Griffins Close 2016 with Road Tilt on Friday Afternoon
The Westminster women's basketball team closes out 2016 with an afternoon game at Colorado School of Mines on Friday in Golden, Colo. The Griffins lone game of the week will tipoff at 1 p.m. MST from Lockridge Arena.
 
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 returns to the court on Friday at 5-5 overall this season. They are currently tied for seventh in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with their 3-3 record in conference games. The Griffins have alternated wins and losses in their past six games and they are 3-3 on the road this season. They enter Friday having won six straight games played on a Friday.
 
The Griffins are scoring 63.5 points per game to rank seventh in the RMAC in scoring offense. They are making 40.9 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from beyond the arc to rank fourth in the conference in each category. The Griffins lead the league in foul shooting at 81.0 percent and they are third by making 7.7 triples per game.
 
Sydnee Taylor leads the Griffins in scoring at 13.1 points per game. That average ranks seventh in the RMAC. Dense Gonzalez is second on the team by scoring 10.1 points per night while Aubrie Vale adds 8.5 per game. Riley Reidhead is tied for the RMAC lead by hitting 44.4 percent from three and Sicilee Williams 20 of 20 at the foul line leads the conference.
 
Westminster is allowing 66.1 points per game with opponents shooting 43.1 percent from the floor. The Griffins grab 33.1 rebounds per contest and give up 34.3. They are sixth in the conference at 12.2 assists and 7.7 steals per game.
 
Vale has a team-leading 43 rebounds and 35 assists. She is sixth in the conference with her average of 3.5 assists per game. Taylor has added 40 rebounds and leads the group with 17 3-pointers made. Gonzalez is second in the conference with her 2.1 steals per game and Vale is tied for eighth at 1.6.
 
Shoot the Rock
The Griffins are one of the top shooting team in the conference. They rank in the 15-team league's top four in all three shooting categories, including leading the conference by hitting 81.0 percent at the foul line. CSU-Pueblo in the only other RMAC team that ranks in the top four in all three shooting categories. The Griffins have a 51.8 true-shooting percentage and 47.8 effective field goal percentage. They have an offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) of 94.3.
 
From Way Downtown
The Griffins continue to shoot the ball well from beyond the arc by making 7.7 threes per game to rank third in the RMAC. They are fourth in the conference by making 34.5 percent from deep. The team has made at least six threes in every game this season and have gone for seven-plus in each of the past five outings.
 
Road Warriors
This week's trip will conclude a five-game road swing for the Griffins that started on December 9 at New Mexico Highlands. The team has played just three home games this season and only have four home games on tap through February 9. When the weekend is complete, Westminster will have traveled 7,130 land miles in November and December. The team is 3-3 in road games this season and 3-0 on Fridays and 0-3 on Saturdays.
 
Immediate Impact
Sydnee Taylor currently leads the Griffins in scoring at 13.1 points per game and she ranks seventh in the conference in that category. Taylor has scored in double figures seven times on the year and led the team in scoring during three games. She is shooting 45.6 percent from the field and is second in the RMAC by making 90.3 percent at the foul line. Taylor also grabs 4.0 rebounds per game and has made a team-best 17 treys.
 
Triple Threat
Aubrie Vale is scoring 8.5 points per game to rank third in the team. She has scored in double figures five times including both games of the last road trip. Vale leads the Griffins with 43 rebounds and 35 assists. She is sixth in the RMAC with 3.5 assists per game and ninth with a 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Vale also records 1.6 steals per game to tie for eighth in the RMAC.
 
Take the Rock
Denise Gonzalez is scoring 10.1 points per game to rank second on the team. She is averaging 13.5 points per game over the last four outings and raised her season average by 2.3 per game during the span. Gonzalez has a team-best 21 steals and ranks second in the RMAC by getting 2.1 steals per game.
 
Opponent Info: Colorado School of Mines
• Colorado Mines enters Friday at 8-7 overall and 4-0 at home.
• The Orediggers are 4-2 in RMAC play to sit tied for fifth.
• They split road games at MSU Denver (W, 59-57) and UCCS (L, 65-73) last time out.
• Four players average double figures with Emily Bailey leading the team at 12.2 per game.
• Mines leads the all-time series with the Griffins, 1-0.
• They claimed a 59-57 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 women's basketball by following @westminster_womens_basketball on Instagram.
 
Looking Ahead
The Griffins return to the Behnken Field House next weekend to host a pair of conference games. They will face Colorado Christian on January 6 and then welcome Colorado Mines on January 7. Both games will begin at 5:30 p.m. MST with tickets now available at WestminsterGriffins.com/tickets.