The Westminster women's basketball team continues its four-game home stand this weekend when they host a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games. The Griffins will welcome MSU Denver to town on Friday before facing UC Colorado Springs on Saturday. Both games will begin at 5:30 p.m. MT in the Behnken Field House.
 
Tickets are available online for both of this week's game and all remaining Griffin home games. Tickets can be purchased at WestminsterGriffins.com/tickets.
 
3 THINGS
>Westminster will look to rebound from a 60-40 loss to Colorado Mesa last Saturday
>The Griffins are closing in on the 500th game in school history, having gone 306-188 (.619) in 494 all-time games
>Westminster has never faced either of the two teams on this week's schedule
 
COVERING THE GRIFFINS
All Griffin home games are broadcast live on Griffins TV and feature Mike Lageschulte calling the play-by-play. Head Coach Shelley Jarrard joins the broadcast during the Griffins Pregame Show and Postgame Show. Griffins TV will also carry all RMAC road games. Fans can find Griffins TV at portal.stretchinternet.com/Westminster.
 
There will also be live stats available during the game at www.sidearmstats.com/westminster/wbball.
 
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 enters the week's action at 3-2 overall and 0-1 in RMAC play. They begin the week tied for ninth in the RMAC standings and tied for fifth in the Rocky Division. The Griffins have a 1-1 record at home on the year and they had a three-game winning streak snapped with Saturday's loss.
 
The Griffins are scoring 60.2 points per game and they are shooting 39.5 percent from the floor. They average 5.2 threes per game and connect on 26 percent from beyond the arc. The team ranks sixth in the RAMC in assists at 13.4 per night and they sit sixth with a 0.8 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
Westminster is third in the league in scoring defense by holding opponents to 55.2 points per game. The opposition has shot just 33.4 percent from the field and made only 32.7 percent from three. The Griffins grab 38.2 rebounds per game and average 9.8 steals per night to help them force 15.2 turnovers a contest.
 
 
Natalie Parsons leads the team in scoring and ranks 12th in the RMAC by scoring 12.8 points per game. Denise Gonzalez scores 10.4 points per game with Jessica Sorensen and Aubrie Vale adding 8.8 and 7.3 per game respectively. Sorensen leads the Griffins with 26 rebounds and she is sixth in the RMAC by grabbing 3.0 offensive rebounds per game. Gonzalez leads the team with 18 assists and 15 steals and Mika Pinner has a team-best 11 blocked shots.
 
LOOKING BACK
The Griffins fell to Colorado Mesa, 60-40, in the RMAC opener for each team. Westminster shot just 27.3 percent from the field and went 1 of 22 (4.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Gonzalez led the Griffins with 14 points and Mika Pinner added 10 points.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
•MSU Denver – The Roadrunners begin the week at 2-5 overall and 0-1 in the RMAC. They fell to UCCS, 86-82, to open league play last Saturday. MSUD averages 65.4 points per game while allowing 73.1 to the opposition. Hannah Stipanovich averages 14.6 points per game with Emily Hartegan adding 11.9.
 
•UCCS – The Mountain Lions are coming off the win over MSU Denver to move to 5-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference. UCCS averages 78.3 points per game and outscores the opposition by 10.6 points per game. Brittany Hernandez currently leads the RMAC in scoring at 22.3 points per game while Jennah Knafelc adds 10.9 with 17 made threes.
 
SERIES NOTES
The Griffins will face both of the team's on this week's schedule for the first time in team history. They will also play the two teams on the road this season, January 8 at UCCS and January 9 at MSU Denver.
 
DEFENSIVE PRESENCE
Mika Pinner has given the Griffins a defensive presence at the rim this season. After leading the team with 29 blocked shots last season, Pinner has 11 blocks this season and is tied for the conference lead at 2.2 blocks per game. She tallied a career high four blocks in the win at Dixie State and has multiple blocks in four straight outings. Pinner currently ranks sixth in school history with 40 career blocked shots and her 1.18 per game average is the highest in team history.
 
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 12.8 points per game – 12th in the RMAC – and she has scored in double figures three 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 15 assists and 10 steals.
 
GIVE & TAKE
Denise Gonzalez has started all five games at point guard and she currently leads the team with 18 assists and 15 steals. The freshman is seventh in the RMAC at 3.6 assists per game while ranking fourth at 3.0 steals per night. Gonzalez averages 10.4 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
The Griffins will close out the 2015 calendar with a road trip to Colorado next weekend. They visit Colorado Christian on December 18 and then play at Colorado School of Mines on December 19. Both games will be carried live on Griffins TV.