SALT LAKE CITY – The Westminster men's basketball team won the title of the Westminster Thanksgiving Classic with a 77-74 victory over Texas Wesleyan on Saturday night in the Behnken Field House.
 
Westminster (4-0) shot 61.9 percent from the field in the second half as they overcame a 32-30 halftime deficit. The Griffins finished 10 of 23 (43.5 percent) from beyond the arc and they recorded 18 assists on 22 made baskets.
 
Kenny Woodard led all players with a career high 25 points on a night her went 6 of 9 from the floor and 4 of 7 from three. Woodard made nine of his 10 attempts at the foul line with two rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
 
Westminster had opened a 26-15 lead with 6:19 remaining in the first half with a jumper from Marcus Bryce. Texas Wesleyan (6-2) then mounted a 20-4 run into the opening minute of the second half to reach their largest lead of the night at 35-30.
 
The game swung back in the Griffins favor with a 13-2 spurt over the next three minutes. They lead was back to 10 with 11:48 to play after a pair of Woodard free throws extended the run to 23-8. Texas Wesleyan would chip away and when they completed a 10-0 run with 2:47 remaining, the Rams held a 70-69 advantage.
 
It was all free throws for the Griffins down the stretch as they went 8 of 11 in the final 2:44 to secure the win. They held the visitors to just 1 of 7 from the floor during the closing minutes to remain perfect on the season.
 
Zerrion Payton narrowly missed a triple double as the junior finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. Bryce finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. Casey Evans added 13 and Jordan Pryor had 11.
 
Texas Wesleyan outscored the griffins 26-12 in the paint ad they grabbed 16 offensive rebounds for 14 points. Dion Rogers led the Rams with 21 points to lead a 46-25 edge in bench scoring.
 
The Griffins will now begin Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action when they host Colorado Mesa in the Behnken Field House on December 5. The RMAC opener will tip at 7:30 p.m. MT with tickets available at WestminsterGriffins.com/tickets.