Westminster campus briefs

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: The 10th-ranked Griffins defeated Warner Pacific 68-54 to finish 2-0 at the Westminster Tipoff Classic on Saturday night. Westminster took control in the second half to cruise to a third consecutive victory. They are now 4-1 on the season while Warner Pacific drops to 1-1.

"We are a work in progress," head coach JD Gustin said. "We have some new kids but we found a way to win another one."

For the second straight day Westminster started the game strong before watching the lead disappear. Today they led 16-7 with 14:40 remaining in the first half before WPC stormed back to eventually take a 29-27 lead with 2:16 to play. Westminster would then get a Dani Evans three and a free throw from Jenteal Jackson to lead 31-29 at the intermission.

A 6-0 run midway through the second half turned a 38-35 lead into a 46-37 advantage for the Griffins. Brooke Larsen started the push with a three-point play and then capped the run with a triple from the top of the key. Westminster would eventually push the cushion to 15 late in the half.

Evans led the Griffins with 23 points while matching her career high with five makes from beyond the arc. The senior guard was 8 of 11 shooting with two rebounds, one assist and one steal. Michelle Pace added 11 points and a team-best eight rebounds. Nicole Yazzie had eight points and five assists. Larsen scored eight points off the bench.

Kelsey Mattsen led the Knights with 20 points and five rebounds. Warner Pacific finished shooting 42.5% from the field, sparked by 57.9% shooting in the first half. Miranda Holenstein had 12 points and three boards.

Westminster will be back in action on Thursday when they host Cal Baptist in the first game of the Westminster Fall Classic at 4 p.m.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: The Griffins picked up a second win in as many games at the Westminster Tipoff Classic with a 74-55 win over Olivet Nazarene on Saturday night. No. 12 Westminster outscored the visitors by 12 in the second half to earn the victory. The Griffins are now 2-0 on the year while Olivet Nazarene drops to 1-2.

"This is a pretty good win since we had two starts in foul trouble all night," head coach Tommy Connor said. "We had guys play spots they normally don't play."