SALT LAKE CITY – The Westminster men's basketball team saw its fantastic season come to an end with a 78-77 loss to Adams State on Saturday night in the Behnken Field House.
 
Westminster (16-8, 16-6 RMAC) overcame a 14-point second half deficit and led 77-75 with 10.8 seconds to play when Zerrion Payton converted an and-one. On the next Adams State (13-15, 10-12 RMAC) possession, Brandon Sly hit a 3-ponter from well beyond the arc with 1.8 on the clock. Payton's desperation shot from half court at the horn was wide and the Griffins came up short.
 
It was a tough shooting night for the Griffins as they shot just 40 percent on the night. That led to a slow start that found them trailing by as many as 13 in the first half. Adams State would eventually get the advantage to 47-33 early in the second half before the Griffins started chipping away.
 
Westminster cut the deficit to three at three different times in the second half, but it took a 10-0 run, including six from Marcus Bryce, to put them in front 68-66 with 5:10 remaining. The team would trade the lead back and forth before the Payton 3-point play that setup the final seconds.
 
Adams State shot 46.7 percent from the field on the night and they had a 32-24 edge in the paint. The Griffins got 20 points from 14 ASU turnovers while grabbing 14 offensive rebounds.
 
Westminster's three starting seniors gave the team a big effort. Bryce finished the night with a career high 20 points while getting eight rebounds. Casey Evans had 16 points and nine rebounds with Payton going for 15 points and six boards.
 
Adams State got 23 points from Sly and 22 from Shane Johnson.
 
The Griffins finish the season with a school record for conference wins (16) and they were fourth in the final RMAC standings. That would have been good enough to host a first-round game in the RMAC Tournament if the team was eligible for postseason play.