The Westminster men's basketball team returns from a holiday break by hosting a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game this weekend. The Griffins begin 2016 by welcoming Black Hills State to town on Friday. South Dakota Mines will be in town for a game on Saturday.
 
Both games will begin at 7:30 p.m. MT in the Behnken Field House. Tickets for all Westminster home games are available at WestminsterGriffins.com/tickets. Fans can get $5 tickets for Friday's game when purchasing online by using the promo code Happy2016 at checkout.
 
3 THINGS
>Friday will be the Griffins first game since losing at No. 24 Colorado Mines on December 19
>This week's games will be the first-ever against the two RMAC schools from South Dakota
>The Griffins start the week leading the RMAC by holding opponents to 40.6 percent shooting
 
COVERING THE GRIFFINS
Both of this weekend's games will be broadcast live on Griffins TV with Mike Lageschulte calling the play-by-play. Griffins TV is available online and is optimized for mobile devices in the Game Central portal available at portal.stretchinternet.com/Westminster.
 
There will also be live stats available during both games at sidearmstats.com/westminster/mbball.
 
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 633-373 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 344-164 (.677) 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 won its first RMAC road game with a 69-64 decision at Colorado Christian on December 18. The Griffins held CCU to 31.4 percent shooting and made a season high 28 free throws to secure the victory. Kenny Woodard led all scorers with 21 points and was 12 of 13 at the foul line. Zerrion Payton notched his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
 
No. 24 Colorado Mines would outscored the Griffins 33-17 in the first half en route to a 67-50 win on December 19. Mines held Westminster to a season low 36.4 percent shooting and made 18 of 22 free throws to only 3 of 4 by the Griffins. Woodard led the griffins with 12 points and Casey Evans added 10 in defeat.
 
ABOUT WESTMINSTER
Westminster returns to action at 7-2 overall and 3-2 in RMAC play. They are currently tied for fifth in the conference race. The Griffins are 5-1 at home on the year and 2-1 in home conference games. After starting the season 7-0, the team is just 1-2 in the past three outings. They lead the RMAC in field goal defense by holding opponents to 40.6 percent shooting and they are second in the league by making 74.8 percent at the foul line.
 
ABOUT BLACK HILLS STATE
Black Hills State will make its first appearance in the Behnken Field House with a 4-5 overall record and sitting at 2-3 in RMAC action. The Yellow Jackets have alternated wins and losses in their past six games and they have gone 1-1 on the road this season. Nick Ongarato is scoring 21.3 points per game to lead the team and rank fourth in the RMAC. Riley Ryan adds 15.4 points per night.
 
ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA MINES
South Dakota Mines begins the week at 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the RMAC. The Hardrockers have won four of their last six games played and they are 2-1 on the road this season. They are coming off a win over Western New Mexico on December 18 and then falling to Western New Mexico the next night. Konor Kulas averages 18.5 points per game – 7th in the RMAC – while Jamall Taylor adds 10.7 per game.
 
SERIES NOTES
Westminster will play both teams on this week's schedule for the first time.
 
EVANS SHINES
Casey Evans enters the week as the Westminster leader with 118 points. He ranks 20th in the RMAC by scoring 13.1 points per game. Evans is shooting 54.5 percent from the floor this season and has gone 12 of 29 (41.4 percent) from beyond the arc. 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 17th in team history with 847 career points and he is scoring 10.2 points per game this season. He needs to average 9.0 points per game to become the 10th Griffin the reach 1,000 for their career. He also ranks fourth all-time with 147 made threes while placing third with 415 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 third on the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game and he has led the team in scoring two times. Payton also leads the team with 58 rebounds, 36 assists, and nine steals. He ranks fifth in the RMAC at 4.0 assists per game and ninth in rebounds per game at 6.4. He is one of only two players in the conference to be in the top 10 of those two categories.
 
BENCH PORDUCTION
Kenny Woodard has given the Griffins some punch off the bench this season. The senior is second don the team by scoring 12.8 points per game while playing 25.6 minutes per night off the bench. He has been in double figures six times, including a career high 25 points against Texas Wesleyan on November 28. Woodard is second on the team with 26 assists and he leads the RMAC by shooting 93.0 percent at the foul line. That would rank 14th in the country if Westminster players were eligible for NCAA rankings.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Griffins return to the road next weekend as they begin a span of six straight weeks alternating home and away. They open the trip at UCCS in Colorado Springs, Colo., on January 8 before facing MSU Denver on January 9 in Denver.