The Westminster men's basketball team returns to the road for the first time in nearly a month as they play a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games this weekend. The Griffins open the trip on Friday at Colorado Christian in Lakewood, Colo. They will then visit Colorado School of Mines on Saturday in Golden, Colo.
 
Both games of the weekend trip are scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. MT.
 
3 THINGS
>The Griffins started the season 6-0 for only the fourth time in team history.
>This week's games will mark the first conference road games of the season
>Westminster begins the week leading the RMAC at 16.7 assists per game
 
COVERING THE GRIFFINS
Both games of the trip will be broadcast live on Griffins TV. The game broadcasts are produced by the home institution. Griffins TV is available online and on your mobile device at portal.stretchinternet.com/Westminster.
 
There will also be live stats available for both games at WestminsterGriffins.com/live.
 
FOLLOWING WESTMINSTER MEN'S BASKETBALL
Make sure to like Westminster Griffins on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and You Tube for the latest news about the Griffins. For updates of the game action, make sure to follow @wc_griffins on Twitter.
 
Fans can stay connected with Westminster men's basketball team by following @griffinbasketball on Instagram.
 
40 YEARS OF HOOPS
This season marks the 40th year of men's basketball at Westminster dating back to the 1956-57 campaign. They played the 1,000 game in school history on November 27 against The Master's. Westminster has compiled a record of 632-372 for a .629 winning percentage. This marks the 17th season of men's basketball since the program was reinstated in 1999. The Griffins have gone 343-163 (.678) in that time and they won seven Frontier Conference championships and made 10 appearances in the NAIA National Championships.
 
FAMILIAR NEW CONFERENCE
Westminster begins the NCAA Division II membership process in the 2015-16 season. The Griffins join the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference this year, but will not be eligible for postseason play. Westminster was a member of the RMAC from 1967-1979 where they went 109-81 (.574) in conference play and won three conference titles.
 
LOOKING BACK
Westminster improved to 6-0 on the season by defeating MSU Denver, 70-67, on December 11. The Griffins shot 45.8 percent from the field and held the visitors to only 33.9 percent shooting. Kenny Woodard scored 14 points off the bench to lead four Griffins in double figures.
 
The Griffins perfect season came to an end with an 81-68 loss to UCCS on December 12. Westminster couldn't slow the UCCS offense as the visitors shot 53.6 percent from the floor and made 10 threes. Zerrion Payton went for 16 points and five assists in the loss as the team had 21 assists on 29 made baskets.
 
ABOUT WESTMINSTER
Westminster is one of two teams in the RMAC with only one loss on the season and they are tied with eight other teams for second din the conference at 2-1 in league games. The Griffins are scoring 74.6 points per game and they rank fourth in the league by allowing 70.6 points per night. They are shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and lead the conference by handing out 16.7 assists per game.
 
ABOUT COLORADO CHRISTIAN
Colorado Christian begins the week at 4-5 overall and 0-3 in RMAC games. They are on a three-game losing streak and were swept in road games at Adams State and Fort Lewis last weekend. The Cougars average 82.6 points per game while allowing 86.3 per night. Zach McLemore leads CCU in scoring at 18.1 points per game.
 
ABOUT NO. 24/- COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
Colorado Mines enters the week with a 7-2 overall record and at 2-1 in RMAC action. The Orediggers are 5-0 at home this season and they are coming off a weekend that saw them lose at Fort Lewis before defeating Adams State. CSM scores 76.2 points per game while holding the opposition to 69.1 points per game. Gokul Natesan averages a team-best 20.6 points per game while also leading the squad in assists and steals.
 
EVANS SHINES
Casey Evans enters the week as the Westminster leader with 76 points. He ranks 19th in the RMAC by scoring 13.7 points per game. Evans is second on the team with 41 rebounds and he is 11th in the RMAC by grabbing 5.0 defensive rebounds per game. He had a career high 22 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Colorado Mesa on December 5. That was his second 20-point game of the season and third in his career.
 
CHASING 1,000
Jordan Pryor will start the week 18th in team history with 834 career points and he is scoring 11.3 points per game this season. He needs to average 8.74 points per game to become the 10th Griffin the reach 1,000 for their career. He also ranks fifth all-time with 144 made threes while placing third with 408 attempts from beyond the arc. Pryor is second in the conference in foul shooting by making 92.3 percent at the foul line.
 
STAT SHEET STUFFER
Zerrion Payton has been doing a little of everything for the Griffins this season. The junior is second on the team in scoring at 11.9 points per game and he has led the team in scoring two times. Payton also leads the team with 42 rebounds, 34 assists, and nine steals. He ranks third in the RMAC at 4.9 assists per game. Payton also has two blocked shots this season and is eighth in the conference with his 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
BENCH PRODUCTION
Kenny Woodard has given the Griffins some punch off the bench this season. The senior averages 11.7 points per game while playing 24.6 minutes per night off the bench. He has been in double figures four times, including a career high 25 points against Texas Wesleyan on November 28. Woodard is second on the team with 23 assists and he leads the RMAC by shooting 92.9 percent at the foul line.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
After this week's action, the Griffins will be off until January 1 when they host Black Hills State in the Behnken Field House. They will then welcome South Dakota Mines to SLC on January 2. Both games will begin at 7:30 p.m. MT with tickets available at WestminsterGriffins.com/tickets.