THIS WEEK
The Westminster men's basketball team plays at home for the final two times this weekend as they host a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games. The Griffins begin the homestand against Regis University on Friday. They will then host Chadron State College on Saturday for Senior Night.
 
Both games of the weekend will begin at 7:30 p.m. MT. The team will have a ceremony prior to the game on Saturday to honor their three seniors. Tickets for the two remaining games are available at WestminsterGriffins.com/tickets.
 
3 THINGS
>This is the final two-game weekend of the season for the Griffins
>Westminster will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak
>The Griffins need two wins in the final three games to secure a .500 conference season
 
COVERING THE GRIFFINS
Both of this week's games will be carried on Griffins TV. Mike Lageschulte will call the action during both games. 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 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 comes home after a four-game road trip at 13-10 overall and 9-11 in RMAC play. They are currently tied for 10th in the conference standings with three games to play. The Griffins have gone 7-5 at home this season and have won two straight.
 
The Griffins rank 12th in the RMAC by scoring 72.0 points per game and they are fourth in the league by holding the opposition to 72.0 points per night. The team is shooting 44.5 percent from the field and they are second in the RMAC in holding opponents to 42.3 percent shooting. Westminster is eighth in the league by making 73.3 percent at the foul line.
 
Zerrion Payton leads the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals. His 13.3 points per game is 23rd in the RMAC and he places second in the conference at 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals. Payton has 145 rebounds with 109 coming at the defensive end.
 
Casey Evans is scoring 12.2 points per game and he is shooting 48.4 percent from the field. Kenny Woodard adds 9.9 points per game coming off the bench and he is third in the RMAC by shooting 85.5 percent at the foul line. Marcs Bryce leads the team with 22 blocks shots while placing ninth in the RMAC at 1.0 blocks 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 639-381 for a .620 winning percentage.
 
LOOKING BACK
Westminster fell behind 22-0 and eventually 31-6 before a late rally left them with a 61-59 loss at South Dakota Mines last Friday. The Griffins twice had the ball down by three points in the final minute, but they could not pull even. Zerrion Payton led the Griffins with 21 points on 9 of 15 shooting. It was his second straight 20-point outing and third of the season. He also had three assists and four steals.
 
The Griffins then fell short in an 81-77 loss at Black Hills State on Saturday. They couldn't take advantage of 53.7 percent shooting as they lost for the second straight night. The Griffins made a season high 12 3-pointers in the loss. Quincy Bair scored 20 points to lead the Griffins. It was his third 20-point outing of the season and it came on 8 of 13 shooting with five rebounds.
 
ABOUT REGIS
The Rangers come to town at 8-17 overall and 6-13 in the RMAC. They have been eliminated for postseason play after dropping eight of their past nine games. Regis has gone 5-6 on the road this season and are coming off four straight home games. Dexter Sienko averages 16.0 points per game while Jarrett Brodbeck adds 15.8.
 
ABOUT CHADRON STATE
The Eagles will start the week at 6-17 overall and with a 4-15 mark in conference play. They have dropped seven straight games since beating the Griffins on January 22 and have been eliminated from postseason play. Chadron State is 0-10 on the road this season. Warren Gordon is leading the Eagles in scoring at 12.4 points per game.
 
SERIES NOTES
Westminster will be playing for a season sweep of Regis on Friday after taking a 72-62 win on January 23 in Denver. That is the only other meeting between the two teams.
 
Chadron State evened the all-time series with the Griffins at 1-1 with its 69-62 win on January 22 at CSC. The Griffins won the previous meeting in the Behnken Field House, 94-69, on November 24, 2012.
 
STAT SHEET STUFFER
Zerrion Payton is having one of the best all-around seasons in team history. The junior guard currently leads the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals. His 13.3 points per game rank 23rd in the RMAC and he has scored in double figures 16 times with three 20-point outings. Payton also sits second in the conference at 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game. His 6.3 rebounds per night is the 13th-best total in the league. In the past six games, Payton is averaging 16.0 points per game with 33 assists and 18 steals while the team has gone 4-2.
 
EVANS SHINES
Casey Evans begins the final two-game weekend of the season second on the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game. The junior is making 48.4 percent from the field and has gone 28 of 75 (37.3 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 February 6. 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 928 points for his career.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Westminster will complete its inaugural season in the RMAC with a trip to Colorado Mesa on February 26. The season's final game will tip at 7:30 p.m. MT from Grand Junction, Colo., and be carried live on Griffins TV.