Griffins Visit Mines on Friday Afternoon
The Westminster men's basketball team will close out 2016 on Friday when they face Colorado School of Mines at Lockridge Arena. The afternoon tilt till tipoff at 3 p.m. MST from Golden, Colo. and complete the Griffins five-game road stretch.
 
Colorado Mines will produce live coverage of the game on the RMAC Network available at RMACsports.tv. There will also be live stats available during the action. Links for all live features can be found at WestminsterGriffins.com/live.
 
About the Griffins
Westminster heads into Friday's game at 4-4 overall* and 2-2 in road games. The Griffins are 4-2 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games to place them tied for fourth in the 15-team league. Westminster has alternated wins and losses in their previous four outings.
 
The Griffins will travel to Golden averaging 73.9 points per game to rank 11th in the RMAC. They sit seventh in the conference by shooting 45.5 percent from the field and third by connecting on 44.1 percent from beyond the arc. The Griffins make 7.5 threes per outing. They also sit second in the conference in foul shooting at 78.0 percent.
 
Both Dayon Goodman and Zerrion Payton are inside the RMAC's top-20 in scoring average. Goodman is scoring 16.5 points per game to sit eighth in the conference with Payton adding 13.9 per game to rank 17th. Travis Devashrayee leads the RMAC by making 70.6 percent from three while placing third with his 64.9 field goal percentage.
 
Westminster is allowing 69.4 points per game to place them fourth in the RMAC. The opposition is shooting 41.1 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three. Both of those percentage rank in the RMAC's top-five. The Griffins are grabbing 33.8 rebounds per game and get 14.0 assists per game. They are second in the conference by blocking 3.8 shots per game and they record 5.0 steals per night.
 
Goodman leads the team with 54 rebounds and is eighth in the RMAC at 6.8 rebounds per game. Payton leads the team with 33 assists and 10 steals. His 4.1 assists per game are sixth-most in the RMAC. Goodman is third in the league at 1.5 blocks per game with Marcus Bryce in seventh at 1.3.
 
Count on 10
In this 18th season of the current era of men's basketball, Westminster teams have recorded a double-digit win total every season. They have recorded a winning record in every year except two (1999-00 and 2014-15) with 12 seasons recording at least 20 wins. There have been 34 seasons with 10-plus wins in the 40 years of program history, including 30 winning seasons.
 
Block Party
Westminster has tallied 30 blocked shots as a team this season with multiple blocks in seven of their eight games played. They currently rank second in the RMAC by blocking 3.8 shots per game, an average that would set a new school record. The team is on pace for 91 blocks this season which would be the second-most in team history.
 
Immediate Impact
Junior Dayon Goodman has made an immediate impact on the team during his first year with the program. Goodman currently leads the Griffins in scoring at 16.5 points per game while grabbing a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures seven times this season with a pair of 20-point outings. Goodman shoots 50.6 percent from the field and is fourth in the RMAC at 53.3 percent from deep.
 
Mr. Everything
After leading the team in scoring and being named second team all-conference last season, Zerrion Payton is scoring 13.9 points per game this season.  He leads the Griffins with 33 assists and has added 40 rebounds, 10 steals, and four blocked shots. Payton has scored in double figures six times this season and had 23 points at Fort Lewis on December 17.
 
Travis for Three
Travis Devashrayee has been a spark for the Griffins off the bench this season. The sophomore is currently scoring 7.9 points per game while making a team-best 12 triples. Devashrayee leads the RMAC in 3-point field goal percentage at 70.6 percent and he ranks third by making 64.9 percent overall. He currently posts an 81.1 true-shooting percentage with an 81.3 effective field goal percentage. He enters Friday's game having made his past six shots from beyond the arc
 
Opponent Info: Colorado School of Mines
• Colorado Mines starts the week at 9-3 overall and winners of two straight.
• The Orediggers are tied with the Griffins at 4-2 in RMAC action.
• They have gone 3-1 at home this season, winning three straight.
• Gokul Natesan is scoring 20.3 points per game to rank second in the RMAC.
• Mines leads the all-time series 2-1 and the teams are 1-1 in Golden.
• CSM has won two straight against the Griffins, including a 67-50 win last December in Golden.
 
Following the Griffins
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 men's basketball by following @griffinbasketball on Instagram.
 
Looking Ahead
Westminster returns to the Behnken Field House next weekend to host a pair of RMAC contests. The Griffins host Colorado Christian on January 6 and then face Colorado Mines on January 7. Both games tip at 7:30 p.m. MST and tickets are available at WestminsterGriffins.com/live.