Season Concludes with Two Home Games
The Westminster men's basketball team brings the 2016-17 season to a close this weekend with a pair of home games. The Griffins welcome No. 14 Fort Lewis to town on Friday before the season finale against Adams State on Saturday. Both games will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Behnken Field House.
 
The team will honor its three seniors in a ceremony prior to warmups on Saturday. Tickets for both games are available online by visiting WestminsterGriffins.com/tickets.
 
The games will also be broadcast live on the RMAC Network with Mike Lageschulte calling the action. RMAC Network is available online at RMACsports.tv and the video is optimized for viewing on portable devices. Live stats will also be available during the games. Links for all of the live features can be found at WestminsterGriffins.com/live.
 
About the Griffins
Westminster heads into the final weekend at 15-7 overall and inners in 10 of their past 11 games played. They are fourth in the RMAC standings with a 15-5 mark in league games and are guaranteed of a top-4 finish. They have gone 7-2 at home this season.
 
While not eligible for the RMAC Tournament, the Griffins have a chance to play spoilers this weekend. Fort Lewis can clinch at least a share of the regular season RMAC title with a win on Friday and Adams State needs a win to keep its chances alive of qualifying for the tournament.
 
The Griffins enter the weekend averaging 76.2 points per game to rank ninth in the RMAC. They are fifth in the league by shooting 46.9 percent from the field and lead the conference at 79.2 percent at the foul line, which would rank sixth in the NCAA if the team were eligible for national rankings. The team makes 6.5 threes per game and sits fifth in the RMAC by hitting 39.3 percent from deep.
 
Dayon Goodman leads three Griffins that average in double figures by scoring 16.0 points per game. He is 12th in the RMAC with that average. Zerrion Payton scored 13.4 points per game with Casey Evans adding 11.6 points per night. Evans, Travis Devashrayee, and Tanner Newbold are tied for the team lead with 24 made 3-pointers while Devashrayee and Newbold are 1-2 in the RMAC rankings by making 60.0 and 53.3 percent from three respectively.
 
Westminster ranks third in the RMAC by holding opponents to 69.5 points per game. They are tops in the conference in defensive field goal percentage, holding opponents to 39.7 percent shooting. That would rank eighth in the NCAA if the team were eligible for national rankings. The Griffins grab 36.1 rebounds per game and average 14.8 assists, 5.3 steals, and 3.9 blocked shots.

Goodman leads the team with 158 rebounds and is fifth in the RMAC at 7.2 rebounds per game. Payton leads the team with 85 assists and his 3.9 assists per game are seventh most in the RMAC. Marcus Bryce and Goodman have 31 blocks apiece and are tied for fourth in the conference at 1.4 blocks per game.
 
Count on 10
With a win at UCCS on January 27, the team reached 10 wins on the season to extend its streak to all 18 seasons since the program was reinstated in 1999. 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 has now been 35 seasons with 10-plus wins in the 40 years of program history, including 30 winning seasons.
 
Win with Defense
The Griffins start the final weekend third in the RMAC by allowing just 69.5 points per game. They have held the opposition under 60 points five times this season with only 11 scoring 70 or more. Westminster is tops in the RMAC by holding opponents to 39.7 percent shooting and they are the only team holding the opposition under 40 percent. That percentage would rank eighth in the NCAA if the team were eligible for national rankings. They have held 11 opponents under 40 percent shooting this season.
 
Block Party
Westminster has tallied 86 blocked shots as a team this season with multiple blocks in all but three games this season. The total blocks rank as the third most for a single season in team history and 10 shy of the record of 96. Their 3.91 blocks per game is second in the RMAC and would establish a new school record. The duo of Marcus Bryce and Dayon Goodman have totaled 62 of the team's blocks and they are tied for fourth in the RMAC at 1.4 blocks per game.
 
Goodman is Good, Man
Junior Dayon Goodman leads the Griffins in scoring at 16.0 points per game and he has scored in double figures 17 times this season. Goodman is fifth in the RMAC by grabbing 7.2 rebounds per game and is one of just two players in the conference to rank in the top-15 in both scoring and rebounding. His five 20-point outing leads the team. Goodman was named the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on January 16 and then earned RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors this past week.
 
Mr. Everything
Zerrion Payton continues to have a hand in everything the Griffins do this season. The senior is second on the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game and he is third by grabbing 4.5 rebounds per night. Payton has scored in double figures a team-best 17 times on the year and led the team in scoring eight times. He also leads the team with 85 assists and is seventh in the RMAC at 3.9 assists per game. Payton ranks ninth in team history with 198 career assists and his 4.14 defensive rebounds per game are the second most in school history.
 
Opponent Info: No. 14 Fort Lewis
• Fort Lewis enters Friday at 23-4 overall and 8-3 on the road.
• The Skyhawks leads the RMAC with an 18-3 record and they need a win to clinch at least a share of the RMAC regular season title.
• Joshua Blaylock leads the RMAC in scoring at 19.7 points per game.
• Fort Lewis leads the all-time series 5-2 with the Griffins leading 2-1 in SLC.
• FLC won 90-83 on December 17 in Durango.
 
Opponent Info: Adams State
• Adams State will come to SLC at 12-15 overall and having dropped two straight.
• The Grizzlies are 9-12 in the RMAC and hold a half-game lead over South Dakota Mines for the final spot in the RMAC Tournament.
• Brandon Sly leads the Grizzlies in scoring at 16.3 points per game.
• Westminster leads the series 5-2 with ASU leading 2-1 in SLC.
• The Griffins won at Adams State 83-74 on December 16.
 
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.
 
RMAC Tournament
The 2017 RMAC Tournament will begin on February 28 with quarterfinal games at the home site of the top-4 teams in the final conference standings. The highest remaining seed will then host the semifinals and championship rounds on March 3 and 4 respectively. All of the games can be seen live on the RMAC Network at RMACsports.tv.