Westminster holds off Dixie State

After a lackluster first half of basketball, Westminster's women rallied to beat Dixie State, 82-73.

The Griffins were led by hot-shooting guards Shannon Evans and Elisa Leader, who lit up the scoreboard with five second-half 3-pointers and a team high of 22 points apiece.

"This is our house and nobody beats us in our house," Leader said.

The Griffins' second-half defense was much more aggressive, creating turnovers and easy baskets on the other end. It jump started Westminster to a 29-9 run and control of the in-state game.

Griffins coach JD Gustin was pleased with the team's ability to respond after a bad first half.

"We didn't give a very good effort in the first half," Gustin said. "The bottom line is our kids didn't come ready to play," he said.

Led by guard Liz Lewis and Layton's Jessica Carver, Dixie controlled the first half, jumping out to a 26-15 lead with 10 minutes gone. The Rebels also dominated Westminster on the glass, outrebounding the Griffins 25-16. Dixie eventually led 37-28 at the half.

As the second half started, Dixie faced a much more aggressive Westminster team. Nothing much was said in the locker room. The Griffins just saw the look on their coach's face as he walked in at the break.

"We hate to let our coach down," Evans said. "I was definitely more determined,"

Early on in the second half, Evans nailed a three to draw Westminster within three points. Janae Hirschi tied the game at 44 with a basket and a converted free-throw.

The senior from Sandy scored 21 points and pulled eight rebounds. Leader finally put the Griffins ahead as she nailed a deep three-pointer from the wing to give Westminster a 47-44 lead.

Late in the game, Dixie made a charge when Carver (19 points) scored on three straight possessions to close the gap, 66-60. It was too little, too late as the Rebels couldn't hold off the determined Griffins.

---

E-mail: tpeterson@desnews.com