LAKEWOOD, CO- The Cougars returned to their home floor on Thursday evening for a matchup against Westminster. The Griffins took an early lead and held on for a 63-58 victory over the hosts. 

Nicole Bowlin dropped in the first points of the night for her team with a layup, and she converted the three-point play after she was fouled while making the basket. The Griffins managed to take control from there, going on a long run to take a 14-3 advantage. Elise Grosdidier hit a jumper and layup and Mia Guest made a layup, and a last second jumper from Dasiya Jones cut the lead to 17-11 at the end of the first quarter. 

The first three minutes of the second featured a defensive battle as both teams made stops and did not allow any buckets. Jones broke through with a jumper and a Victoria Perez three put the Cougars down six again 22-16. Bowlin cut the gap to four with a layup, and consecutive jumpers from Luther tied the game at 22 apiece. Jones closed the quarter strong again, connecting on a three-pointer as Westminster took a 29-26 lead to the locker room. 

A hot start in the third from the Griffins saw CCU fall behind by 8, but the home team clawed their way back with a layup and free throw from Elise. The deficit was at just three, but a late Westminster run and three-pointer with seconds to play gave them a 49-40 advantage heading to the final quarter of play. 

The teams battled back and forth, but Westminster still hung on to a nine point lead with 3:50 to go, and they held an 11 point advantage with time running out at 1:31. Grosdidier sank a pair of free throws, and after forcing back-to-back turnovers, Perez and Bowlin each went 2-2 from the line as the lead was just 5 all of a sudden. Bowlin forced another turnover and put in a layup as the crowd went wild after a quick eight point run from the Cougars made it 61-58 with 23 seconds to go. However, the Griffins hit a pair of free throws down the stretch and the last few shots for CCU did not go in as the visitors claimed victory 63-58. 

Jones posted another double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Grosdidier and Bowlin poured in 13 and 11 points respectively. Bowlin dished out a team high 5 assists, and Hayley Luther, Josie Grosdidier and Jones each 2 blocks apiece. 

The Cougars will have a chance to bounce back at home on February 1 at 1 p.m. MST as they host Western Colorado.