SALT LAKE CITY - Westminster men's basketball tips off its regular season this weekend as it travels to Odessa, Texas, to take on Western New Mexico and Texas Permian Basin at the Falcon Dome in Odessa, Texas.  The Griffins will play its season opener on Friday afternoon in a neutral site contest against Western New Mexico beginning at 4 p.m. (MDT) followed by a Saturday afternoon matchup with hosts Texas Permian Basin beginning at 3 p.m. (MDT).

Game Info:
- Both of this weekend's men's basketball games will be hosted by the University of Texas Permian Basin at the Falcon Dome in Odessa, Texas.
- Live streaming of this weekend's games will be availabe through the Lone Star Conference Network. Users will be required to create a LSCN account and purchase access of each game.
- Live stats will be available for both games and can be accessed at westminstergriffins.com.

2020-21 Year in Review:
- Westminster posted its best conference finish since becoming eligible for postseason play in 2020-21 with three wins over its last five games to finish 9-10 in a schedule that was limited to conference-only games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
- Due to a qualification system in which RPI rankings determined the RMAC Tournament field, Westminster was forced to miss out on postseason play.
- Westminster went 5-3 at home last season, finishing 4-7 away from the Behnken Field House.
- The Griffins had a pair of all-conference performers as Joey Andrews was named Second Team All-RMAC while Matt Kitzman received honorable mention all-conference recognition.
- Westminster won five of seven to begin the year before hitting a five-game losing skid mid-season.  The Griffins snapped the streak with a 20-point win on the road at S.D. Mines and captured a 106-103 overtime win vs. CSU Pueblo the following weekend.
- Westminster split games on its final two weekends of the season, playing one of its best games of the season offensively, shooting over 60 percent from the field as a team in a 94-84 win vs. Western Colorado on Senior Night in the regular-season finale.

About the Griffins:
- Westminster, picked 10th in the RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll, return their second-leading scorer from last season, Reme Torbert (10.5 ppg).
- Westminster will also welcome back its 2020-21 team leader in assists Matt Kitzman (44) but will be forced to replace its top two rebounders, Joey Andrews (6.6 rpg) and Isiah Banks (4.2 rpg), from a season ago.
- The Griffins finished fourth in the RMAC in 2020-21, allowing 70.1 ppg to opponents while holding them to 46 percent shooting on the season.
- Westminster also finished the 2020-21 season with the third-best turnover margin (2.16) in the RMAC, forcing 263 turnovers to just 222 committed on the offensive end.
- Westminster newcomers include a freshman class of six and 6-10, senior transfer Yusuf Mohamed from Tennessee State Univ.

About the Mustangs:
- Western N.M., like the rest of the Lone Star Conference, was limited to exhibition and conference-only matchups in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Mustangs went winless, finishing 0-11 in an all-road schedule last season.
- Western N.M. finished the season with a -14.7 scoring margin, allowing 79.2 ppg from opponents.
- Guards Cash Williams (13.5 ppg) and Tony Avalos (11.4) led the team in scoring last year at 13.5 ppg while Olamide Pedersen was the leading rebounder at 6.0 rpg.
- Western N.M. went 8-20 (7-15 LSC) back in 2019-20, its last full season of competition.
- The Griffins won the only previous meeting between the two teams, winning 74-71on the road in Silver City, N.M.

About the Falcons:
- Texas-Permian Basin went 8-12 (7-11 LSC) in its condensed 2020-21 schedule.
- The Falcons won six-straight out of the chute before a six-game losing streak put them back at .500 midway through the year.
- UTPB later defeated St. Edward's by double-digits and Dallas Baptist in overtime in back-to-back games, but lost five straight to end the regular season followed by a 72-58 loss to West Texas A&M in the Lone Star Conference Tournament.
- Last year's leading scorer was Minnesota native, Jordan Horn, who averaged 19.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, and had a team-high 21 steals.
- Saturday's matchup will be the first game all-time between the two programs.

Up Next:
The Griffins will be back on the road next weekend for a pair of non-conference games both at Lake Superior State on Fri., Nov. 19, at 4 p.m. (MDT), and Sat., Nov. 20, at 2 p.m. (MDT).

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