The Westminster women's basketball team will spend the weekend in Colorado as they have two Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games remaining before taking a holiday break. The Griffins will visit Colorado Christian in Lakewood, Colo. on Friday. They will then play at Colorado School of Mines on Saturday in Golden, Colo.
 
Both games are scheduled to start at 5 p.m. MT.
 
3 THINGS
>Westminster defeated MSU Denver, 55-45, last Friday for its first RMAC conference win
>The Griffins are closing in on the 500th game in school history, having gone 307-189 (.619) in 496 all-time games
>Westminster had its 72-game winning streak when leading at halftime snapped by UCCS on Saturday
 
COVERING THE GRIFFINS
Both games this weekend will be carried live on Griffins TV. The broadcast of each game is created by the home team. Fans can find Griffins TV at portal.stretchinternet.com/Westminster.
 
There will also be live stats available during both games. Links for the live stats are available at WestminsterGriffins.com/live.
 
FOLLOWING WESTMINSTER WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Make sure to like Westminster Griffins on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and You Tube for the latest news about the Griffins. Game updates are provided on Twitter by following @wc_griffins.
 
Fans can stay connected with Westminster women's basketball by following @westminster_womens_basketball on Instagram.
 
ABOUT WESTMINSTER
Westminster takes its first conference road trip of the season at 4-3 overall and 1-2 in RMAC games. They are currently tied for fourth in the Rocky Division and tied for eighth overall. The Griffins are 1-1 in road games this season, but haven't played one since November 24 at Dixie State.
 
As a team, the Griffins are scoring 59.1 points per game to rank 12th in the conference. They rank sixth in the conference by shooting 39.6 percent from the field while making 27/0 percent from beyond the arc. They hit on 73.7 percent at the foul line – fourth in the RMAC – while handing out 13.9 assists per contest.
 
Westminster is fourth in the league in scoring defense by holding opponents to 55.7 points per game. The opposition is shooting 32.6 percent from the field and made only 29.9 percent from three. The Griffins grab 39.4 rebounds per game and they lead the conference by blocking 4.1 shots per game.
 
Natalie Parsons leads the team in scoring and ranks 12th in the RMAC by scoring 12.1 points per game. Denise Gonzalez scores 11.1 points per game with Jessica Sorensen and Aubrie Vale adding 8.9 and 7.3 per game respectively. Mika Pinner leads the team with 41 rebounds and is tops in the RMAC with 19 blocks. Sorensen has grabbed 39 rebounds with 22 coming at the offensive end. Gonzalez leads the Griffins with 28 assists and 17 steals.
 
LOOKING BACK
The Griffins won their first RMAC conference game with a 55-45 decision against MSU Denver on December 11. They held MSUD to 25.9 percent shooting and just 1 of 12 from beyond the arc. Natalie parsons led three Griffins in double figures with 15 points. Mika Pinner had career highs with 10 rebounds, five blocks, and three steals.
 
Westminster then fell to UCCS, 69-58, on December 12. The loss snapped a 72-game winning streak when leading at halftime and a 79-game streak when grabbing more rebounds than the opponent. Denise Gonzalez led the griffins with 15 points and Pinner added 14 and seven rebounds.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
•Colorado Christian – The Cougars start the week at 4-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play. They split a pair of road games last week, winning at Adams State before falling at Fort Lewis. They are scoring 62 points per game while giving up 55.4. Claire Paxton leads the Cougars in scoring at 11.9 points per game.
 
•Colorado Mines – The Orediggers are one of three teams yet to lose a conference game with a 3-0 record. They have gone 5-2 overall and swept road games at Fort Lewis and Adams State last weekend. Mines averages 63.1 points per game and they allow 62.1 per night. Courtney Smith leads the Orediggers in scoring (11.4), rebounding (6.6), assists (2.6), and bocks (2.0).
 
SERIES NOTES
The Griffins will face both of the team's on this week's schedule for the first time in team history.
 
DEFENSIVE PRESENCE
Mika Pinner has given the Griffins a defensive presence at the rim this season. Pinner currently leads the RMAC in blocks at 2.7 per game and her 19 blocks are the 13th-most for a season in school history. Pinner has recorded multiple blocks in six straight games and she had a career high five against MSU Denver on December 11. She was named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after recording eight blocks and four steals in the two games. She enters the week with 48 career blocks to rank fifth all-time.
 
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Natalie Parsons has quickly become the focal point of the Griffin offense in her first season with the team. The senior transfer leads the team in scoring at 12.1 points per game – 12th in the RMAC – and she has scored in double figures four times. Parsons has twice scored 20 points in a game, including a career high 24 at Dixie State on November 24. She also ranks second on the team with 18 assists and 11 steals.
 
GIVE & TAKE
Denise Gonzalez has started all seven games at point guard and she currently leads the team with 28 assists and 17 steals. The freshman is second in the RMAC at 4.0 assists per game while ranking sixth at 2.4 steals per night. Gonzalez averages 11.1 points per game to rank second on the team and she scored a career high 22 points in the win against Northwest Nazarene on November 27.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
After taking next week off, the Griffins will play three games the following week. They have an exhibition game at Weber State on December 29 before hosting Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines on January 1 and January 2 respectively.