THIS WEEK
The Westminster men's basketball team is back on the road this weekend as they play two Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games. The Griffins make their first-ever trip to South Dakota Mines on Friday in Rapid City, S.D. They will then play at Black Hills State on Saturday in Spearfish, S.D.
 
Both games of the weekend trip are scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. MT tipoff.
 
3 THINGS
>This four-game road trip is the longest of the season for the Griffins
>Westminster has won five straight games for the second time this season
>The Griffins swept a weekend road trip in RMAC play for the first time last weekend
 
COVERING THE GRIFFINS
Both of this week's games will be carried on Griffins TV. The video feed is being produced by the host institution. Griffins TV is available online and is optimized for mobile devices in the Game Central portal available at portal.stretchinternet.com/Westminster.
 
Live stats will be available in the Game Central portal on Friday. Links for live stats during Saturday's game can be found at WestminsterGriffins.com/live.
 
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 start the final two-game road weekend of the season at 13-8 overall and 9-8 in RMAC action. They are currently tied for ninth in the RMAC standings and one-game out of a top-eight position. The Griffins are 5-3 in the road this season.
 
The Griffins rank 12th in the RMAC by scoring 72.4 points per game and they are fourth in the league by holding the opposition to 72.0 points per night. The team is shooting 44.6 percent from the field and they are second in the RMAC in holding opponents to 42.2 percent shooting. Westminster is sixth in the league by making 74.5 percent at the foul line.
 
Three Griffins are averaging in double figures on the season with Zerrion Payton leading the team at 13.2 points per game. Casey Evans is scoring 13.0 points per game while Kenny Woodard averages 10.1 per game.
 
Payton leads the team with 131 rebounds, 94 assists, and 34 steals. He is second in the RMAC at 4.5 assists per game and third in steals at 1.6 per outing. Marcus Bryce has a team-high 21 blocked shots and is eighth in the RMAC at 1.0 block per game.
 
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 639-379 for a .628 winning percentage.
 
LOOKING BACK
Westminster used a 25-11 run in the first half to help them build a 19-point cushion in a 78-69 win at New Mexico Highlands. The Griffins used 23 points from Quincy Bair and survived a late rally from the Cowboys to earn the win.
 
Saturday saw the Griffins extend their winning streak with an amazing 75-foot shot from Jordan Pryor as time expired. Tied at 71-71 with 1.1 seconds to play, Pryor took the inbound pass and fired a shot off the backboard at the other end of the court and straight through the basket for a 74-71 win over Western New Mexico.
 
ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA MINES
The Hardrockers start the week at 7-14 overall and they are 5-12 in RMAC action. They have been struggling of late as they have dropped nine straight games. SDSMT is 4-8 at home this season with five straight home losses. Konor Kulas leads the team and is eighth in the RMAC by scoring 16.5 points per game.
 
ABOUT BLACK HILLS STATE
The Yellow Jackets will begin this week's action at 9-12 overall and with a 7-10 record in conference games. They have lost their previous six games and are 5-8 at home on the year. Nick Ongarato is scoring 18.7 points per game to lead the team and rank sixth in the conference.
 
SERIES NOTES
The Griffins will face these two teams for the second time this season and all-time. They lost at home to South Dakota Mines in overtime on January 2. Black Hills State also defeated the Griffins in Salt Lake City on January 1.
 
STAT SHEET STUFFER
Zerrion Payton has been doing a little of everything for the Griffins this season and the junior leads the team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals this season. He is averaging 13.2 points per game and been the team's top scorer six times this season. Payton ranks second in the RMAC at 4.5 assists per game and third at 1.6 steals per game. Payton is one of only two players in the league to rank in the top-15 in rebounds, assists, and steals.
 
EVANS SHINES
Casey Evans enters the week second on the team with 273 points. He is shooting 50.2 percent from the floor and has gone 27 of 71 (38.0 percent) from beyond the arc. Evans has scored at least 20 points in a game four times this season and he had a career high 23 points in the win over CSU-Pueblo on January 30. Last month, Evans became the first Griffin men's basketball player to be named to the RMAC All-Academic First Team.
 
PRYOR'S MIRACULOUS SHOT
Jordan Pryor had a moment he will never forget when he hit a game-winning 75-foot shot as time expired in a Griffins 74-71 win at Western New Mexico on Saturday. The shot was No. 1 on ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 Plays during the 9 p.m. MT edition on February 8. He has also been featured on the local NBC affiliate, KSL, and the clip shown on every local sports broadcast. Pryor is 13th in team history with 910 points for his career.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Westminster will play at home for the final time this season when they host a pair of RMAC games in the Behnken Field House next weekend.  The Griffins will host Regis University on February 19 and then welcome Chadron State College on February 20. Both games will tip at 7:30 p.m. MT with tickets available at WestminsterGriffins.com/tickets.