Don't look now, but Westminster's women's basketball team is making a run at a winning season. In the past, most of the hoopla has gone to the men's team. But after a 10-4 start, the women's team has surprised everyone, including its coach.
"We really didn't know what to expect this year," said Griffins coach JD Gustin.
The team lost NAIA all-American center Shalee Fackrell to graduation and a couple of prize recruits went elsewhere. But the Griffins went on a roll after losing 81-66 to Eastern Oregon on Nov. 17. The team has managed to win seven of eight games, including its last five. The women punctuated the streak with an 82-73 victory over new in-state rival Dixie State, sweeping the Rebels in the home-and-road series.
Despite the good nonconference record, Gustin isn't about to put any extra pressure on the team by heightening expectations.
"We're just going to go out and play," he said. "I think if you start looking ahead, you run into trouble."
No question, the Griffins are proud of their good start and attribute some of that success to the team's good camaraderie.
"This team, by far, is the most fun I've ever had playing ... and I think team chemistry has a lot to do with it," guard Elisa Leader said.
Joining Leader in the backcourt is running mate Shannon Evans. The sophomores are both averaging nearly 16 points per game, and they've combined to knock down 56 3-pointers. Evans was also named the conference player of the week on Dec. 5.
Senior Alicia Haberle is also dangerous from the outside. She's converted 26 3-pointers this season, making the Griffins a very dangerous team from the outside.
Six-foot senior Janae Hirschi is somewhat undersized for a center, but is a hard worker, often outhustling opponents to the ball. She leads the team in rebounding (81) and is the third leading scorer, putting up 10 points a game.
Jordan Eckman is the other starter down low. At 5-foot-10, the senior from Seattle plays bigger than she is. Eckman is averaging seven points and four rebounds a game.
Gustin will need strong efforts from the starters and good bench play to be successful in league play. The Frontier Conference is loaded; six of the eight teams have winning records and three of them are in the NAIA top 25 poll. Montana Western is 14-0 and ranked third nationally, and Lewis-Clark State (12-1) is ranked eighth. Westminster opens conference play on the road at Lewis-Clark State and then plays host to Montana Western on Jan. 20.
Results/schedule
(Record: 10-4)
Nov. 3 Northwest 68, Westminster 63
Nov. 4 Westminster 70, Evergreen State 44
Nov. 9 Concordia 77, Westminster 69
Nov. 10 Westminster 73, Albertson 71
Nov. 11 Westminster 81, Berry College 71
Nov. 17 Eastern Oregon 81, Westminster 66
Nov. 18 Westminster 58, Evergreen St. 43
Nov. 24 Westminster 69, Albertson Col. 53
Nov. 25 Eastern Oregon 68, Westminster 64
Nov. 27 Westminster 89, S. Virginia 51
Dec. 1 Westminster 76, Dixie State 74
Dec. 15 Westmn. 88, Johnson & Wales 43
Dec. 16 Westmn. 94, Johnson & Wales 29
Dec. 18 Westminster 82, Dixie State 73
South Padre Island Shootout:
Dec. 29 vs. Xavier University
Dec. 30 vs. Paul Quinn College
Jan. 6 at Lewis-Clark State
Jan. 12 at MSU-Northern
Jan. 13 at Great Falls University
Jan. 18 vs. Montana Tech
Jan. 20 vs. UM-Western
Jan. 25 at Carroll College
Jan. 27 at Rocky Mountain College
Feb. 3 vs. Lewis-Clark State
Feb. 8 vs. Great Falls University
Feb. 10 vs. MSU-Northern
Feb. 16 at UM-Western
Feb. 17 at Montana Tech
Feb. 22 vs. Rocky Mountain College
Feb. 24 vs. Carroll College
Feb. 28 Frontier Conference tournament
March 14 NAIA tournament