WEEK IN REVIEW – GRIFFINS SWEEP THE WEEKEND

Westminster defeated Regis, 71-63, marking its fourth conference win scoring 70 or more points..  Westminster started the game on fire, shooting 71.4 percent from the field and outscoring their opponents, 21-12.  The Griffins held a five point lead going into the fourth quarter.

The home side went to free throw line 14 times in the final minute of the game.  Denise Gonzalez shot 11 of those free throws and made nine, finishing the game with a win.

The women's basketball team continued its winning streak, 5-0, when scoring 70 or more points, defeating Chadron State.

Each team scored 10 points in the first quarter.  Chadron took a one-point lead to the locker room at half-time.

The Griffins were at their best during the third quarter, starting the quarter with a 11-2 run, and outscoring the away side 19-6.  Westminster was strong in the paint, pulling down 13 rebounds and scoring 18 points to Chadron's 2.

The Griffins increased their lead by five points during the fourth quarter and finished teh game defeating the Eagles, 70-53.

Denise Gonzalez was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week.  Gonzalez, who leads the conference in steals and is second in assists, tallied 17 assists, 15 rebounds, two blocked shots, five steals and scored 48 points.  She was 15-30 from the field and made 17-20 free throws.

THIS WEEK
 
Westminster travels to South Dakota for games against Black Hills State, on Thursday, and South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, on Saturday.   Thursday's game is scheduled to tip-off at 5:30 p.m. and Friday's game is scheduled to tip-off at 1 p.m.

The Griffins are 8-7 overall, 7-4 in the RMAC and 7th in the conference standings.  Black Hills State (14-4, 8-4 RMAC) is fifth in the conference standings and South Dakota (12-6, 7-5 RMAC) is ninth.
 
Live video of the games will be broadcast on the RMAC Network.  Live stats will also be available online.
 
GRIFFINS BY NUMBERS
 
The Griffins are ranked third in the RMAC, shooting 42.1 percent from the field.  They also rank fourth in steals, averaging 8.53 steals per game.

Five Griffins have scored 100 or more points--Denise Gonzalez, Hunter Krebs, Sydnee Taylor and Sicilee Williams.  Gonzalez is fourth in the RMAC and leads the team in scoring with 223 points, averaging 14.9 points per game.  Gonzalez is second in the RMAC with 76 assists and first in the conference with 41 steals.  She is second on the team in rebounding, collecting 71 boards.
 
Krebs leads the team in rebounds having pulled down 84 boards.  She is second on the team in scoring with 189 points.  She is first in the RMAC shooting 56.5 percent from the field.  Krebs has 13 steals and blocked 10 shots.

Carlsen has scored 119 points, shooting 54.8 percent from the beyond the arc and 94.7 percent from the free throw line.  She has contributed 18 steals.

Sydnee Taylor has scored 115 points, pulled down 66 rebounds, 16 steals and blocked six shots.  Sicilee Williams has scored 108 points, has 42 rebounds, 15 steals and blocked one shot.

SCOUTING BLACK HILLS STATE
 
The Yellow Jackets are fifth in the RMAC with an overall record of 14-4 and a RMAC record of 8-4.  They boast a 12-1 home record.  They are the No.1 scoring defense in the country, allowing 51.2 points per game, and the top scoring offense in the RMAC, averaging 80.6 points per game.  They lead the conference shooting 43.5 percent from the field.
 
Rachel Erickson  leads the team in scoring with 232 points, averaging 13.6 points per game.  Lyndzi Rich is second on the team with 155 points, shooting 54.8 percent from the field, and Julia Seamans has 138 points.
 
Katie Messler is seventh in the conference in reobunding.  She has collected 137 rebounds, 47 offensive and 90 defensive boards.  She has 25 steals and blocked seven shots.
 

STATISTICAL COMPARISON	GRIFFINS	YELLOW JACKETS
POINTS PER GAME	63.8	80.6
POINTS ALLOWED	62.5	51.2
FG%	.421 / 23.5	.435 / 25.7
3FG%	.318 / 5.1	.319 / 6.9
FT%	.732 / 11.7	.682 / 12.4
REBOUNDS	35.6	23.6
TURNOVERS	16.3	11.4

 
SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA SCHOOL OF MINES & TECHNOLOGY
 
The Hardrockers are 12-6 overall and 7-5 in the RMAC with a 8-2 home record.  They are the second ranked scoring offense in the conference, averaging 69.6 points per game and second in field goal percentage, shooting 43.1 percent.  The Hardrockers are ninth in the conference.

Taylor Molstad, Anna Haugen, Sani Steffeck, Cooper Courtney and Ryan Weiss have each scored more than 150 points.  Molstad leads the team with 186 points, averaging 10.3 per game. Haugen is 54.1 percent from the field and has 182  points, averaging 10.1 per game.  Steffeck has 180 points, aveaging 10.0 per game, and 88.9 percent from the free throw line.

Courtney has scored 158 points and Weiss has scored 154 points.  Weiss is 53.3 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from beyond the arc.
 
Haugen is sixth in the conference and leads her team in rebounds.  She has collected 139 boards, 32 offensive and 107 defensive, averaging 7.7 per game.  Steffeck follows her with 66 rebounds and 30 steals.  Weiss has 57 rebounds and 18 steals.
 

STATISTICAL COMPARISON	GRIFFINS	HARDROCKERS
POINTS PER GAME	63.8	69.6
POINTS ALLOWED	62.5	59.8
FG%	.421 / 23.5	.431 / 24.7
3FG%	.318 / 5.1	.367 / 8.8
FT%	.732 / 11.7	.747 / 11.5
REBOUNDS	35.6	32.2
TURNOVERS	16.3	12.5

 
 Following the Griffins

Make sure to like Westminster Griffins on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram 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 @griffinbasketball on Instagram.
 
About the Griffins

Westminster is in its third year as a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference at the NCAA Division II level. Last year the Griffins finished ninth in the RMAC standings with a 9-13 conference record and an 11-15 overall record.
 
Westminster has been picked to finish tenth, tied with CCU, in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' poll.