SALT LAKE CITY - Westminster men's basketball (4-4, 2-0 RMAC) heads into a three-game home stand riding a three-game winning streak and is coming off of a 2-0 start to the RMAC season as it gets set to host Chadron State (5-5, 1-1 RMAC) on Friday night and Black Hills State (4-3, 2-0 RMAC) on Saturday night at the Behnken Field House, both games tipping-off at 7 p.m.
Game Info:
- Both of this weekend's men's basketball games will be hosted at the Behnken Field House. General admission into all games is $8.
-Â Tickets for all home basketball games can be purchased at westminstergriffins.com/tickets.
- All Westminster basketball games are available to stream for free on the RMAC Network. Viewers can watch live or on-demand online at rmacnetwork.com/Westminster or on the RMAC Network app, available on all major app stores.
- Masks are required for all in attendance at the Behnken Field House. Visit
westminstergriffins.com for full Westminster College COVID-19 guidelines.
About the Griffins:
- Probable Starters:
    -
G #2 Â Matt Kitzman:
        - CAREER: 46 games, 23 starts, 5.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 20 steals
    -
G #11Â Reme Torbert:
        - CAREER: 26 starts, 9.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 15 steals
    -
G #10 Donaval Avila:
        - LAST WEEK: 9.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3 ASSISTS, 7-OF-13 (54 percent)
    -
F #13 Brayden Johnson:
        - LAST WEEK: 19.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2 STEALS, 16-of-21 (76 percent) overall
    -
F #5 Â Yusuf Mohamed:
        - LAST WEEK: 22.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3-of-5 (60 percent) 3PT FG, 15-of-19 FT
- Westminster went 2-0 to begin conference play, snapping MSU Denver's six-game win streak in an 81-66 win on Saturday afternoon.
- The Griffins followed up their conference-opener with a 66-63 win over Colorado Christian on Sunday with the help of a go-ahead jumper from
Yusuf Mohamed in the final minute of regulation.
- Westminster finished the first weekend of conference play with an even turnover margin and limited CCU and MSU Denver to just 25 free throw attempts and just 47-of-106 (44 percent) shooting.
Recipe for Success:Â
- Westminster has won three in a row heading into the week with its five starters of Kitzman, Torbert, Avila, Johnson and Mohamed averaging over 20 minutes on the court together each night during that streak.
- On its three-game win streak, Westminster is holding teams to just 63.7 ppg and owns a +8.7 rebounding margin.
- During the streak,
Yusuf Mohamed leads the team at 21.3 PPG and 9.0 RPG while
Brayden Johnson has raised his offensive output to 15.7 PPG with 6.0 RPG.
-
Donaval Avila is also averaging double figures in the scoring column at 10.0 ppg over the past three games.
- Westminster has attempted 76 free throws while its three opponents have combined for just 32 attempts.
Tipping Off Conference Play:
- Westminster is now 6-1 in conference openers since joining the RMAC with a 4-0 mark at home and a 2-1 away record. After their win over MSU Denver last Saturday, the Griffins have now won back-to-back conference openers, each against the Roadrunners.
- Westminster led for the majority of the night and held on late in last year's conference opener, a 56-55 win over MSU Denver. The Griffins led by seven with just over one minute to play and held on to win despite five missed free throws and three turnovers down the stretch.
- Westminster won its first four conference openers after joining the league for the 2015-16 season. It's only loss to begin the RMAC season was a 74-63 defeat in St. George, Utah at Dixie State in 2019.
Westminster in the RMAC:
- The Griffins are 2-0 to begin the 2021-22 RMAC season and sit in a four-way tie for first after the first weekend of play.
- Westminster had its best conference finish last season since becoming postseason eligible, going 9-10 on an abbreviated conference schedule to finish 7th in the final standings.
- The Griffins have had all-conference performers each of the past five seasons. Matt Kitzman (honorable mention) and Joey Andrews (second team) earned all-conference honors last season.
RMAC Player of the Week Nominees:
- #5 Yusuf Mohamed
    - Last Week: 22.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3 assists - 13-of-23 (57 percent)
    - Hit two free throws to put Westminster ahead in the final moments and later hit the final go-ahead basket to help the Griffins beat CCU on the road on Sunday.
    - Went 9-of-10 at the free-throw line and scored 19 pts with nine rebounds including two offensive boards and two assists against CCU.
    - Scored 25 and helped hold four-time RMAC Defensive Player of the Week Laolu Oke to just eight points on 4-of-6 shooting.
- #13 Brayden Johnson
    - Helped hold MSU Denver's Laolu Oke to just eight points on 4-of-6 shooting as the Griffins finished with a 27-20 advantage in defensive rebounds.
    - Johnson scored a team-high 22 against CCU on Sunday and helped hold CCU's Isaiah Alonzo to just eight points on 4-of-12 shooting overall.
About the Chadron State (5-5, 1-1 RMAC):
- Probable Starters:
    - 2 Teddy Parham Jr. - 10.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.7 APG, 9 steals
    - 3 Marcus Jefferson - 11.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 18-of-30 (60 pct) 3PT FG
    - 4 CJ Jennings - 15.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 16 steals, 21--of-54 (39 pct) 3PT FG
    - 10 Taj Toney - 4.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG
    - 21 Tejaun Hale - 5.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG
- Chadron State split its first weekend of the RMAC season with an 87-63 loss to Fort Lewis in its conference opener but followed up with a 90-84 win over Western Colorado on Saturday.
- The Eagles lost four straight to begin the season but responded with a 118-64 win over Haskell Indian Nations University followed by a 3-0 road trip to Puerto Rico in the final weekend of nonconference action.
- Chadron State bounced back from a last-place finish in the RMAC in 2019-20 with a 5-7 conference record to finish 10th in the RMAC last season, the first under head coach Shane Paben.
- Chadron's 5-7 record was enough to reach the program's first RMAC Tournament where they lost in the first round to Colorado Mesa.
- Series History:
    - Westminster is 7-2 all-time against the Eagles and has won seven of the last eight dating back to Feb. 20, 2016.
    - The Griffins have five wins by double digits and won the only overtime in the all-time series, a 76-70 win in Chadron, Neb., back in 2017.
    - Westminster is 5-0 all-time against Chadron State at home including a 94-69 win in the first-ever matchup back in 2012. The 25-point win is still the largest margin of victory for either team in the all-time series.
- Up Next - Next Five:
  - Dec 11 (Sat) at Colorado Mesa Grand Junction, Colo.
  - Dec 18 (Sat) vs UC-COLORADO SPRINGS Chadron, Neb.
  - Dec 19 (Sun) vs N.M. HIGHLANDS Chadron, Neb.
  - Dec 31 (Fri) at Colo. School of Mines Golden, Colo.
  - Jan. 1(Sat) at Regis Denver, Colo.
About Black Hills State (4-3, 2-0 RMAC):
- Probable Starters:
    - 1 Joel Scott - 23.7 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 13 assists, 6 steals, 5 blocks
    - 4 Sindou Cisse - 14.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 32-of-59 (54 percent) shooting
    - 5 Sava Dukic - 6.9 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 17 assists
    - 10 Adam Moussa - 13.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 35 assists, 11 steals
    - 23 P.J. Hayes - 9.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG
- Joel Scott leads the RMAC in scoring (23.7 ppg) and is second in the RMAC with 10.9 RPG. Adam Moussa is second in the RMAC with 5.0 assists/game.
- Black Hills State began the season with a 2-0 weekend in Denver in which they beat Arkansas Fort Smith by double digits followed by an overtime win over Oklahoma Christian.
- The Yellow Jackets hit a three-game road losing skid to wrap up nonconference play, suffering a neutral loss to No. 20 Augustana before falling to both Northern State and Montana State - Billings.
- BHSU has finished top-three in the RMAC in each of the past two seasons under third-year head coach Ryan Thompson.
- The Yellow Jackets finished third in the conference last season with a 10-6 RMAC record. Black Hills State defeated sixth-seeded Fort Lewis in the first round of the RMAC Tournament but lost to Colorado School of Mines in the second round.
- Series History:
  - Westminster is 3-4 all-time against Black Hills State including a one-point win in the last game at the Behnken Field House back in December of 2019.
    - Westminster has won three of the last five but fell, 75-70, last season on the road in Spearfish, S.D.
    - Westminster is 2-1 all-time at home against BHSU, winning the last two matchups including a 27-point win in Jan. of 2017, the largest win in the all-time series.
- Up Next - Next Five:
    - Dec 18 (Sat) vs N.M. HIGHLANDS Spearfish, S.D.
  - Dec 19 (Sun) vs UC-COLORADO SPRINGS Spearfish, S.D.
  - Dec 31 (Fri) at Regis Denver, Colo.
    - Jan 1 (Sat) at Colorado School of Mines Golden, Colo.
  - Jan 8 (Sat) vs COLORADO MESA Spearfish, S.D.
RMAC Standings (12/7):
Â
Up Next:
Westminster will host its final game of the pre-holiday, three-game home stand next Thursday, Dec. 16, as it takes on CSU Pueblo beginning at 7 p.m. at the Behnken Field House.
Follow us on social media (@WCGriffins) or visit westminstergriffins.com for all the latest Westminster Athletics scores, news and updates.
