LAKEWOOD, Colo. – The women's basketball team started the new year off with a win, defeating the Colorado Christian Cougars (4-9, 2-6 RMAC), 70-61.  The Griffins improve to 6-6 overall and 5-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
 
Hunter Krebs scored the first basket of the game and the Griffins went on a 9-2 run over the first five minutes.  Westminster ended the first quarter leading by four points, 17-13.
Westminster protected its lead as each team scored 13 points and ended the half with a score of 30-26.
 
Westminster held its largest lead of the game in the third quarter.  With 3:12 remaining, a layup from Denise Gonzalez gave the Griffins an eleven point lead over the Cougars.
 
The game got a little more tense with 2:21 remaining in the fourth quarter, after the Cougars took advantage of two Westminster turnovers and scored to come within three points of Westminster.  Gonzalez scored four free throws and pulled down three rebounds in the final minute as the Griffins finished the game with a win.
 
Gonzalez Gonzalez led both teams in scoring, rebounds, and steals.  Gonzalez put up 24 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and had five steals and four assists.  She was perfect from the free throw line going 4-4 at the end of the game.
 
Kaylee Carlsen and Krebs each had 12 points.  Carlsen was perfect from the free throw line on six attempts and perfect from beyond the arc on two attempts.
 
Krebs collected 6 rebounds and Sydnee Taylor and Max Shelley each pulled down five boards.
 
"Denise played well…and Kaylee Carlsen had a great second half.  Both mad all of their free throws, which was the game,"  Head Coach Shelley Jarrard responded to the win.

Westminster plays Colorado School of Mines on Friday at 1 p.m.  The game will be broadcast on the RMAC Network and will be available on live stats.