year. He ranks fifth in the NAIA by making 89.8 percent at the foul line.
 
Balance from Bair: Quincy Bair has been the most all-around player for the Griffins this season and he currently ranks in the Frontier top 20 in eight statistical categories. The junior is scoring 12.2 points per game and he has been in double figures eight times this season. He is shooting 52.2 percent from the floor and getting 2.18 assists and 1.46 steals per game with a 1.41 assist-to-turnover ratio. Bair is making 45.8 percent from beyond the arc and 72.5 percent at the foul line while leading the team in scoring two times.
 
Crashing Jenson: Nick Jenson is averaging 10.1 points per game this season and he leads all Griffins with 80 rebounds. His 7.27 rebounds per game is second in the Frontier Conference and he is 32nd in the nation by pulling 5.27 defensive boards per game while also getting 2.0 offensive rebounds per night. Jenson is shooting 63 percent from the floor on the year and has recorded two double-doubles. He ranks 10th in school history with 85 offensive rebounds and is currently 17th all-time with 265 total rebounds.
 
Shoot the Moon: Colton Moon plays his senior season among the top 10 in school history in six statistical categories. He currently sits sixth in school history in made threes (125) and attempted threes (327). Moon ranks ninth all-time with 197 assists and his 130 career steals ranks fifth in school history. This season, Moon is scoring 4.7 points per game and he has been in double figures three times. He leads the team and sits 24th in the NAIA by averaging 2.09 steals per game while sitting 25th in the NAIA with 23 total steals.
 
Bench Scoring: William Walker has given the team an inside presence off the bench this season while scoring 9.0 points per game. The sophomore has scored in double figures four times in the year while also leading the team with three double-doubles. Walker has grabbed 66 rebounds – 26 offensive – while shooting 51.1 percent from the field. He had consecutive 19-point outings against Concordia-Alberta and posted a double-double in both games.
 
Eyes on Evans: Casey Evans has transitioned into the starting lineup this season and is currently averaging 8.8 points per game. The sophomore shoots 54.5 percent from the field and he has made seven threes while shooting 41.2 percent from deep. He has scored in double figures six times while grabbing 4.5 rebounds per night. Evans leads the team with eight blocked shots and he has 17 assists and 13 steals. He scored a career-high 16 points against Cal State San Marcos on Nov. 29.
 
Follow the Griffins: Fans are encouraged to follow the Westminster men's basketball team on their Instagram and Twitter feeds for fun behind the scenes information from the team. You can also get all of the latest news about the Griffins through the Westminster Athletics social media outlets. You can find all of the social media information at WestminsterGriffins.com.
 
Looking Ahead: Westminster will turn their attention to Frontier Conference action after the first of the year with the conference opener slated for 7:30 p.m. MT on Jan. 8 in the Behnken Field House against Carroll (Mont.). They will then welcome Rocky Mountain (Mont.) to town on Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m.