GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado made a rally midway through the second quarter but visiting Westminster (Utah) University was able to hold off the challenge and finish with an 87-72 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory Thursday on the Mountaineers' Senior Night.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Westminster def. Western, 87-72
Records: Western 8-17 overall (6-11 RMAC), Westminster 12-14 (7-11)
Location: Paul Wright Gym, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Mountaineers opened with a quick jump to the lead and were playing even with the visiting Griffins – who came into the game winners of two straight – with the score tied at 10-10.
• A 15-2 leap from Westminster, though, put Western on its heels and in catch-up mode throughout the next 10 minutes.
• But catch up is what it did, pulling back to within seven points, 35-28, on the second of Joanis Koulisianis' consecutive 3-pointers.
• The Griffins responded, though, and took a 14-point lead into the halftime break, a margin that grew to 16 (49-33) in the early minutes of the second half.
• Once more the Mountaineers would stage a rally, this time cutting the deficit to just eight, 56-48, after a 15-7 run that concluded with an Aidan McDowell driving layup down the lane.
• But once again, Westminster was able to halt Western's rally to finish with a 15-point road win.

HARDWOOD NOTES

• Koulisianis led Western with a career-high 19 points, the 6-foot, 11-inch freshman including a pair of 3-pointers on a night that also included 7 rebounds and an assist.
• Westminster partially bottled up the nation's leading scorer, limiting McDowell to 17 points on the night and a 2-for-6 game from behind the arc. But Quincy Scott picked up some of those points for Western with a 16-point effort, his fifth consecutive game scoring in double figures.
• The Griffins finished the game shooting 50% from the floor, including 61% in the first half, compared to Western's 36% evening.
• Not surprisingly, with its 50% night, Westminster got 36 of its87 points from within the paint.

SENIOR NIGHT

• The program recognized its lone graduating senior, Christian Still, in a pre-game ceremony at mid-court.
• Still entered his final season with 45 games under his belt as a Mountaineer, but an early-season injury after just four games ended his season and career.
• Still played in 59 games for Western, scoring a total of 268 points and pulling down 98 career rebounds.

THEY SAID IT


UP NEXT
The Mountaineers will continue the week with a rare home-away schedule, following Thursday's home game with a road game Saturday at 3 p.m. against host Colorado Mesa University.