SALT LAKE CITY – The Westminster University men's basketball team opened its 2026-27 regular season Monday night at Montana State University Billings, falling 83-73 at Alterowitz Gymnasium in Billings, Mont. Christopher Cox led the Griffins with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Quentin Meza and Jake Nadauld added 16 points apiece.
Game Breakdown
First Half
MSU Billings scored first, and the Griffins responded with buckets from Cox, Jackson Rose and Janne Müller. A driving layup by Cox at the 15:29 mark tied the game 11-11, and Nadauld's layup at 15:04 gave Westminster its first lead of the night at 13-11. After MSU Billings evened the score at 13-13, the Griffins scored six straight points. Nadauld finished inside, Müller converted a fast-break layup off a Meza steal, and Patrick Anamali scored at the rim to push the lead to 19-13 at 13:18.
Meza's jumper at 10:15 kept Westminster in front 21-16, and his three-pointer at 6:44, assisted by Cox, made it a 25-24 game. Nadauld hit a three-pointer at 3:07 off a Meza assist. Late in the half, the Griffins put together a 5-0 run. Anamali made a free throw, Jacob Pleyer scored on a layup set up by Meza, and Anamali grabbed two offensive rebounds on one possession before finishing with a tip-in dunk at 0:39. MSU Billings led 43-34 at the break. Westminster shot 15-of-30 (50.0 percent) from the field in the first half.
Second Half
Anamali opened the Griffins' second-half scoring with two free throws, and Meza hit a three-pointer assisted by Pleyer at 17:52. Pleyer added a three of his own at 14:43 off a Meza assist. Nadauld then sparked a 6-0 run. He made a free throw, came up with a steal, and finished the fast-break layup. A George McConkie free throw followed, and Nadauld's second-chance layup at 9:39 made the score 63-53.
Later in the half, the Griffins put together their longest scoring run of the night, an 8-0 spurt. Pleyer's steal led to a Cox three-pointer assisted by Nadauld at 6:16. Meza buried a second-chance three at 5:29 off an Anamali offensive rebound and assist. Pleyer then finished a fast-break driving layup at 4:58, making it 71-65. Nadauld, Cox and Meza kept the Griffins scoring late, and Anamali's layup with 10 seconds left, assisted by Pleyer, closed out the 83-73 final.
Westminster out rebounded MSU Billings 47-40, including 21 offensive rebounds that produced 18 second-chance points. The Griffins also won the paint 42-38, and the bench outscored MSU Billings' reserves 33-22.
Griffin Performances
Christopher Cox led Westminster with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting, plus eight rebounds and an assist. Eleven of his points came in the second half.
Quentin Meza scored 16 points with three three-pointers and added a team-high four assists, five rebounds and a steal.
Jake Nadauld added 16 points off the bench on 7-of-13 shooting, along with a steal and an assist.
Patrick Anamali pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds, seven of them offensive. He also had nine points, two assists, a steal and a block.
Jacob Pleyer contributed seven points, two assists and a steal.
Janne Müller finished with four points and five rebounds.
Up Next
The Griffins travel to Denver for two games at Regis University. Westminster faces UT Dallas on Friday, Nov. 13, at 4 p.m. MT, then plays the University of Texas at Tyler on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 4 p.m. MT.Â
