GUNNISON, Colo. – A second-half surge by Westminster College put Friday night's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game out of reach for Western Colorado University. After leading by five at halftime, the Mountaineer fell to the Griffins 77-72.
 
Western (3-15, 0-12 RMAC) was fueled by the sharp-shooting freshman Cole Sienknecht in the first half. Sienknecht scored 19 points in the first 20 minutes, making 5-of-9 three point shots.
 
After falling behind 26-20 with 5:49 left in the first half, Sienknecht scored 14 of Western's 17 points to end the half with a 37-32 lead at the break.
 
In the second half, Western and Westminster (7-9, 5-7 RMAC) traded buckets and the Mountaineers held a one-point, 60-59 lead with 6:25 remaining following a Brady Subart free throw.
 
Subart led all players with 27 points, scoring 19 in the second half. It's the second consecutive games Subart has scored 20 or more points. Subart surpassed the 1,000 career point mark on Friday night against the Griffins. Subart now has 1,020 points in four seasons played.
 
The Griffins regained the lead at the 6:08 mark, following a Brandon Warr layup. Warr led Westminster with 24 points, scoring 20 in the second half.
 
The Mountaineers trailed Westminster by just two, 72-70 with 42 second left to play, but were unable to regain control and fell to the Griffins by five points.
 
Jackson Ehrlin also reached double figures in scoring for the Mountaineers, adding 12 points and eight rebounds.
 
Western will look to rebound against Dixie State University on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Paul Wright Gym.