THIS WEEK
The Westminster women's basketball team begins a stretch of four straight road games when they travel to New Mexico for two Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games this weekend. The Griffins will play at New Mexico Highlands on Friday at 5:30 p.m. in Las Vegas, N.M. The trip concludes on Saturday at Western New Mexico at 5 p.m. in Silver City, N.M.
 
3 THINGS
>Westminster enters this road swing looking to snap a six-game road losing skid
>The Griffins had a 57-game winning streak when leading with 5-minutes to play snapped last Saturday
>This four-game road trip is the longest of the season for the Griffins
 
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 and at wnmumustangs.com/custompages/livestats/xlive.htm on Saturday.
 
FOLLOWING WESTMINSTER WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
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.
 
ABOUT WESTMINSTER
Westminster begins the week at 7-12 on the season and with a 4-11 mark in RMAC action. The Griffins are currently eighth in the Rocky Division of the RMAC and 13th overall. They have gone 1-7 on the road this season and have dropped six straight away from home.
 
For the season, Westminster is averaging 57.8 points per game and shooting 38.4 percent from the field. They shoot 30.2 percent from beyond the arc and average 6.0 3-pointers per contest. The Griffins rank third in the RMAC by making 73.1 percent at the foul line and they tally 12.6 assists per game.
 
The Griffins are holding the opposition to 60.9 points per game and 38.8 percent shooting. Westminster is fourth in the conference by allowing just 28.6 percent shooting from three and they force 13.4 turnovers per game while blocking 2.74 shots.
 
Denise Gonzalez leads the Griffins in scoring with an average of 10.5 points per game. She makes 84.8 percent at the foul line and leads the team with 67 assists and 36 steals. Natalie Parsons scores 9.9 points per game and Aubrie Vale added 9.8.
 
Jessica Sorensen leads the team with 11 rebounds and she is second in the conference by getting 3.3 offensive rebounds per game. Mika Pinner has 109 rebounds and is fourth in the RMAC by averaging 1.9 blocked shots per contest.
 
LOOKING BACK
Westminster snapped a three-game losing streak with a 63-57 win against Western State in overtime on Friday. The Griffins used a 7-0 run in the extra period to take their largest lead of the night. Natalie Parsons led the way with 13 points and Jessica Sorensen had nine points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Griffins then had a 57-game winning streak when leading with five minutes to play snapped with a 66-62 loss to CSU-Pueblo on Saturday. CSUP scored eight the final nine points of the night to take the close victory. Mika Pinner led the Griffins with 13 points. Sorensen and Aubrie Vale each had 11 points and nine rebounds.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
•New Mexico Highlands – The Cowgirls enter this week's action at 3-17 overall and 1-14 in the RMAC. They have dropped three straight games and are 0-8 at home this season. Michelle Traynham ranks fourth in the RMAC by scoring 15.2 points per game and she leads the conference with 68 made 3-pointers.
 
•Western New Mexico – The Mustangs begin the week at 7-13 overall and with a 5-10 record in conference action. They have dropped two straight and five of their last six contests with a 2-6 mark at home. Jordan Gutierrez leads the team at 10.0 points per game and Desiree Smith adds 9.9 per contest.
 
SERIES NOTES
Westminster will play both teams on this week's agenda for the first time this weekend.
 
500 GAMES PLAYED
Westminster played the 500th game in program history on January 2 against South Dakota Mines. The Griffins won 308 times in those 500 outings with nine 20-win seasons. This is the 17th season of women's basketball at Westminster and the program has gone 310-198 in that time to record a .610 winning percentage.
 
FRESHMAN SENSATION
Denise Gonzalez has taken over point guard duties from the start of the season and she currently leads the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game. That ranks 23rd in the RMAC and she has scored in double figures 11 times. Gonzalez is fifth in the conference by averaging 3.5 assists per game while ranking 11th at 1.9 steals per game. She is one of two players in the conference to rank in the top-25 in scoring and top-10 in both assists and steals.
 
DEFENSIVE PRESENCE
Mika Pinner has recorded a team-best 36 blocked shots and has had multiple blocks in a game 11 times. She currently ranks fourth in the RMAC by blocking 1.9 shots per game. Her 36 blocks are tied for second-most in a season in team history. Pinner is fifth in school history with 65 career blocks and her 1.35 blocks per game is on pace to establish a new school record.
 
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Natalie Parsons has been a focal point of the Griffin offense in her first season with the team. The senior transfer is scoring 9.9 points per game to place second on the team and she has scored in double figures nine times. Parsons has twice scored 20 points in a game, including a career high 24 at Dixie State on November 24. She also ranks second on the team with 54 assists and with 23 made 3-pointers.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Next weekend the Griffins continue its season-long road trip with two games in South Dakota. They play at South Dakota Mines on February 12 and then visit Black Hills State on February 13.