Game Breakdown
The Westminster Griffins held off a fierce comeback attempt from Colorado Mesa to secure a 73-68 victory on Tuesday night at Behnken Field House. The win improved Westminster to 11-14 overall and 6-11 in RMAC play, while the Mavericks fell to 17-8 and 13-4 in conference.
First Half
Westminster came out strong in the first half, building an early lead behind balanced scoring and efficient offense. The Griffins jumped ahead 6-2 after back-to-back three-pointers from Jake Nadauld and Colin Hayes. Jonah El-Farra was a force inside, scoring 10 points in the half on perfect 5-of-5 shooting.
The Griffins' defense held Colorado Mesa to just 28.57% shooting from the field in the first half while Westminster shot 37.93%. Jack Jamele provided a spark off the bench, hitting key shots to help extend the lead. Westminster took a 31-23 advantage into halftime, controlling the tempo and pace throughout the opening 20 minutes.
Second Half
The Griffins came out firing in the second half, pushing their lead to double digits early. El-Farra continued his efficient play with another basket, and Hayes connected from beyond the arc to make it 38-30. Westminster built their largest lead at 61-45 midway through the half behind hot shooting, converting 68.18% from the field in the second half.
However, Colorado Mesa refused to go away quietly. Behind the scoring of Ty Allred, who finished with a game-high 28 points, the Mavericks clawed back into the game. Allred went 5-of-9 from three-point range and kept Colorado Mesa within striking distance down the stretch. The Mavericks cut the deficit to 67-62 with just over three minutes remaining, but Hayes answered with clutch free throws.
Westminster sealed the victory at the free-throw line in the final seconds, with Hayes converting 6-of-6 from the charity stripe in the closing moments to preserve the 73-68 win.
Griffin Performances
Colin Hayes led Westminster with 18 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-2 from three-point range. Hayes was perfect from the free-throw line, going 6-of-6, with all six coming in crucial late-game situations. He added 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 36 minutes.
Jonah El-Farra was efficient inside with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, adding 3 rebounds in 21 minutes. Jake Nadauld recorded 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 2-of-5 from three-point range, and led the team with 6 assists and 6 rebounds in 33 minutes.
Michael Fraizer contributed 11 points and a team-high 9 rebounds, while Cameron Cohn added 9 points off the bench, going 3-of-4 from three-point range. Jack Jamele also scored 9 points with 5 rebounds off the bench.
Westminster shot 51.0% from the field for the game and won the paint with 30 points compared to Colorado Mesa's 26. The Griffins also outrebounded the Mavericks 39-32.
For Colorado Mesa, Ty Allred led all scorers with 28 points on 9-of-19 shooting, including 5-of-9 from three-point range. Jaylen Pitman added 10 points off the bench, while Ben Henderson and Wes Ball each contributed 9 points.
Up Next
The Griffins look to build momentum as they continue RMAC play and push toward the postseason.
