SALT LAKE CITY – After a strong first quarter, the Westminster women's basketball team couldn't maintain their momentum in a 69-58 loss to UC Colorado Springs in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game in the Behnken Field House on Saturday night.
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Westminster (4-3, 1-2 RMAC) raced out to a 20-13 lead after the first quarter as they shot 50 percent from the floor in the period. UCCS (6-3, 2-1) used a 10-2 run early in the second quarter to take the lead back, 25-24, with 5:47 remaining in the half. The Griffins scored seven of the final 12 points of the half and led 31-30 at halftime.
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The game changed in the third quarter when the visitors scored nine straight points to start a 19-6 run that turned a two-point Griffins lead into a 59-50 deficit with 6:32 to play in the game. The Mountain Lions went 8 of 11 from the field during the run and forced Westminster into three turnovers.
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The Griffins finished the game shooting 36.7 percent from the field, but went just 4 of 18 (22.2 percent) from beyond the arc. They had a 45-43 edge on the glass and held UCCS to 34.7 percent shooting. The teams combined for 33 offensive rebounds and UCCS scored 22 points from 18 offensive boards.
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Denise Gonzalez went 7 of 16 from the floor and led Westminster with 15 points. She also grabbed a team-best nine rebounds and handed out three assists with two steals.
Mika Pinner added 14 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks.
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Lauren Bennett led the Mountain Lions with 17 points off the bench. Brittany Hernandez added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
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Westminster will now head out on the road for two RMAC games next weekend. The Griffins open the trip on Friday at Colorado Christian.
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