Game Breakdown
The Westminster Griffins dominated Western Colorado on Wednesday night, cruising to an 87-72 victory at Paul Wright Gymnasium in Gunnison. The win improved Westminster to 12-14 overall and 7-11 in RMAC play, while the Mountaineers fell to 8-17 and 6-11 in conference.
First Half
Westminster seized control early and never looked back, building a commanding first-half lead. The Griffins shot an impressive 61.29% from the field in the opening 20 minutes, with multiple players contributing to the offensive onslaught. Jake Nadauld and Michael Fraizer led the charge, combining for 23 first-half points.
Colin Hayes provided steady play on both ends, while Cameron Cohn caught fire from beyond the arc, knocking down three three-pointers in the first half. The Griffins' ball movement was exceptional, and they attacked the paint relentlessly. Westminster built their lead to as many as 17 points in the first half and took a comfortable 45-31 advantage into the break.
Western Colorado struggled to contain Westminster's balanced attack and shot just 37.04% from the field in the opening half. Joanis Koulisianis led the Mountaineers with 13 first-half points, but it wasn't enough to keep pace with the Griffins' offensive efficiency.
Second Half
The Griffins maintained their double-digit lead throughout most of the second half, though Western Colorado made several runs to cut into the deficit. Nadauld continued his hot shooting, connecting on multiple three-pointers to push the lead back to 16 points.
Western Colorado cut the deficit to 11 points late in the game behind three-pointers from Quincy Scott and Mason Mottashed, but Westminster responded each time. Cole Kadoguchi stepped up with clutch free throws down the stretch, and the Griffins closed out the game at the charity stripe.
Despite shooting just 39.39% from the field in the second half, Westminster's 86.67% free-throw shooting (13-of-15) in the period helped seal the 87-72 victory.
Griffin Performances
Jake Nadauld led all scorers with 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. Nadauld was perfect from the free-throw line, going 6-of-6, and added 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in 32 minutes.
Michael Fraizer recorded a double-double with 16 points and a team-high 10 rebounds on 7-of-16 shooting. Colin Hayes added 13 points on efficient 5-of-8 shooting with 2 assists in 27 minutes.
Cole Kadoguchi contributed 12 points, going a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line, with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Cameron Cohn provided a huge spark off the bench with 9 points on 3-of-3 shooting from three-point range.
Jonah El-Farra was perfect from the field, going 3-of-3 for 6 points with 7 rebounds in 24 minutes.
Westminster shot 50.0% from the field for the game and dominated on the glass, outrebounding Western Colorado 41-33. The Griffins also converted 88.9% of their free throws (16-of-18), which proved crucial down the stretch.
Western Colorado
Joanis Koulisianis led the way with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Aidan McDowell added 17 points, while Quincy Scott chipped in 16 points with five three-pointers.
Up Next
The Griffins continue their road trip as they look to finish the RMAC regular season strong.
