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Show Continued from Page 6 The team is nearly one month into their practice schedule. We have a lot of players who are talented, said Sanchez. We have to prove ourselves to our coaches everyday that we are worthy of playing time. The teams season began at the Montana Western Tournament in Dillon, Montana on Oct. 31 against Dickinson State and Golden State Baptist. The first home games at the Behnken Field House are Nov. 7 versus San Diego Christian and Nov. 8 against Azusa Pacific. This is a much higher level of basketball than you might think, said Assistant Coach Jason Long. For example, Azusa Pacific has four former Division I players. Connor said the challenging preseason games will help prepare the team for conference Nov. 14 and 15 the team plays Vanguard University and Concordia in Las Vegas, Nevada, then travel to Caldwell, Idaho to take on Eastern Oregon and the College of Idaho during the next two weekends before returning home for the Westminster Thanksgiving Classic. On Nov. 28 and 29, at Behnken Field house, the Griffins play Grandview and Northern New Mexico during the annual holiday tournament. The Griffins will play NCAA Division II competition during the eight games on the road in December and early January. During this time, the Griffins will n, Jan. 31. begin conference play against wall have four weekends in January and Griffin fans February to support the team on their home court at Westminster. MSU-Norther- a In the meantime, the team practices and trains for challenging season ahead. Were still learning and trying to get better, but Im really happy with the work ethic of the guys and their commitment to good practice habits, said Connor. Our goal is to peak during league play. Never losing sight of their ultimate goal, the Frontier Conference Tournament begins Mar. 4 at the home courts of lower seeds and the NAIA National Tournament opens on Mar. 18 in Kansas City, MO. I think the whole team and coaches are really excited, said Sanchez. We feel confident that if we play well, we can go far this season. For more information regarding Westminster basketball, including a complete season schedule of games, visit westminstercollege.eduathletics. play. Westminster women's basketball ranked No. 16 Team looks to improve season, welcomes Hammer record-settin- g TaraCanham StaffWriter Westminster womens basketball season has begun, and the team starts the year rated No. 16 in the nation. JD Gustin is returning for his fifth season as the head coach and new this year is assistant coach Dave Hammer. Last year the team won 24 of their 33 games, this year Gustin hopes that they can improve on that. Ratings are important Gustin said, but more than that it is about creating a positive experience and winning games. Although Hammer is new to Westminster, his goals are one in the same with Gustins. He wants to get back to the NAIA National Tournament, which is located in Tennessee. The womens team has been there for the last two years. Hammer said this year he hopes to have a lot of fun, compete hard and play for one another as teammates. Alexis Tucker, a senior on the basketball team, said she is excited about the upcoming season. Tucker says that the team has the capabilities and the talent to go further than last year. Tucker is a transfer student who is in her second year at Westminster. She transferred from the College of Southern Idaho and says she loves the atmosphere at Westminster. "This year is our best team by far." JD Gustin Elisa Leader, a senior on the basketball team, feels that there are high expectations associated with this year and if those expectations are met the season will be good. She also says that the basketball team has had good coaches to lead them along the way. The womens basketball team started their season on Oct. 24 and played two games in Espanola, New Mexico, both of whch they won. The team welcomed back nine starters from last year including three of the leading scorers in Shannon Evans, Leader and Tucker. Evans led the Frontier Conference in assists during the 2007-0- 8 season. Her 4.97 assists per game average was No. 10 in the country. Evans ranked in the top 20 in eight statistical categories in the Frontier Conference as a junior. She was in the top 10 in scoring, steals, blocks and assists. "We have a lot of potential and if we reach our potential we can do good things." Shannon Evans Leader was the teams second leading scorer last season at 13.1 points per game. She ranked sixth in the conference in scoring. Her 39.5 percent shootrange was eighth in the Froning from three-poitier Conference and 32nd nationally. nt 7 Evans, a senior at Westminster, says she has enjoyed watching the basketball program grow within the four years she has been at Westminster. We have a lot of potential and if we reach our potential we can do good things, she said. When speaking of Evans, Tucker said she is an amazing person, amazing friend, and an awesome basketball player. This year is our best team by far, said Gustin. For a full schedule and roster for this years basketball season, visit westminstercollege.eduathlet-ic- s. tf NOVEMBER 4, 2008 |