The Westminster College women’s basketball team played a balanced weekend, falling to Western Colorado Friday but defeating Colorado Mesa Saturday.
The team fell to Western Colorado 45-44 Friday night at Behnken Field House.
Westminster led the game during the first quarter, with Western taking the lead by halftime.
The Griffins scored half of their 44 points in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Mountaineers 22-10. Junior Mariah Martin scored 13 of her 15 points in the fourth to lead the charge.
Western managed to score three free throws in the final quarter, holding on to the victory. Western Colorado’s Gabie Doud led game with 20 points. No other Mountaineer had more than six points.
The Griffins returned to the court Saturday night to play Colorado Mesa, the top team in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The team ended Colorado Mesa’s 14-game winning streak — a record that positioned the Maverick’s at the top of the conference.
The Griffins outscored the Mavericks 21-7 in the fourth quarter to hand them their first loss in conference play.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Griffins were down by 10 points. By the end of the quarter, Westminster held the lead at 50-49 with just over one minute to play. Martin led all scorers with 18 points.
With the victory, the Griffins (16-3, 11-2 RMAC) are only one game behind the Mavericks (16-3, 12-2) for first place in the RMAC.
Westminster will face Adams State and Fort Lewis College on the road next weekend.
Sports coverage by The Forum is created in part through a partnership with the Westminster College Athletics Program.
