The Westminster men's basketball team is back home for a duo of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games this weekend. On Friday, Westminster plays host to Adams for the first time since 2004. The Griffins will then welcome No. 18 Fort Lewis to town on Saturday.
 
Both games will begin at 7:30 p.m. MT in the Behnken Field House. Tickets can be purchased by visiting WestminsterGriffins.com/tickets.
 
3 THINGS
>This weekend starts a stretch with the Griffins playing four of six games at home
>Westminster enters the weekend having dropped five of the last seven games played
>The Griffins are looking to snap a 3-game home losing streak
 
COVERING THE GRIFFINS
Both of this weekend's game will be broadcast live on Griffins TV. Mike Lageschulte will call the action and Head Coach Norm Parrish will join the broadcast during the pre- and post-game shows. 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 of the games. The live stats can be found online 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.
 
ABOUT WESTMINSTER
Westminster will return to action with an 8-5 overall record and sitting at 4-5 in RMAC action. They are presently tied for sixth in the Rocky Division and 1th in the overall conference standings. The Griffins are 5-3 at home this season and have lost five of their last seven games overall.
 
The Griffins rank 12th in the RMAC by scoring 71.2 points per game and they are fourth in the league by holding the opposition to 70.9 points per night. The team is shooting 44.4 percent from the field and they are third in the RMAC in holding opponents to 43.3 percent shooting. Westminster is fourth in the league by making 74.8 percent at the foul line.
 
Four Griffins are averaging in double figures on the season with Casey Evans leading the way at 13.1 points per game. Kenny Woodard adds 12.0 points per night with Zerrion Payton and Jordan Pryor adding 11.5 and 10.8 respectively.
 
Payton leads the team by grabbing 6.0 rebounds per game and he is fifth in the RMAC at 3.7 assists per game. Evans gets 1.3 steals per game – 17th in the RMAC – and Marcus Bryce leads the Griffins with 13 blocked shots.
 
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 634-376 for a .628 winning percentage.
 
LOOKING BACK
Westminster erupted on the offensive end for a 97-93 win at UCCS on Friday. Westminster shot a season-best 52.3 percent and made 8 of 16 from beyond the arc and connected on 21 of their 26 attempts (80.8 percent) at the foul line. Pryor led five Griffins in double figures with 21 points. Brandon Warr added a career high 20 points and collected four of his six rebounds at the offensive end.
 
Westminster surrendered a 15-point first half lead and lost 68-61 at MSU Denver on Saturday night. Payton finished the night with a team high 12 points by making 7 of 8 at the foul line. The junior added three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in defeat. Evans scored 11 points and led the team with four rebounds.
 
ABOUT ADAMS STATE
The Grizzlies come to town at 6-8 overall and 5-4 in conference play. They split a pair of road games last weekend and have gone 2-2 on the road during the season. ASU is averaging 79.9 points per game and giving up 82.1 per night. Shakir Smith scores 22.3 points per game to rank second in the RMAC and he is the current RMAC Offensive Player of the Week.
 
ABOUT NO. 18 FORT LEWIS
The Skyhawks begin the week ranked No. 18 in the USA Today NCAA Division II Coaches' Poll. They are 12-2 overall this season and tied for the top spot in the conference at 7-2 in league play. They had a six-game winning streak snapped last Friday and are 3-2 on the road this season. Joshua Blaylock scores 15.5 points per game to lead the team with Rasmus Bach adding 14.6
 
SERIES NOTES
Westminster leads the all-time series with Adams State 4-2, but the two teams haven't played since 2006. The teams have split two games played in Salt Lake City with both being held on Payne Gymnasium.
 
Fort Lewis holds a 3-2 edge in the series with the Griffins. Both of the games played in SLC have gone to Westminster, including the only previous meeting in the Behnken Field House.
 
EVANS SHINES
Casey Evans enters the week as the Westminster leader with 170 points. He is shooting 53.6 percent from the floor and has gone 19 of 43 (44.2 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 13th in team history with 895 career points and he is scoring 10.8 points per game this season. He needs to average 8.1 points per game to become the 10th Griffin the reach 1,000 for their career. He also ranks fourth all-time with 153 made threes while placing third with 436 attempts from beyond the arc.  Pryor leads the RMAC by shooting 94.4 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 11.5 points per game and he has led the team in scoring three times. Payton also leads the team with 78 rebounds and 44 assists. He ranks fifth in the RMAC at 3.7 assists per game.
 
BENCH PORDUCTION
Kenny Woodard has given the Griffins some punch off the bench this season. The senior is second on the team by scoring 12.0 points per game while playing 26.1 minutes per night off the bench. He has been in double figures eight times, including a career high 25 points against Texas Wesleyan on November 28. Woodard is second on the team with 42 assists and he is second in the RMAC by shooting 92.3 percent at the foul line.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Griffins will spend next weekend on the road for two conference games. They will play at Chadron State on January 22 before visiting Regis on January 23. Both games will be available on Griffins TV.