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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lauren Bennett led the Mountain Lions with 17 points off the bench. Brittany Hernandez added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Westminster will now head out on the road for two RMAC games next weekend. The Griffins open the trip on Friday at Colorado Christian.
