Cowgirl Basketball

Cowgirls fall short against Aztecs

2010-03-10T23:51:00.001-07:00

The Wyoming Cowgirls ended their run at the MWC Championships with a 60-51 loss against the San Diego State Aztecs on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

“I think what we witnessed tonight was a tremendous basketball game,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “Both teams came out and competed for 40 minutes, and every possession mattered. I thought at times San Diego State stepped up probably in the last three and a half minutes, made some big stops. We had our chances.

“With the experience of competing against San Diego State, I think it’s a basketball game we’ll learn from. It felt like playing the No. 1 seed out there. They create so many problems for you on the perimeter, plus on the inside. I’m just so proud of my team that, you know, we got off to a shaky start and then we came back and closed down the half down, too, still had a chance with a possession about three and a half minutes to go.”

Hillary Carlson led the Cow2girls (19-11) 25 points, along with a career high 18 rebounds. Her 18 rebounds equaled the MWC single game record set Tuesday by UNLV’s Jamie Smith. She was followed by Aubrey Vandiver with eight points and 11 rebounds, while Jade Kennedy added eight points as well.

“Hillary Carlson was just huge tonight. She literally kept us in the basketball game,“ Legerski said. “To have 17 at half, 25 total points, eight offensive rebounds, played 39 minutes. She really carried the load tonight and it was very important to keep her in the basketball game.

“I thought the heart showed tonight, Aubrey Vandiver had eight rebounds offensively. It gave us an opportunity when you’re shooting 2 percent, a credit to San Diego State’s defense, yet we just kept fighting and finding ways to just stay in the basketball game.”

The Aztecs had four of their five starters in double-figures led by Quenese Davis. She had a team high 16 points, plus six rebounds. Jessika Bradley recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 boards while Coco Davis and Paris Johnson recorded 14 and 13 points respectively. San Diego State shot 21-52 (.404) from the field and 16-19 (.842) from the free throw line.
　

Cowgirls hold on to win MWC opener

2010-03-09T23:14:00.008-07:00

UW-UNLV stats

Cowgirl postgame quotes

If last Saturday's win over UNLV was a preview for the rematch in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, then the Wyoming Cowgirls could live with it.

As it turned out, there were a lot of similarities, as the Cowgirls blew an 11-point second-half lead before stopping the Lady Rebels 60-55 Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

With the win, the Cowgirls (19-10) will face San Diego State Wednesday night at 8 p.m. The third-seeded Aztecs drew a first-round bye. The victory was just the third win for the Cowgirls in their MWC tournament history.

Last Saturday, Wyoming lost a 13-point lead only to rally for the win. On Tuesday, the Lady Rebels tied the game two times in the later stages of the contest, but Wyoming never relinquished the lead.

Despite giving up 24 offensive rebounds and hitting just 10 of 21 free throws, the Cowgirls found a way to win again.

“We always talk about it being a 40 minute basketball game,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “We played UNLV the last game of the season, and it came down to the last minute of the basketball game, just like it did today.

Aubrey Vandiver scored a team-high 24 points and Jade Kennedy knocked down two late 3-pointers that put the Cowgirls back in the lead for good.

“Two players I thought were huge for us. Aubrey really carried this team for about 34 minutes, and during one timeout I talked about that other people needed to step up because we started standing around watching Aubrey trying to do everything," Legerski said. "I thought Jade had a big three, came back, and hit a nice two point shot that really gave us a lift and took a little bit of the pressure off Aubrey to be able to do what she does so well, is carry this group.

“We made big plays by grabbing offensive rebounds and coming up with the play, none bigger than what Aubrey grabbed to force another jump ball. We had the basketball again, got the ball in and back to the free throw line.”

Hillary Carlson finished with 13 points and four blocked shots for the Cowgirls, while Kennedy added 10 points.

UNLV (13-18) was led by Markiell Syles with 13 points and 13 rebounds off the bench. Kelli Thompson had a team-high 15 points, while Jamie Smith recorded 18 rebounds. The Lady Rebels out rebounded the Cowgirls 53-34.

After spotting the Lady Rebels the first two points of the game, the Cowgirls would seemingly take control, capping the first half with a last-second basket by Vandiver for a 28-21 lead.

The Cowgirls jumped out to a 34-23 lead early in the second half and still led by 10, 44-34, with a little over 11 minutes to play. But UNLV once again came back and tied the game at 47-each and 51-all.

Kennedy's second 3-pointer of the second half put the Cowgirls up by three again and they held on -- despite some anxious times at the free-throw line -- for the win.

Wednesday night's game with San Diego State will be broadcast on The Mtn. The two teams split during the regular season, both winning on their home court.

Kennedy paces Cowgirls to win

2010-03-06T17:55:00.007-07:00

UW junior Jade Kennedy

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Last Wednesday, Jade Kennedy spent a majority of the win over Air Force in a giving mood, with a career-high 11 assists.

On Saturday, she took her opportunities to score, with a career-high 23 points as the Cowgirls held off UNLV 78-73 on Saturday in the Arena-Auditorium.

"Against Air Force, I was able to find the girls, who knocked down the shots," Kennedy said. "Today, I was just open."

Saturday's effort came at a good time, as it not only was the Cowgirls' final regular-season home game, but Kennedy's parents -- William and Leonie Kennedy - were able to witness their daughter's performance live.

"It is really good to look up in the stands and see Mom and Dad," Kennedy said.

Kennedy hit 7 of 10 from the field, including 6 of 9 3-pointers, scoring 17 points in the first half as Wyoming led 44-37 at halftime.

UW head coach Joe Legerski said there were several stars in Saturday's game.

“Jade Kennedy was unbelievable in the first half shooting 5-of-7 from beyond the arc and 17 total points. She ended up getting us going," Legerski said.

Legerski also said that true freshmen Rebecca Campigli and Chaundra Sewell were two players that gave them a lift off the bench and playing extended minutes. Then there was Vandiver's performance, especially in the end.

"We’re up three points with 29 seconds and Jade misses her second free throw, Aubrey gets the rebound for a tie up and we get another opportunity," Legerski said. "It really changed the way we played defense, but that rebound by her is a player with a big heart and making a play. Her numbers were tremendous with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and it’s to the point you expect that from her.”

The Cowgirls (9-7 MWC, 18-10) needed all of Kennedy’s points, as they blew a 13-point second-half lead before rallying in the final two minutes.

Wyoming appeared to have things in control, leading 61-48 with 12 minutes left, but Kelli Thompson scored 11 points and the Lady Rebels used a 19-2 run to take their first lead since midway through the first half. UNLV led by four with 4:49 remaining, only to see the Cowgirls bounce back.

Five points from sophomore Kristen Scheffler put the Cowgirls back in front and two free throws by Hillary Carlson put Wyoming up 74-69 just under a minute to play.

Again, UNLV came back as Thompson hit a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left to make it a two-point game. The Cowgirls held off the UNLV charges by hitting 4 of 6 free throws in the final seconds.

Vandiver scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Wyoming, which hit 13 of 26 3-pointers. Vandiver hit 3 of 4 free throws late in the final 35 seconds and also had a big steal and offensive rebound that enabled the Cowgirls to retain possession late in the game.

Erica Helms scored a career-high 23 points to lead UNLV (6-10, 13-17). Thompson scored 22 points, with Sandrine Nzeukou adding 13 for UNLV.

With the win, the Cowgirls finished in a tie for fifth-place in the league standings, but will be the sixth seed heading into Tuesday’s Mountain West Conference Tournament in Las Vegas. They face the Lady Rebels once again, at 8 p.m.

　

Cowgirls roll past Falcons again

2010-03-03T21:20:00.004-07:00

The Wyoming Cowgirls broke out of a scoring and shooting slump in a big way, thumping Air Force 87-60 Wednesday night in Colorado Springs.

The Cowgirls had scored just 95 points in consecutive close losses to BYU and Utah, but found their scoring touch again for their second road win in Mountain West Conference play. The Cowgirls are now 8-7 in the MWC and 17-10 overall.

Wyoming, which hit 20 of 30 3-pointers in the 61-point blowout against Air Force earlier in the season in Laramie, once again found the Falcons zone defense to their liking, hitting 18 of 31 attempts.

“Once again, we shot the ball extremely well against Air Force,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “The big three -- Hillary (Carlson), Aubrey (Vandiver) and Emma (Langford) -- led this group and shot the ball well. Jade Kennedy had by far her best floor game with 11 assists. Our offense flowed through Jade and she made great decisions with the basketball. I’m very pleased to get a win at Air Force a difficult place to play.”

Vandiver, who was 0-for 7 from behind the 3-point arc Sunday against Utah, finished with a game-high 24 points and nine rebounds, while shooting 8-of-14 from the field and 5-of-8 3-pointers. She was followed by Carlson with 21 points and nine boards, while Langford added 17 points and seven rebounds. Kennedy's 11 assists were a career high. she also had nine assists against Air Force in the first game.

Wyoming shot 31-of-51 (.636) from the field, while recording 37 rebounds and 27 assists.

Air Force (0-15, 3-25) was led by junior Raimee Beck with 14 points and seven rebounds. She was followed by Kathleen Schjodt and Anna Leipprandt with eight points each. The Falcons shot 22-of-60 (.367) from the field and 6-of-18 (.333) from beyond the arc.

The Cowgirls will play their final regular season game Saturday as they host the UNLV Lady Rebels. The game is set to tip off at 2 p.m. at the Arena Auditorium.

Cowgirls come up short again

2010-02-28T17:09:00.001-07:00

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

As well as the Wyoming Cowgirls have played this season, when it all is said and done, it comes down to experience.

Experience was still on Utah's side on Sunday, as the Utes edged the Cowgirls 52-48 in the Arena-Auditorium.

The loss was a tough one for the Cowgirls, who fell to 7-7 in Mountain West Conference play and 16-10 overall. A win would have put Wyoming in a logjam with six losses but instead drops the Cowgirls to sixth in league.

Utah, meanwhile, at 9-5 is now tied for second place in the conference with BYU.

“We are the only league team to win here,” Utah coach Elaine Elliott said. “The thing that was really in our favor is we have won here and we know we can win here.”

Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said he hopes this is a game that his young team learns from.

“We have so many players that need to understand when to make a play, how we are going to make a play,” Legerski said. “Utah went to their senior (Kalee Whipple) at the end with the score tied. She ended up getting to the free throw line. We then had a shot blocked and had a turnover. Hopefully, we grow from this and get better.”

It appeared as if the Cowgirls would continue their strong play at home, hitting their first two shots for a 5-0 lead. Wyoming, however, would manage just one field goal in its next 15 attempts but still hung around before leading 24-22 at halftime.

It was back and forth the rest of the way.

The Utes overcame a four-point deficit with eight minutes remaining on a 9-0 run, keyed by a three-point play by Taryn Wicijowski. The Cowgirls battled back with six straight to go up by a point, but Whipple broke a 48-48 tie with two free throws with 59 seconds left.

Wyoming, however, couldn't answer when Emma Langford's shot was blocked with 10 seconds left and the Cowgirls fouled immediately. Wyoming still had one last chance to tie the game after a missed free throw by Whipple with 9.5 seconds left, but Wyoming's Randi Richardson was called for traveling with 1.9 seconds remaining, and Utah added a layup by Janita Badon at the buzzer.

“We knew it was going to be a possession by possession game,” Legerski said.

Whipple led the Utes with 17 points, followed by Wicijowski and Badon adding 10. The Utes shot just 35 percent from the field (21 of 59), but outscored Wyoming 17-11 off of turnovers and had a 14-6 advantage in second-chance points.

Hillary Carlson scored 13 points for Wyoming, followed by Jade Kennedy with 12. Kennedy was the lone Cowgirl who shot the ball well, as she hit 4 of 6 from the field. Wyoming made just 29 percent of its shots (16 of 54), including 3 of 17 3-point attempts.

“We talked going in that Whipple was going to get her points, we just have to make sure that we limit what other people are going to put on the board today,” Legerski said. “More importantly, we need to score. When the game was over in Salt Lake, it was the same scenario, 52-47. Today, 52-48. We talked about that we have to be able to come up with more points. It was a difficult shooting night for us. We have not had many evenings like that at home.”

The Cowgirls will close the regular season next when at Air Force on Wednesday, before hosting UNLV on Saturday.

Cold-shooting Cowgirls fall to BYU

2010-02-20T20:38:00.002-07:00

The Wyoming Cowgirls would love to have a few of the 11 missed free throws back, after falling to BYU 51-48 Saturday at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.

The cowgirls (7-6 MWC, 16-9) led by two points with just over a minute left, but the Cougars (9-3, 18-6) made the plays down the stretch for the win.

“We left too many plays on the floor tonight,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “Give BYU credit, they made a couple of plays down the stretch to gain a win."

Junior Aubrey Vandiver led the way for the Cowgirls with her 14th double-double of the season, with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Emma Langford followed with 15 points.

"Aubrey played with great effort tonight," Legerski said. "To compete for 40 minutes in a highly physical game, speaks of her competitiveness.”

It was a tough game offensively for the Cowgirls all around. Wyoming shot just 28 percent from the field (12 of 43) and were 17 of 28 from the free-throw line.

BYU had four players in double-figures, led by Haley Hall with 12 points and six rebounds. Mindy Bonham and Coriann Wood each had 11, while Jazmine Foreman added 10. The Cougars shot 19-of-52 (.365) from the field and 6-of-15 (.400) from beyond the arc.

The Cowgirls will be off until next Feb. 28, as they host the Utah Utes. The game time is set for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on The Mountain Sports Network.

Cowgirls start, finish storng to beat Lobos

2010-02-17T23:27:00.001-07:00

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Joe Legerski said going into Wednesday’s game against New Mexico that they talked about getting off to a good start, pushing the pace and making sure that junior Hillary Carlson takes the shots that are open and not try to create shots.

Check, check and check.

Carlson scored 23 points as Wyoming ran past New Mexico 78-55 on Wednesday.

“Hillary got us off to a great start,” Legerski said. “The first half Emma (Langford), Aubrey (Vandiver) and Hillary got 30 points for us and we need people to step up and score, we can’t just rely on those three. Jade Kennedy did that in the second half ; she made some great shots for us. Randi Richardson (10 assists) did a great job of distributing the ball and keeping our energy level high, which is what she does best."

The Cowgirls (7-5 MWC, 16-8) led the entire game but used strong outside shooting in the second half to pull away.

Wyoming scored the game's first seven points and led by as much as 11 before taking a 36-30 lead at halftime.

Carlson came out with five points to open the second half and the Cowgirls used two 3-pointers by Kennedy to open up a 15-point lead early in the second half. Kennedy, who finished with 14 points, hit two more 3-pointers, followed by another three by Kristen Scheffler, to open up a 26-point lead late in the game.

As is always the case, Legerski said they just work on winning four-minute segments, something they did in the second half.

“There are three words written on the board: 20 minutes, intensity and four minutes,” Legerski said. “sometimes 20 minutes is too much to comprehend … are you winning or are you losing?Let’s take it four minutes at a time. I thought we did a very good job of managing the four minutes.”

Georonika Jackson led the Lobos (6-6, 14-10) with 14 points, followed by Sara Halasz with 10.

“I think we go into halftime pretty confident knowing that the other team will bring the intensity, bring the energy, so we need to match it,” Carlson said.

Carlson, a 6-foot-3 forward, hit 7 of 14 field goal attempts, including 3 of 5 3-pointers. She also grabbed seven rebounds, blocked four shots and had three assists.

“I just get some opportunities and I take advantage of them,“ Carlson said. “I’m sure if other players on our team got the same opportunities they would do the same thing.”

Vandiver scored 15 points for Wyoming, with Langford adding 13. Wyoming shot 51 percent from the field (28 of 55 ) and hit 11 of 19 3-pointers, including 6 of 8 in the second half. The Cowgirls also had 21 assists and just five turnovers in the game.

Playing without an injured Amy Beggin (13.5 points a game), the team's leading scorer, the Lobos struggled offensively. Although New Mexico had 17 more field goal attempts than Wyoming, the Lobos shot just 28 percent from the field (20-of-72) and hit just 8 of 28 3-pointers.

The Cowgirls will hit the road for a big matchup at BYU Saturday.
　
　
　

Lady Frogs run past Cowgirls

2010-02-13T14:10:00.002-07:00

A 22-4 run to close the first half held up as TCU ran past the Wyoming Cowgirls 78-59 Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.

The loss dropped the Cowgirls to 6-5 in the MWC and 15-8 overall, while the first-place Lady Frogs moved to 9-2, 19-5.

“TCU was excellent in all phases of the game,” said UW head coach Joe Legerski. “For the first ten minutes, we matched that intensity and I was happy with the start. As our opportunities to score diminished, TCU’s confidence started to grow. I was pleased with the effort of our young players. Chaundra, Sara and Bec gained some valuable experience in a difficult setting.”

The Cowgirls were led by sophomore Emma Langford with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists. She was followed by Hillary Carlson with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Aubrey Vandiver led the way with a team high 12 rebounds. Wyoming shot 19-of-61 (.311) from the field and 10--of13 (.769) from the free throw line, while out rebounding TCU 43-36.

The Lady Frogs were led by Helena Sverrisdottir with 19 points, six assists and five rebounds. Emily Carter added 13, while Eboni Magnum had 10. TCU shot 32-of-64 (.500) from the field and 8-of-12 (.667) from the free throw line.

A 3-pointer by Langford put the Cowgirls up 20-19 with just under 10 minutes left in the first half. TCU, however, responded and led 41-26 at halftime.

Wyoming made a small little run out of the break to pull within 13, 43-30, but five quick points by TCU gave them an 18 point advantage, 48-30. Freshman Sara Wilson would come in off the bench and score two 3-point field goals to make it 50-36 with just under 15 minutes to go in the game. Over the next seven minutes, the Lady Frogs would go on a 19-2 scoring run to extend the lead to 29 points, 69-38.

The Cowgirls return to action Wednesday when they host New Mexico at 7 p.m.

Cowgirls look for upset at TCU

2010-02-12T20:33:00.003-07:00

Can the Wyoming Cowgirls be this Saturday's breakthrough team to win a Mountain West conference game that it is not supposed to win?

They'll get that chance at 11 a.m. when they take on TCU in a game that will be broadcast on The Mountain Sports Network.

The Cowgirls will enter the game with a 15-7 overall record and a 6-4 mark in conference play after earning a 63-51 win over San Diego State on Wednesday. The Cowgirls are led by junior Hillary Carlson, who is averaging 15.5 points and 2.7 blocks per game. She is followed by fellow junior Aubrey Vandiver with 13.7 points and a team-leading 9.7 rebounds per game, while junior Emma Langford is adding 11.7 points and 3.3 assists.

Carlson is first in blocks, third in scoring and 12th in rebounding while being ranked fourth in field goal percentage and free throw percentage in the Mountain West Conference. Vandiver ranks among the Top 15 in points, rebounds, steals, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and minutes played while Langford is 12th in assists and 14th in scoring.

The Lady Frogs are 18-5 overall and 8-2 in the MWC, while being ranked 24th in the Associated Press poll. They earned a 105-96 four overtime victory over Utah on Wednesday night. TCU is led by Emily Carter, who is averaging a team leading 15.1 points along with three rebounds. Starr Crawford is leading the way with 9.1 rebounds, while adding 9.9 points per game.

TCU leads the series 8-7. The last time the two teams met was Jan. 13, as the Cowgirls defeated TCU 73-67 in Laramie. TCU is coached by Jeff Mittie who is in his 11th season with the program and his 18th overall.

Cowgirls make the plays to beat Aztecs

2010-02-10T22:25:00.012-07:00

“They were open and once I take my time and get my feet set, I'm pretty good at shooting. I was really happy. Just to go into the half with that lead was really good." -- UW junior Jade Kennedy on two big 3-pointers.

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UW-SDSU boxscore

by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

It wasn't the prettiest night shooting the ball for the Wyoming Cowgirls, but they hit some big shots when it counted, stopping San Diego State 63-51 on Wednesday.

The Cowgirls (6-4 MWC, 15-7) shot just 32 percent from the field, but got the ball to fall at the right time, and then hit some crucial free throws down the stretch in the second half.

"We talked about having to compete for 40 minutes tonight against a great San Diego State team," said UW head coach Joe Legerski said. "We knew that we couldn't let up, because they can score quickly, create turnovers, and we saw that in the first half. We would get out to an eight to 10-point lead and they would close that gap. The team showed great composure down the stretch, stepped up and made our free throws."

The big shots of the game came late in the first half with the Cowgirls clinging to a two-point lead. Jade Kennedy nailed a pair of 3-pointers in the final 42 second as Wyoming went into the locker room with an 30-22 lead.

“We’re up two in the closing minute and Jade Kennedy knocks down two threes,” Legerski said. “Big shots. It gave us a cushion to go up eight at the half. I thought that was important because it gave us some momentum going into the locker room. Jade can really shoot the basketball. She did not get a look in the second half, but she shot the ball extremely well, rebounded well and took care of the basketball. Jade also had nine rebounds. That’s huge.”

With a huge grin on her face, Kennedy said that yes, they were, "kind of big," those two 3-pointers.

“They were open and once I take my time and get my feet set, I'm pretty good at shooting," Kennedy said. I was really happy. Just to go into the half with that lead was really good.”

Junior Hillary Carlson, who scored a game-high 21 points, while grabbing 10 rebounds, said their confidence rose as they ran up the ramp at halftime.

“They (Kennedy's 3-pointers) were big, they got us going into the second half,” Carlson said.

The crazy shots came in the second half, as Carlson banked in a 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer to give Wyoming an 11-point lead with 13:37 to play and Aubrey Vandiver did the same on a 2-pointer with 5:37 left to put the Cowgirls up by 15.

“Every night out, I always say that you need a little luck," Legerski said. "Hillary’s 3-point banker with a second to go on the shot clock; Aubrey’s 2-point with the shot clock ready to expire, you need some luck on your side. Once again, it just gave us that cushion as well as it made the team feel that maybe tonight is our night.”

Jene Morris scored 12 points and Allison Duffy and Quense Davis both added 10 for San Diego State (6-4, 14-8), which shot just 29 percent from the field in the game (19 of-60).

A 3-pointer and three-point play by Vandiver put the Cowgirls up by 15 with 11 minutes left. San Diego State chipped away and cut the lead to nine with 1:44 left, but could get no closer. The Cowgirls hit 9 of 10 free throws down the stretch to clinch the win.

Vandiver finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds for Wyoming, her 13th double-double of the season. Kennedy and Emma Langford added 11 points each for the Cowgirls, who out-rebounded the Aztecs 50-43.

“None bigger tonight than our double-doubles, Aubrey and Hillary," Legerski said.

Vandiver played all 40 minutes, as did Kennedy. All five starters played at least 35 minutes, which was a necessity against the talented Aztecs, Legerski said.

"Tonight was a game where we had to play high minutes just because of San Diego State’s pressure and how they are able to turn you over in a hurry," Legerski said.

The Cowgirls out-rebounded the Aztecs 50-43 and had a 23-21 edge in offensive boards and an 18-12 advantage in second-chance points.

"We did a great job rebounding," Legerski said. "Going into the game, I knew we had to try and keep San Diego State close on the glass. To their credit they grabbed 21 offensive rebounds, but for us, we got 23."

The Cowgirls will be at TCU Saturday in another big league contest.

Cowgirls to host talented Aztecs

2010-02-09T21:05:00.001-07:00

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls get an extra spark in their step at home; the shots seem to fall almost at will.

That will have to be the case Wednesday night (7 p.m.) when the Cowgirls host San Diego State.
Oh yeah, the Cowgirls have to outscore the Aztecs.

“We have to be able to be aggressive offensively,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “I think that is what it comes down to, we have to be able to step up and as I always say, score some points. One thing that is very apparent, when we are held in the 50s, we don’t have a great chance. We have to get up and down the floor, we have to shoot the ball well, we have to put the ball on the floor and attack. It is very difficult at times. Yet, we have to stay the aggressor.”

When the Cowgirls score less than 60 points a game, they are 0-4. When they score more than 60, they are 14-3.

The Cowgirls are also 8-1 at home, 5-6 on the road and 1-0 on a neutral court.

“Playing at home always helps, regardless of the opponent,” Legerski said. “We’re more comfortable at home, we get great fan support. That’s the biggest difference for us playing on the road or at home. The next home games that we have with San Diego State and New Mexico are two teams that are playing very well, in the top half of our league. We’re going to need everything we can get from our fans, to being aggressive. To shooting the ball well and have an opportunity to win.”

The Aztecs, 6-3 in the MWC and 14-7 overall, are coming off a 65-58 loss against New Mexico. San Diego State is led by Jene Morris, who is averaging 15.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. Jessika Bradley is averaging a team-high seven rebounds, while adding 8.3 points per game.

The Aztecs beat the Cowgirls 65-50 earlier in the season at San Diego. In that game, the athletic and physical Aztecs outrebounded Wyoming 41-29, grabbing 19 offensive boards that led to a 23-7 edge in second-chance points.

As is the case in most games, rebounding is a big key in Wednesday’s matchup.

“I think rebounding is important, but there are factors that you have to look at,” Legerski said. “Case in point, we had three offensive rebounds against Air Force. But we had very few missed shots. All of the sudden, the rebounding totals are going to be skewed on different or the other in a game. But we need to rebound, we need to get second-shot opportunities and you need to limit second-shot opportunities for your opponents.”

The Cowgirls, 14-7, 5-4, are coming off a big 69-52 win over rival Colorado State. They are led by junior Hillary Carlson, who is averaging a 15.2 points and 2.6 blocks per game. She is followed by fellow junior Aubrey Vandiver with 13.5 points and a team leading 9.5 rebounds per game, while Emma Langford is adding 11.7 points and 3.4 assists.

Cowgirls too tough for Rams

2010-02-06T18:45:00.002-07:00

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Wyoming coach Joe Legerski has maintained that his Cowgirls can’t always rely on their “big three" of sophomore Emma Langford and juniors Aubrey Vandiver and Hillary Carlson. he likes

But when they play well, that's OK, too.

On Saturday, the three were big in many ways, as the Cowgirls rolled past Colorado State 69-52 in the Arena-Auditorium to begin the second half of Mountain West Conference play.

Carlson led the way with 25 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, while Vandiver added 15 and 11, her 12th double double of the season. Langford scored 13 points and dished out five assists, but more importantly, held CSU’s Kim Mestdagh, the league’s top scorer, to just 12 points.

“I’ve never had two players have double doubles in the same game,” Legerski said. “Hillary Carlson was a force on the inside tonight. Twenty-five and 15, just a tremendous effort from Hillary. Aubrey was just as good with 15 and 11.

“When we moved the basketball and had player movement we were very good offensively. When we started standing around, I thought CSU’s pressure started bothering us and we had to get a little better at it.”

The Cowgirls (5-4 MWC, 14-7) overcame a slow start offensively and shut down the Rams in the second half. Wyoming missed its first seven shots of the game, but still led 27-23 at halftime.

Carlson came out the second half and scored nine straight points and 11 of the team's first 13, as Wyoming opened up a double-digit lead. The Cowgirls maintained a 10-15 point lead for much of the second half, before opening it up in the end.

“We just wanted to come out strong, me especially, and get on a run,” Carlson said. “I was just trying to help my team do that.”

Vandiver said it was important to get Carlson going in the second half because in the last couple of games they haven’t come out strong in the second half.

“To get Hill established like that and to get their players in foul trouble, it made it much easier all night to go to her. She really stepped up,” Vandiver said.

Legerski said the Cowgirls had to establish themselves in the first four minutes of the second half. To do that, they had to have more energy than CSU, something they didn’t have to begin the game.

“CSU came out with a great deal of energy to begin the game,“ he said. “We were a little too ready to play and not as focused as we needed to be. We needed to try to get everybody relaxed, calmed down and play like we needed to play. We needed to establish Hillary and she gave us a big lift. Not only that, she delivered. it’s one thing to be able to take the basketball inside, but when we’re coming away with points, Aubrey and Hillary just did a tremendous job at the block.”

A few times in the game, Legerski said he just had to remind his players about having more energy.

“ I’m sure there were times when people could hear me yelling having energy," Legerski said. “We needed that to be able to come out and get our offense going, as well as what we needed to do defensively.”

Mestdagh went into the game averaging 17.0 points, but was just 4 of 13 from the field, hitting 2 of 8 3-pointers against Wyoming.

“Emma Langford did a tremendous job on Mestdagh, she shadowed her,“ Legerski said. “She is a tremendous offensive player. Emma comes out 36 minutes and has to defend her on the defensive end. I thought the big three of Hillary, Aubrey and Emma played well.”

“She’s a great player, it was tough to chase her around the floor,” Langford added.

Wyoming dominated play inside the paint, outscoring the Rams 42-18.

“I think the key was to just match their physicality,” Vandiver said. “They were very tough inside and they were very aggressive. It was important to match that because at UNLV, at times, we weren’t as strong.”

Natalie van den Adel added 10 for Colorado State (3-6, 11-11), which shot just 29 percent from the field (18 of 61).

CSU coach Kristen Holt said it was a game of two halves.

“I didn’t think that we did everything right in the first half, but I really thought that we scrapped,” Holt said. “After halftime, we didn’t look like we were inspired. We didn’t look like we were four points down and capable of winning the game. I felt like our momentum was totally taken away in the second half.”

The Cowgirls will look to keep that momentum on Wednesday when they host San Diego state.

Cowgirls turn cold in loss at UNLV

2010-02-02T23:14:00.005-07:00

LAS VEGAS -- Just as the Wyoming Cowgirls couldn't miss on Saturday in the big win at home over Air Force, they couldn't buy a bucket in the first half at UNLV.

The Cowgirls (4-4 MWC, 13-7), after shooting 75 percent from the field in the 61-point win over the Falcons, connected on just 19 percent of their shots in the opening 20 minutes and could never quite catch up, falling to the Lady Rebels 62-56 on Tuesday.

“I thought the biggest difference tonight was our inability to have a shot go down,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “We needed to attack the basket instead of settling for three’s. This was a very difficult game, especially on the boards. Aubrey Vandiver and Hillary Carlson both played their hearts out tonight. They came out and gave us everything that they could. I was also proud of the way all of the young players came in and really gave a great effort.”

Three Cowgirls finished the night in double-figures led by Vandiver, who had another double double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Carlson had a team-high 16 points, while Sara Wilson added 11 points. Wyoming shot 20-of-69 (.290) from the field and 6-of-30 (.200) from beyond the arc.

Four of five starters recorded double-figures for the Lady Rebels, led by Kelli Thompson with 18 points. She was followed by Erica Helms with 16 points and Jamie Smith and Mia Bell with 10 each. Smith recorded 17 rebounds. UNLV shot 19-of-53 (.358) from the field and 10-of-27 (.370) from beyond the arc.

Both teams started slow in the game and UNLC went on a 14-2 run and led 31-18 at halftime. After UNLV built the lead to 16 early in the second half, the Cowboys chipped away and cut the lead to eight, but couldn't maintain that momentum. UNLV went back up by 17. A 13-4 Wyoming run cut the lead back under single digits and Wyoming got as close as five with 31 seconds left, but could get no closer.

The Cowgirls return home to play the Colorado State Rams on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Wilson shows glimpses of the future; Cowgirls return to action at UNLV

2010-02-01T16:35:00.007-07:00

“I have been working hard in practice, especially in the last couple of weeks. Coach has said that my time is coming, so when I get into a game, I need to do my best." -- Cowgirl freshman Sara Wilson

----------------

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

For Wyoming true freshman Sara Wilson, Saturday was either a breakout game or just one of those games.

Regardless, head coach Joe Legerski, the Cowgirls and UW fans don’t really care. It was a career game, nonetheless.

Wilson scored a career-high 17 points on 5 of 6 shooting from beyond the 3-point line as the Cowgirls rolled past Air Force 98-37.

For the newcomer from Grant, Neb., Saturday was a game she won’t soon forget. Going into the contest, Wilson had played just six games, scoring 12 points on 3 of 11 shooting, including 2 of 9 3-pointers. She had played one total minute in Mountain West Conference play.

Until Saturday, that is, as the blowout allowed Legerski to play clear his bench in the first half.

“I have been working hard in practice, especially in the last couple of weeks,” Wilson said. “Coach has said that my time is coming, so when I get into a game, I need to do my best."

It went for all of the Cowgirls, as all 10 scored and the team combined to hit 20 of 30 3-pointers.

The outside shot, though, night be Wilson’s strength. Ironically, the Laramie Boomerang did a feature story on Wilson earlier in the week, talking about her improved play in practice and the fact that she is a shooter-in-waiting for the program.

Evidently, her wait was just a couple of days to prove just that.

“Our fans got a chance to see our future, Sara Wilson,” Legerski said. “She can really shoot the ball. There were times that she was so open, that we had talked about running the offense a little more, she just looked and I just told her, 'go ahead and shoot it,' because she was that open. To go 5 of 6 shows what a shooter Sara is.”

Will Cowgirl fans see more of Wilson this season? It probably all depends on the situation. Tuesday night, the Cowgirls won’t like be in that same circumstances as they take on UNLV at 9 p.m. in Las Vegas.

The fact that Legerski was able to go with Wilson and other youngsters for such a long time could help with the quick turnaround against the Rebels.

“We’re right back at it, on the road,” Legerski said. “The starters maybe only played two or three minutes into the second half. The biggest thing is that with a short bench is we are playing everyone. You see what Leah Fitzgerald did, Chaundra Sewell, Sara Wilson they ended up getting extended minutes.”

While Wilson score 15 of her 17 points on 3-pointers, Legerski was just as impressed with her regular two-point field goal.

“There was nothing better than the drive Sara had to the basket,” he said. “It was an athletic move to get to the basket … strong to get the ball up to the backboard and into the basket.”

About UNLV

UNLV, 2-5 in league play and 9-12 record overall, is led by Erica Helms, who is averaging 13.2 points and 2.1 rebounds a game. She is followed by Kelli Thompson, who is adding 12.7 points and 4.3 boards per game.

This is the 30th meeting between the two teams. UNLV leads the series 18-11. The last time the two teams met was Feb. 18, 2009, as the Cowgirls defeated the Lady Rebels 50-44 in Las Vegas. UNLV is coached by Kathy Olivier, who is in her second year with the program and 17th overall.

One of those league wins for the Rebels was at Utah, a 54-49 victory. The other was a last-second 77-76 win at Air Force last week.

Legerski said his team needs to play well and not expect to shoot 75 percent from the field as they did against the Falcons.

“Going on the road changes everything,” Legerski said. “Players are comfortable in their own environment, as you could see with the way we shot the ball on Saturday against Air Force. Going to play UNLV, we have to be at the top of our game again and execute for 40 minutes. You want to hope that there is some carry-over and if we were at home, I would believe that there would be more carry-over than on the road.”

The Cowgirls, 4-3 and 13-6, continue to be led by junior Hillary Carlson, who is averaging 14.7 points and 2.4 blocks per game. Carlson had 21 points against Air Force on 10 of 11 shooting. She is followed by fellow junior Aubrey Vandiver with 13.6 points and a team-leading 9.2 rebounds per game, while Emma Langford is adding 11.8 points and 3.4 assists.
　

Red-hot Cowgirls rout Falcons

2010-01-30T16:13:00.018-07:00

Juniors Hillary Carlson, left and Jade Kennedy

UW-AFA game stats

by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls don't really want to know how they can make just one 3-pointer in a game and follow it up with 20 threes.

They'll just go with the flow, something that was evident Saturday in the 98-37 rout in the Arena-Auditorium.

What they do know is Saturday was an enjoyable experience ... to say the least.

“We all played really well, so we all had a lot of fun," said cowgirl junior post Hillary Carlson with a smile.

It wasn't just the starters who had a good time -- all of the Cowgirls got in the game and scored.

“I think we were 1 for 9 against Utah, so it was really nice to come out and hit threes,” said seldom used freshman guard Sara Wilson. “It is a lot easier at home, you have your fans behind you. We just had a fun night. It’s fun to hit threes.”

The Cowgirls (4-3 MWC, 13-6) had one of their best shooting nights in school history, hitting 75 percent from the field (37 of 49), including 20 of 30 3-pointers. The 20 3-pointers are a school record, with the previous mark at 14.

“I thought the game was determined in the first half. You don’t go into the game with a plan to shoot 84 percent in the first half,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “I thought our execution was tremendous. We found Hillary on the inside, everyone stepped up and knocked down shots on the perimeter with 20 three-point field goals, it shows the focus and effort from everyone. I’m probably the most pleased with the fact that we had 34 assists on 37 field goals made.

“Jade Kennedy did a great job almost recording a triple-double with 15 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. There were so many players that stepped up. Our young players, Leah Fitzgerald, Chaundra Sewell, Bec Campigli and Sara Wilson, each showed great composure and the ability to execute.”

Not only did every Cowgirl who played score, all but two had assists in the game.

“Getting an assist is almost as fun as scoring because it is fun to be like a team, just sharing the ball and everybody is having fun,” Wilson said.

Carlson, who hit all 10 of her shots in the first half, shot just once in the second half, playing six minutes. She finished with a game-high 21 points. Legerski began clearing his bench with a minute left in the first half and his starters played sparingly in the second half.

“I think coming from a game like that (Utah loss), we were a little more pumped up, wanting to win,” Carlson said.

Wilson came off the bench and scored 17 points for Wyoming, hitting 5 of 6 3-pointers. She had previously scored 12 points in six games this season. Kennedy finished with 15 points and nine assists and Randi Richardson added 12 points.

From one 3-pointer to 20 in a matter of one game, the Cowgirls just did what they do best -- shoot.

“In practice, we knew that it would be open, so our emphasis in the game was to look for Hillary, and she got a lot of easy looks,” Kennedy said. “The 3-point shot would be open, so I guess we came in focused to shoot the three.”

And Legerski maintains all of the time that for most of his players, if the shot is there, they better shoot.

"Coach just gets on you when you are open and don’t shoot,” Wilson said. “When you are open, you just shoot it and hopes it goes in, I guess.”

Wyoming used scoring runs of 16-0 and 25-7, leading 52-14 at halftime. Wyoming was 20 of 23 from the field, hitting 10 of 13 3-pointers in that first half.

As the score indicated, there was little letdown in the second half for the Cowgirls, regardless of who was in the game.

“With Air Force, they are the type of team that will never give up. That’s just how they are trained,” Kennedy said.

Raimee Beck led Air Force (0-7, 3-17) with nine points.

Wyoming also held the Falcons to just 25 percent shooting from the field (15 of 61).

The Cowgirls return to action on Tuesday, facing UNLV in Las Vegas.

Cowgirls fall short on the road

2010-01-27T22:36:00.002-07:00

SALT LAKE CITY -- A good start was exactly what Wyoming coach Joe Legerski wanted to see on the road Wednesday night at Utah.

The finish was what did in the Cowgirls, as Utah rallied for a 54-47 win.

The Cowgirls (3-3, MWC, 12-6) led for much of the first half and 25-20 at the break. But Utah (3-3, 12-7), used an 18-4 run to begin the second half and never looked back. Wyoming got the game within three points late, but Utah scored the final four points to secure the win.

Wyoming had two players in double figures, led by Hillary Carlson with 18 points, six blocks and four rebounds. She was followed by Emma Langford with 12 points and six rebounds, while Kristen Scheffler added eight points. The Cowgirls were 18-of-49 (.367) fro the field and 10-of-14 (.714) from the free throw line.

“Hillary was big for us tonight with 18 points and really carried us to start the game,” said Legerski. “She was also a big part of our comeback, which is what you need from an All-Conference player and she showed that.”

Utah was led by Kalee Whipple with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Janita Badon added 10 points and eight boards. Whipple has now scored 119 points in her last five games against the Cowgirls. The Utes were 21-of-63 (.333) from the field and out rebounded Wyoming, 40-37.

The Cowgirls return home Saturday at 2 p.m. when they host Air Force.

Cowgirls have tough task at Utah

2010-01-26T22:26:00.003-07:00

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

After the dust clears is an old sports cliché that just might come into play in Mountain West Conference women’s basketball this season.

Other than Air Force, the conference has taken turns in beating each other up this season.

TCU and BYU stand on top of the league with 4-1 records, with San Diego State at 4-2. Wyoming and Colorado State are 3-2 each, followed by New Mexico at 3-3 and Utah at 2-3.

To further complicate things, just last week, BYU fell to Wyoming, but knocked off San Diego State. The Aztecs beat Utah, then the Utes beat Air Force. Colorado State beat UNLV and New Mexico and TCU beat UNLV.

The week before, Utah beat New Mexico, but New Mexico beat Wyoming. The Cowgirls beat TCU, but the Lady Frogs beat San Diego State. The Aztecs beat UNLV, but the Lady Rebels beat Utah. The Utes beat Air Force and BYU also beat CSU.

The Cowgirls, who travel to Salt Lake City to face Utah (7 p.m.) on Wednesday, have the distinction of beating the top two teams -- BYU and TCU.

What does all of this mean? Other than Air Force, it is anybody’s game, especially on the home court.

“It’s going to make for a great conference race,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “Every night you have to be ready to play. You take a look a this schedule, it is difficult just to find wins. I think that is the biggest challenge. There are no nights off. You see teams everywhere having an opportunity to win, and what you are seeing is teams defending their home court. If we can find three or four wins on the road, that will go a long way to finish in the top of the league.”

Utah is 9-1 on its home court this season.

“What you try to do is go in (on the road) and play the best basketball that you can, and hopefully you are still in the game with four minutes to go and maybe the ball bounces your way,” Legerski said.
　
The Cowgirls, 12-5 overall, are coming off a big 69-54 victory over the BYU Cougars last Tuesday night. Three Cowgirls are scoring in double-figures, led by junior Aubrey Vandiver with 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. She is followed by fellow junior Hillary Carlson with 14.1 points and a team leading two blocks per game, while sophomore Emma Langford is adding 12.3 points and 3.5 assists.

“I’m excited to get back out on the court,” Legerski said. “I thought we played extremely well against BYU, we shot the ball well, but we were also at home. We were able to defend our home court.”

Utah is 2-3 in league play and 11-7 record overall. They are led by Kalee Whipple, who is averaging 15.4 points and 5.6 rebounds. She is followed by Taryn Wicijowski with 14.4 points and 7.1 rebounds.

Whipple, who scored a career-high 32 last year against the Cowgirls, is averaging about 21 points a game against Wyoming in the last two seasons.

“Kaylee Whipple is a first-team all-conference player and she seems to play very well against us,” Legerski said. “It is a game where we are going to have to make sure that we slow their top players down and make sure we don’t let anyone else have a big night."

UW-Utah Series

This is the 66th meeting between the two teams. Utah leads the series 57-8. Wyoming did sweep Utah in 2007. The last time the two teams met was Feb. 8, 2009, as the Utes defeated the Cowgirls 64-57 in Salt Lake City.

Cowgirls light it up from the outside

2010-01-19T22:53:00.006-07:00

John McKnight photo/Wyoming's Randi Richardson drives past a BYU player on Tuesday.

UW-BYU game statistics

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

When the Cowgirls shoot the basketball to their ability, the results speak for themselves.

That wasn’t always the case in the first half. The second half was a different story.

Wyoming shot 55 percent from the field and hit seven 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes and rolled past Brigham Young 69-54 Tuesday night in the Arena-Auditorium.
With Wyoming, sometimes it is not always about making shots, but making big shots from across the board. Six Cowgirls hit 3-pointers and the team finished 12 of 27 from beyond the arc.

One by one late in the game, each big shot was a dagger in the Cougars back.

“Tonight, it was uncharacteristic for us for us to shoot 31 percent in the first half," Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “One thing I think was happening that we’ve made such a point about our rebounding, which in turn made our shooting suffer a little bit. We talked at half time about whoever was shooting the basketball that was their job. To come out and shoot 55 percent in the second half, we did a good job.”

Maybe the two biggest shots of the game came when the score was tied at 40-each. Randi Richardson stepped up and hit a 3-pointer -- her second of the second half -- and Aubrey Vandiver followed with a trey to put the Cowgirls up 46-40.

They never tailed again.

“That gave us some momentum to close out the game,” Legerski said.

Vandiver led the way with three 3-pointers, with Kennedy, Richardson, Langford and Kristen Scheffler adding two each. Carlson was 1-of-2, with her miss rolling around the rim several times before shooting out.

Hitting their 3-pointers helps the Cowgirls with their inside-outside game.

“It definitely helped out,” Langford said. “We’d get the ball inside to Hillary, then we would kick I it out to hit a three. It really completes our game when we get other options. We hit some big threes tonight.”

Even seldom used freshman post Chaundra Sewell attempted a 3-pointer, although she was not successful.

“We work a lot on our threes in practice,” Langford said. “It pays off. We hit our shots tonight, so that was good.”

Of the Cowgirls who see playing time, Legerski said they all have the ability to shoot the 3-pointer.

"What we talk about is some players, maybe the light is a little greener for them than for other players," Legerski said. "Kristen Scheffler can shoot anywhere on the floor that she wants to shoot from. What we talk about is you need to shoot the ball when you are open. If you're not open, you give the ball up and you go screen. to get that kind of even performance from the 3-point line, that makes it very difficult to guard players. We need to continue to shoot the ball well from three."

The Cowgirls had a handful of shots go in as the shot-clock was winding down, including a few big 3-pointers. Each time that happens, it can somewhat demoralize the defense.

“It’s hard playing defense when you play hard, fighting through screens and they get a three,‘ Langford said. “I think we did a good job of executing and shooting well at the end, they went down.”

As has been the case this season, Legerski said that the biggest stat that he looks at is having 17 assists on 21 field goals.

“This team does a great job of sharing the basketball,” he said. “They worry about Wyoming winning rather than individual totals.”

Although the Cowgirls took 27 3-pointers, Legerski said they were aggressive taking the ball to the basket. It resulted in them making 15 of 23 free throws.

“When the shot clock was winding down, we were going hard to the basket and getting fouls to be able to get to the free-throw line,” he said. “It was good to see people stepping up at the end.” 　

Wyoming rolls late behind balanced attack

2010-01-19T20:37:00.009-07:00

John McKnight photo
Wyoming freshman Chaundra Sewell looks to make a move Tuesday against BYU. At left is junior Aubrey Vandiver, who scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Anything less than a double-double for Aubrey Vandiver is almost unexpected.

Emma Langford is going to get her points, as will Hillary Carlson. For the Wyoming Cowgirls to be successful, balance is the key. That was the case as the Cowgirls rallied in the second half to give Wyoming a big 69-54 win over Brigham Young 69-54 Tuesday in the Arena-Auditorium.

Vandiver scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the season, Langford added 17 and Carlson nine.

Players like Jade Kennedy (six points), Randi Richardson (seven points) and Kristen Scheffler (11 points) were equally important, especially down the stretch.

"We're not going to win with three players scoring," Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. "There's no doubt that Hillary, Aubrey and Emma are the ones who get the bulk of the shots. tonight, we had 24 points from Kristen, Jade and Randy. We win by 15 and without those three stepping up, we don't win this basketball game.

"I thought that Randi did a tremendous job in the second half and when Kristen Scheffler steps on the floor, the crowd just gets excited. She is the player who can create for herself and make big shot after big shot."

The Cowgirls (3-2 MWC, 12-5) trailed by seven in the first half, but used strong outside shooting to pull past the Cougars. Wyoming hit 12 of 27 3-pointers in the game (from six players), including 7 of 11 in the second half.

Vandiver hit just four field goals in the game, but three were 3-pointers. She was also 8 of 11 from the free-throw line.

"I thought Aubrey was excellent, there is no way around it," Legerski said. "We're starting to get to the point where we just go, 'it's another double-double.' It's a double-double. she's amazing, five assists, she just controls the game. I gave her a rest for a minute, she plays 39 minutes and she really played well at the end."

Haley Hall and Alexis Kaufusi both scored 11 points for the Cougars (3-1, 12-4).

BYU's full-court pressure bothered Wyoming at times, and the Cougars had the upper hand for much the first half, before the Cowgirls cut the lead to 30-27 at halftime.

Richardson came out with four quick points to begin the second half to give the Cowgirls their first lead since early in the game. The two teams traded leads until the Cowgirls got consecutive 3-pointers by Richardson and Vandiver to break a 40-40 tie with 10 minutes to play. Wyoming outscored BYU 23-14 the rest of the way.

Wyoming not only did a good job of getting back i n the game in the first half, but closing strong.

“I think it was really important to close out the half strong; we didn’t want to let them get it up to five,” Vandiver said. “We played really great defense in the second half, people hit big shots and more importantly, we hit the free throws down the stretch.”

The Cowgirls shot just 31 percent from the field in the first half, but hit 55 percent of their shots (11-of-20) in the second half. Wyoming also had 17 assists (out of 21 field goals).

Wyoming will now have a couple of days off before preparing for Utah Jan. 27 in Salt Lake City.

Cowgirls return home with BYU

2010-01-18T19:04:00.002-07:00

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls have had to play beyond their years, so to speak, opening Mountain West Conference play with three of four games on the road against three of the top programs in the league.

That won’t change in many ways Tuesday night when the Cowgirls host Brigham Young, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium.

The pesky Cougars are suddenly on top of the league at 3-0 (12-3 overall), thanks to ball-hawking pressure defense that could spell trouble to a young squad.

For the Cowgirls, 2-2 and 11-5, head coach Joe Legerski’s biggest concern is his team keeping its emotions in check.

“BYU is very talented. They are going to come out and press us, which is something different for a BYU team,” Legerski said. “They have made some changes fundamentally with how they are playing this season, and playing very well. We have to keep our composure to attack their pressure and not let their pressure frustrate us into more turnovers than what we are used to doing.”

On the season, the Cougars are averaging 10.6 steals a game and holding their opponents to just 54.8 points a game.

BYU is showing improvement this season, coming off last year’s 8-8 and 18-11 season, The Cougars are led by Mindy Bonham, who is averaging 11.7 points and 4.2 rebounds. She is followed by Coriann Wood with 10.9 points and a team-leading 5.9 rebounds.

Legerski said that they have some challenges defensively, but he thinks the team is buying into playing as a group.

“When I talk about challenges individually, we may not be the quickest on the floor, but as a team, we’re starting to rotate, challenge shots, and more importantly, give teams one shot and out,” he said. “We need to concentrate winning the rebounding battle every night out, just to give us a better chance to come away with the victory.”

A 2-2 league start isn’t bad for a young team that spent most of its time on the road to begin league play. In fact, Wyoming and BYU lead the league with total road games to date with nine each.

“You take a look at this young team and they keep getting better each and every night out,” Legerski said of the Cowgirls. “We do stumble along the way, but I think that is more to the opponent that we are playing rather than to what we may not be able to do. This conference is just loaded with talented teams, so every night when you step out on the court, you have to play at your highest level just to be at your basketball game. It will be no different with BYU coming to Laramie.”

Junior Hillary Carlson leads the Cowgirls at 14.4 points and 2.1 blocks per game. She is followed by junior Aubrey Vandiver with 14.2 points and a team-leading 9.2 rebounds, while sophomore Emma Langford is adding 12.0 points and 3.6 assists a game.

Balanced scoring has been, and will always be, the key for the Cowgirls, Legerski said.

“We keep talking that Hillary, Aubrey and Emma cannot carry this team to victory; they can get us there, but they are not going to push us over the top,” he said. “In the TCU game, I thought Kristen Scheffler was excellent in that two-minute span where she made three 3-pointers. You out in a layup by Aubrey and all of the sudden you have an 11-point lead, which is what we needed.

“It is very important for Jade (Kennedy) to step up … I liked the way Jade shot the ball in New Mexico. We need Randi (Richardson) to step up. We need everyone to help contribute. When you take a look -- even with BYU coming in -- their players average between 8-to-12 points. A very balanced team. I think with the more balance you have with your team, you’re not concerned with somebody having an off evening.”　

Game notes: Tuesday’s game is the lone contest this week for the Cowgirls, who return to action Jan. 27 at Utah … Carlson ranks first in blocks and sixth in scoring while being ranked second in field goal percentage and third in free-throw percentage in the Mountain West Conference. Vandiver ranks among the Top 15 in points, rebounds, steals, field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage, while Langford is ninth in assists and 14th in scoring ... This is the 67th meeting between the two teams. BYU leads the series 46-20. The last time the two teams met was March 4, 2009, as the Cowgirls defeated BYU 57-55 in overtime

Carlson named MWC player of the week

2010-01-18T15:01:00.008-07:00

Richard Anderson photo

UW junior Hillary Carlson looks to make a move last week against TCU.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Wyoming junior Hillary Carlson has been named the Mountain West Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week.

Carlson led the Cowgirls to a 1-1 record in conference play last week, including an upset victory over No. 22 TCU. The Cheyenne native tallied a career-high 29 points, along with 11 rebounds, three blocks and a steal in the 73-67 win over the Horned Frogs.

Carlson was 8-for-13 (.615) from the field and 11-for-15 (.733) from the free throw line. She went on to record nine points against New Mexico in a tough 74-61 loss. Carlson added two rebounds, two assists and two blocks, while shooting 2-for-2 from behind the arc and making 3-of-4 (.750) from the charity stripe.

“Hillary has really become a dominating force offensively for us,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “People are starting to have to scout towards Hillary because you are not going to be able to slow her down. To get 29 and 11 rebounds against TCU, she just carried this team in the second half when we didn’t have a lot of scoring going on. We just decided to get the ball to Hillary and she did well and answered. You can see the confidence grow in each game.”

Against TCU, Carlson scored 12 straight points for the Cowgirls in the second half when the rest of the team struggled.

Carlson leads the team in scoring at 14.4 points a game and blocked shots (2.1 bpg) and is second in rebounding at 5.9 boards a game. She is shooting .500 (81-of-162) from the field and recently has been shooting well from the outside, hit 10 of 19 3-point attempts.

The biggest impact that Carlson is having on this team is in field goal percentage, Legerski said.

“This is one of the best teams that I have been associated with shooting from the field, at a 43 percent clip,” Legerski said. “That has so much to do with Hillary inside, she shoots the ball so well. More importantly, people on the perimeter get open looks because of Hillary. It just makes life a lot easier for all of us.”

This is Carlson’s first career weekly honor and the first for a Cowgirl this season.

“I think everybody is excited when we get a little bit of individual recognition because they know we have to be able to have success as a team to get individual honors,” Legerski said. “To be able to be recognized, I think that is a tremendous compliment, not only to Hillary, but to her teammates as well.”
　

Lobos too much for Cowgirls in The Pit

2010-01-16T16:36:00.002-07:00

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Two big New Mexico runs were more than the Wyoming Cowgirls could handle, losing to the Lobos 74-61 Saturday at The Pit.

New Mexico (2-2 MWC, 10-6), scored the first 10 points of the game, and when the Cowgirls challenged in the second half, scored 15 unanswered points to pull away.

The loss dropped the Cowgirls to 2-2 and 11-5.

“Another learning experience about life on the road in the MWC,” said UW head coach Joe Legerski. “We need to be sharp in all phases of the game. Today defensively, we broke down several times that led to baskets by New Mexico. I thought Kristen Scheffler and Jade Kennedy gave us a big lift. Now we have to go back to work in practice and get prepared for BYU.”

Wyoming was led by Emma Langford who recorded a team-high 13 points along with three assists and two rebounds. She was followed by Kennedy with 12 points and five rebounds. Junior Aubrey Vandiver led the way with six rebounds. The Cowgirls were 24-of-55 (.436) from the field and 9-of-22 (.409) from beyond the arc.

New Mexico was led by Amanda Best with 21 points and five rebounds. Amy Beggin added 14 points and seven boards, while Sara Halasz recorded 13 points. The Lobos were 25-of-52 (.481) from the field, while out-rebounding the Cowgirls 38-26.

With New Mexico up 36-33 early in the second half, New Mexico would go on a 15-0 run to extend the lead to 18, 51-33. The Cowgirls went almost six minutes without scoring until a Langford 3-point field goal ended the drought. That would start a 9-4 run for Wyoming to bring them to within 13, 55-42. The Lobos came right back by scoring 12 of the next 17 to make it a 20-point game.

The Cowgirls will return home against the BYU Cougars on Tuesday. The game is set to tip off at 6:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on the Mountain Sports Network.

Scheffler pulls the trigger to gun down TCU

2010-01-13T23:24:00.013-07:00

--------------------------------------------------------
“It was the lack of confidence in the first half. At halftime, Coach just said that when I’m open, I have to shoot, even if it is off. There’s still a chance for the rebound. In the second half, I knew that when I got my chance (to be in the game), I would shoot when I was open.” -- Wyoming sophomore Kristen Scheffler
------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Wait for it … wait for it.

For streaky outside shooters, that might be what goes through their head. That might have been the case for the Wyoming Cowgirls and Kristen Scheffler Wednesday night in the 73-67 upset of No. 22 TCU.

That, and a little confidence.

Scheffler, a sophomore from Lovell, is easily the best outside shooter for the Cowgirls, especially when she believes in herself.

On Wednesday, the confidence was a bit lagging in the first half; five minutes of court play, no points on 0 for 1 shooting.

In fact, it wasn’t until late in the game -- when the Cowgirls needed her most -- that Scheffler felt good enough to let it fly.

With the game tied at 51-each with 4:29 to play, Scheffler hit the first of three straight 3-pointers that ultimately made the difference in the game. Her second 3-pointer put Wyoming up by six with 3:521 left, and after a basket by teammate Aubrey Vandiver, her third 3-pointer capped an 11-0 run.

The Cowgirls then went to the free-throw line and never looked back.

“There were so many plays that were big plays in this basketball game,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “Whether you look at Hillary (Carlson) getting a career high in scoring with 29 points and 11 rebounds; Aubrey, 18 points, eight rebounds; Emma (Langford), 13 points, seven rebounds, seven assists.

“What I told the team at halftime was that was as well as we could have played in the first 20 minutes. But we need somebody else to step up and we cannot just rely on the three – Emma, Aubrey and Hillary. Kristen Scheffler answered the call. Her three threes when the score was tied at 51, that is the difference in the basketball game.”

This, from a player who probably doesn’t shoot enough.

“What Kristen did in that two-minute span was an unbelievable performance,“ Legerski added. “I’m always telling her how much I believe in her. If she just believes half as much as I do in her, she is going to be a tremendous basketball player.”

Scheffler, who has now hit 31 of 72 3-pointers this season (.435) and has 73 3-pointers in her brief Cowgirl career, hasn’t quite bought into the gunslinger, shoot anywhere on the court philosophy that most 3-point shooters possess.

“It was the lack of confidence in the first half,“ Scheffler said. “At halftime, Coach just said that when I’m open, I have to shoot, even if it is off. There’s still a chance for the rebound. In the second half, I knew that when I got my chance (to be in the game), I would shoot when I was open.”

She got her chance in the final minutes.

“I just shot when I was open and luckily they went in,” Scheffler said. “It is a just a matter of confidence with me.”

None was bigger than her third 3-pointer, as she stepped back under heavy defense and nailed the shot with six seconds left on the shot clock.

TCU coach Jeff Mittie said Scheffler’s final 3-pointer might have broken the Lady Frogs’ back.

-
“We gave up some shots late, particularly to Scheffler,” Mittie said. “She hit the shot I would call the play of the game, when she hit that tough 3-pointer at the end.”

Legerski said that shot was a “big-time play from a player who can make those types of plays.”

A starter for most of her freshman season,, Scheffler continues to excel her sophomore campaign, but this time as the “sixth-man” off of the bench.

You can say she is the team’s hired gun.

“Kristen is tremendous,” Legerski said. “If there is a player who has a green light, and I’ve told her before, go ahead and shoot it from 28 feet if you feel like it, because she is that talented and that good. When Kristen starts to believe in herself, that two-minute span is something she can do every night. She can do it for 25 or 30 minutes.”

When Scheffler believes in herself and has the results that she had Wednesday night, her teammates respond as well.

“Her shots were really big shots. To get back up gives us a lot of confidence. From there, we were talking that we were going to win,” Vandiver said.
　　

Cowgirls upset No. 22 TCU

2010-01-13T21:58:00.008-07:00

John McKnight photo
Wyoming junior Hillary Carlson drives to the basket Wednesday against TCU.

UW-TCU statistics

by Richard Anderson
Wyoming sports.org

Even with a 15-point loss at San Diego State on Saturday, Wyoming coach Joe Legerski thought his team played well.

You can only imagine how he felt after knocking off No. 22 TCU 73-67 Wednesday night in the Arena-Auditorium.

"What I told to my staff and everyone was, we're going to enjoy this one tonight, but we'll worry about the next game in the morning and we'll start breaking it down," Legerski said of this Saturday's matchup in Albuquerque against New Mexico. "We're still a young group and we're going to experience some things. This was a positive one tonight. We want as many of these as we can. But we know how difficult the tasks are ahead for this group."

The Cowgirls (2-1 MWC, 11-4) took advantage of cold TCU shooting early, as the Lady Frogs missed their first 11 shots of the game. Wyoming led 39-25 at halftime.

“It was a big win tonight for the Cowgirl basketball program,” Legerski said.

It was Wyoming's first win over a ranked program since November of 2008 when the Cowgirls defeated then No. 25 Wisconsin.

“You can't go into a conference game worrying about national rankings,” said junior Hillary Carlson, who scored a career-high 29 points on 8 of 13 from the field, along with 11 of 15 from the free-throw line. She also grabbed 11 rebounds. “It was just another conference game and we wanted to get a win just like another other game.”

Emily Carter scored 20 points for TCU (2-1, 12-4).

TCU chipped away at the Cowgirls' lead and tied the game at 51-51 with 4:52 to play on a three-point play by Antoinette Thompson.

Wyoming answered with 11 straight points, including three 3-pointers by Kristen Scheffler, who was previously scoreless in the game.

TCU came back with consecutive 3-pointers by Carter and Helen Sverrisdottir to cut the lead back to five, and Carter added two late 3-pointers. But Wyoming was 9 of 14 from the free-throw line in the final 1:22 of the game to secure the win.

"Give them credit, they hit some tough shots, which ultimately won them the game," TCU coach Jeff Mittie said.

Aubrey Vandiver scored 18 points for Wyoming, followed by Emma Langford with 13 and Scheffler with 11. The Cowgirls finished 21 of 29 from the free-throw line, to 11 of 17 for TCU.

Sverrisdottir scored 15 for TCU, with TK LaFleur adding 12.

“I thought Wyoming played a very good game; we just didn't respond well to the tough atmosphere,” Mittie said. “We just could not buy a basket down the stretch and we couldn't battle back from that.”

Not only was it a big win for the Cowgirls, Legerski said it was a big win for the conference.

“I thought we played very well against San Diego State. Somebody said to me, but you were defeated by 15 points,’ but we played very well," Legerski said. “The talent level in this league -- and I’ll talk about this all day long -- is tremendous. I think we have a good group and we’re getting better. The confidence should build off of games like this. Once again, it is holding serve at home.”

Cowgirls return home to host TCU

2010-01-12T22:53:00.001-07:00

by Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls will host their first home Mountain West Conference game of the season Wednesday night (7 p.m.) as they take on No. 22 TCU.

The Cowgirls, 1-1 in league play band 10-4 overall, look to bounce back from a tough 65-50 loss to league-leading San Diego State Saturday in San Diego.

Three Cowgirls are scoring in double-figures, by junior Aubrey Vandiver with a team-leading 14.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Junior Hillary Carlson follows at 13.8 points and 2.1 blocks per game, while sophomore Emma Langford is adding 11.9 points and 3.4 assists.

Carlson ranks first in blocks and 10th in scoring while being ranked fifth in field goal percentage and free throw percentage in the Mountain West Conference. Vandiver ranks among the Top 15 in points, rebounds, steals, field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage while Langford is 11th in assists and 15th in scoring.

The Lady Frogs are 12-3 overall and 2-0 in the MWC and are led by Emily Carter, who is averaging 13.9 points along with 3.1 rebounds per game. Starr Crawford is leading the way with 9.2 rebounds, while adding 10.9 points per game.

Onufer earns WWC honors
University of Wyoming sophomore 165-pounder Shane Onufer has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced today by the league.

After missing a month due to a knee injury, No. 9-ranked Onufer was back in the Cowboy lineup last week at 165 pounds and won both his matches in dominating fashion against North Carolina State and Oregon State.

Against the Wolfpack, Onufer set the tone for an 11-point team comeback win by sticking Ray Ward to the mat at 4:35 in the second period of their match. The win by fall was his fifth this season and 19th of his two-year career. Onufer controlled the match from the start and led 9-2 at the time of his pin, thanks to three takedowns, a two-point nearfall and an escape. Against the No. 24-ranked Beavers, Onufer earned a 12-4 major decision over Dan Brascetta, his fifth decision by eight or more points this season. He now has a 16-4 overall record this season.
The weekly league honor for Onufer is his second this season, the other coming on Dec. 8, and the third of his career.

UW hockey to return to the ice
The University of Wyoming hockey club returns to action following a six-week winter break with three road games this weekend.

The Cowboys (12-5) play Friday at South Dakota State University (5-5-1), travel Saturday to Iowa to meet Dordt College (6-6) and conclude their road swing Sunday at the University of South Dakota (0-12).

UW, ranked fourth in the American Collegiate Hockey Association's Pacific Region, has not played since sweeping a pair of games Dec. 4-5 against Metropolitan State College of Denver.

Cowgirls fall to Aztecs

2010-01-09T22:12:00.001-07:00

By Wyoming Sports.org

SAN DIEGO – San Diego State proved to be too tough on its home court, stopping the Wyoming Cowgirls 65-50 on Saturday.

“The Aztecs, 2-0 in Mountain West Conference game. play, used a 14-0 run to break open a close game. The Cowgirls, 1-1, 10-4, could never quite come back in the game.

The Cowgirls were led by Emma Langford who scored a season high 21 points, while adding six assists, three steals and two blocked shots. She was 7-13 from the field and 5-6 from beyond the arc. She was followed by Hillary Carlson with 17 points and five rebounds. As a team, Wyoming was 20-of-50 (.400) from the field and 6-of-18 (.333) from beyond the arc.

“I was really pleased to see Emma have a break-out game,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “Not only with her scoring but she had six assists, three steals and two blocks. She really did a great job keeping us in the game.”

San Diego State was led by Jene Morris with 22 points and four assists. She was followed by Paris Johnson with 13 points and Quenese Davis with 11. The Aztecs were 27-of-63 (.429) from the field while out-rebounding the Cowgirls 41-29.

The two teams traded leads for the first part of the opening half, as Langford's 3-pointer put the cowgirls up 16-15. It would be their final lead of the game, as the Aztecs answered with 14 straight points. San Diego State led 39-27 at halftime.

The Cowgirls came out of the halftime break and went on a 7-2 run to close the gap to seven, 41-34, but San Diego State answered with two quick baskets to got back up by 11 and then maintain a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

The Cowgirls return home Wednesday to host TCU, beginning at 7 p.m.

“I’m happy with the fact that we are 1-1 with two road games to begin the conference season, but we have to go home and defend our home court against TCU,” Legerski said.

Cowgirls hold off Rams

2010-01-05T22:54:00.003-07:00

Cowgirls-Rams boxscore

By Wyoming Sports.org

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Nothing comes easy for a young team and that was certainly the case for the Wyoming Cowgirls Tuesday at they opened Mountain West Conference play.

Wyoming (10-3) built a 16-point lead in the first half and led by 11 at halftime, but had to hold on for all it had in the final seconds, edging Colorado State 64-61 at Moby Arena.

With the Cowgirls opening league play with three of their first four games on the road, Wyoming coach Joe Legerski will take the win any way he can.

“We didn’t make all the plays down the stretch, but made enough of them to come up with a victory,” Legerski said. “Aubrey (Vandiver), Hillary (Carlson) and Emma (Langford) did a great job of carrying this team to a victory.”

Vandiver, who hit a big 3-pointer late in the game, finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for her seventh straight double-double of the season. Langford, with 14 points in the first half, added 15 and Carlson, despite fouling out with over seven minutes left in the game, added 14.

CSU (8-6) was led by Chantilla van Grinsven, who recorded 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Legerski couldn’t have asked for a better first half, as the Cowgirls shot over 50 percent from the field and were in control for much of the way.

The Rams, however, took advantage of their rebounding edge and used second-chance points to chip away in the game, pulling within one in the final seconds.

The Cowgirls struggled at the free-throw line and missed five in the final minute, but the three that they made were enough to get them over the hump. The Rams missed a last-second 3-pointer that would have tied the game.

The Cowgirls will continue play on the road, as they take on the San Diego State Aztecs Saturday at 3 p.m.
　

Cowgirls ready for conference opener

2010-01-04T23:35:00.006-07:00

Richard Anderson photos
At top, UW coach Joe Legerski watches action from an earlier game. At bottom right, junior Hillary Carlson looks to move past a Weber State player.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

With seven of their first 12 games on the road, the Wyoming Cowgirls got a little preseason taste of what it will be like to play in the Mountain West Conference.

Winning nine of those 12 games has left a good taste in veteran head coach Joe Legerski’s mouth.

The Cowgirls prepared well for the conference season, which begins Tuesday night in Fort Collins, Colo., as Wyoming takes on rival Colorado State (6 p.m., Moby Arena). The game will be televised on The Mtn.

The game will be the first of three road contests to open league play in UW’s first four encounters. Their previous road experience should help the young Cowgirls in the long run, Legerski said.

“You’re checking into a hotel, playing in an unfamiliar environment and that is how conference play is going to open up," Legerski said on Monday. “I think there were games that were just a tremendous challenge for a young team. I think you’re going to see that in Mountain West Conference play. The Mountain West Conference is loaded with teams at the top end. TCU, San Diego State and New Mexico are in the Top 50 in the RPI, so they are competing at a very high level. We open up with those three teams, along with the rod trip to Colorado State. I like the progress that we are showing with this group. The challenges ahead are tremendous, so we’ll see where we are at.”

Although the Cowgirls are 9-3, two of those losses have come in their last two games -- at home against Oregon and on the road last week against Boise State. Despite those setbacks, Legerski said the team has responded as well as expected.

“Playing Oregon and at Boise State are not exactly easy tasks," he said. “I have been pleased overall with the way we have played this preseason. To be 9-3 is better where I thought we would be at this time. We’ve had games where we have played extremely well. Once again, as a young group, we’re still just trying to figure out who we are and where we are headed. Sometimes it changes from game-to-game.”

The Rams, 8-5, haven’t challenged much in the last few years, but are one of the most improved programs in the conference under second-year head coach Kristen Holt.

CSU is led by Kim Mestdagh, who is averaging 17.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while Megan Heimstra leads the way with a team high 8.8 rebounds while adding 8.3 points.
They welcome back one starter and seven letterwinners to a team that went 9-20 overall and 4-12 in the MWC last season.

“I think CSU is a good team. You take a look at their roster, when you start having four or five players who can score from anywhere from eight to 18 points a night, that puts a great deal of pressure on you defensively,” Legerski said. “They are undefeated at home. I always think that is a good mark of a team. You have to figure out how to win your home games and find as many road breakthroughs as you can. With CSU being undefeated, it presents us a big challenge to go down there and open up conference play.”

Four Cowgirls are scoring in double figures, by junior Aubrey Vandiver with a team-leading 14.8 points and 9.5 rebounds. She is followed by junior Hillary Carlson at 13.5 points and 2.3 blocks, while Emma Langford is adding 10.8 points and Kristen Scheffler with 10.7 points per game.

“Needless to say, what most games come down to is who shoots the ball better,” Legerski said. “I think that is why you see so many home teams win because you are in a familiar environment and you just shoot the ball better at home.”

Like most young teams, Legerski strives for a little more consistency from his team from game-to-game and within the game.

“We just have to go out and make sure that we keep getting better every day and not worry about so much how the results are, but make sure we are taking care of Wyoming,” he said. “We’re ready to play. We’re excited for it, to get started for the conference season.”
　

Boise State holds off Cowgirls

2009-12-31T23:16:00.003-07:00

BOISE, Idaho -- The Wyoming cowgirls fell behind too many times to overcome, as Boise State prevailed 73-67 on Thursday.

The Broncos jumped out to double-digit in the second half, only yo see the Cowgirls rally. But each time Wyoming came back, Boise State had an answer.

The game was the final non-conference contest before the Cowgirls (9-3) open Mountain West Conference play next week. Boise State moved to 11-3 with the win.

“We made some key mistakes against a very good Boise State team tonight,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “We gave up too many offensive rebounds and you can survive a night like that when you are doing other things well, but we struggled in some areas. We also didn’t shoot that well from the free throw line, so it really compounds the problem. When you add those things up it gives your opponent too many advantages. It’s always difficult to lose but I saw a lot of progress from this group. We had our chances down the stretch unfortunately we didn’t have a couple of shots go our way.”

Wyoming was led by Aubrey Vandiver, who recorded a career-high 29 points, along with 11 rebounds. It’s her eighth double-double of the season. She was followed by Hillary Carlson with 11 points and five boards. The Cowgirls shot 24-of-60 (.400) from the field and 10-of-20 (.500) from the free throw line.

“Aubrey was excellent tonight with 29 points and 11 rebounds," Legerski said. "She single handily kept us in the game and you just keep asking more of her. We talked about going to the bench a little bit more and trying to keep us fresh, but it’s difficult to keep a player like her off the floor. We just need to have other players be able to step up and help her out.”

Boise State was led by Tasha Harris with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Jessica Van Hoogen added 15 points. They shot 25-of-65 (.385) from the field and out-rebounded the Cowgirls 51-34.

Wyoming played well early, leading 27-20, before the Broncs went on a 14-0 run and led 43-36 at halftime.

Boise State came out and scored six of the first seven points and led by as much as 15 before the Cowgirls would rally.

Vandiver would hit a basket to end an almost five minute scoring drought, which would start an 11-2 run to pull them to within six, 57-51 with just over nine minutes left in the game. Boise State would respond with two 3-point field goals to give them a 12-point advantage and the Broncs would never look back.

The Cowgirls open MWC play Tuesday in Fort Collins against Colorado State. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.

Ducks smother Cowgirls early for win

2009-12-20T16:49:00.004-07:00

by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls dug themselves a hole that they couldn't get out of, falling to a talented Oregon team on Sunday, 78-66 in the Arena-Auditorium.

The Ducks (9-2) bothered the Cowgirls with a smothering full-court press and scored the game's first 11 points, leading by as much as 22 in the first half. Oregon forced 26 Wyoming turnovers in the game, including 21 in the first half.

The first 10 minutes told the story of the game.

"With today's game, I was very pleased with the effort that we gave," Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. "To dig yourself such a big hole to begin with, we're down 20-24 points early. It jut became an issue for us to have to fight from that far back."

Oregon led 45-28 at halftime and was back up by 21 in the second half. The Cowgirls battled back to make it a nine-point game with 11 minutes left, only to see the Ducks answer with a 10-0 run for some breathing room.

"It's very difficult in practice to try to simulate the speed of the game and what is going to happen with the pressure," Legerski said. "I thought we got better as the game when along, but the game was determined in the first eight minutes."

Wyoming junior Aubrey Vandiver, who led the Cowgirls with 19 points and 10 rebounds, said the start was obviously disappointing for the team.

"We just didn't come out prepared and their pressure got us with so many turnovers," Vandiver said. "It was a real disappointing first half."

It was a matter of the Cowgirls coming back and doing what they do well, and at times, they were able to do that in the second half. While not into moral victories, they felt better about things after making a game of it in the second half.

"If we wouldn't have gotten ourselves in the hole at the very beginning, we would have been right in there or we could have even come out with the win," Wyoming sophomore guard Kristen Scheffler said. "It's kind of a learning experience for us, to know that we can lay at that level. We just have to calm down and play like we know how."

Even when the Ducks weren't forcing turnovers with their press, they were taking valuable time off the clock for Wyoming to set up its offense.

"We're a very patient team, waiting for the best shot possible, and when you only have about 10 seconds left, you're probably not going to get the best shot and that's what happened," Vandiver said.

Hillary Carlson and Scheffler finished with 15 points each for the Cowgirls and Emma Langford added 12 points. Carlson also had 13 rebounds for UW.

With their press, the Ducks were also able to play more physical than the Cowgirls. Once Wyoming started to push back a little, they were also able to get back in the game.

"We're going to see teams that are going to push us like that, so we definitely can learn from this and be a better team from it," Carlson said.

Micaela Cocks led Oregon with 17 points. Taylor Lilley and Nia Jackson scored 14 points each for the Ducks, followed by Amanda Johnson 10.

"We played exceptionally well in the first half ... the only thing that you worry about is, 'Can we do it for 40 minutes?" Oregon coach Paul Westhead said. "They shot the ball much better in the second half, which we knew they were going to do. We wanted to keep them in control and not let them get too hot."

The Cowgirls will return to action on Dec. 31 at Boise State.

Cowgirls roll past Weber State

2009-12-18T21:17:00.006-07:00

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming's Aubrey Vandiver drives past Weber State's Ali Thorderson Friday night in the Arena-Auditorium.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The ball just fell into Aubrey Vandiver’s hands, so she says. The ball went in the basket for the Cowgirls and not for the Wildcats, which was obvious to the naked eye.

It was all about focus for Wyoming on Friday night, as the Cowgirls ran past Weber State 78-40 in the Arena-Auditorium.

Vandiver, looking as if last year’s redshirt year was well, well behind her, scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds, as the Cowgirls shot 51 percent from the field, including a sizzling 9 of 16 behind the 3-point arc.

Defensively, Wyoming had 12 blocked shots and 10 steals, holding Weber State to a cool 27 percent from the field.

Yeah, that’s paying attention to the task at hand, all right.

“We’ve been really focused and have been training really hard for this,” said Wyoming junior post Jade Kennedy, who had a pretty decent game herself, with 12 points, five rebounds, five assists, four blocked shots and three steals.

The Cowgirls (9-1) spotted Weber State the first two points of the game, then scored 16 unanswered and led comfortably the rest of the way.

“Tonight we talked about coming out with a focus, an energy, because we knew that Weber State would have that energy to play hard,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “We got off to a great start offensively and then Weber State upped the intensity and we matched it.”

Kristen Scheffler and Kennedy both scored 12 points for Wyoming, with Hillary Carlson adding 11 points. Six Cowgirls scored at least nine points, as they shot 51 percent from the field, hitting 9 of 16 3-pointers.

Counting last Saturday’s 102-54 win over Dakota State, Wyoming also has 50 assists on 67 field goals made.

“We got into our rhythm and motion and were comfortable shooting, and we’re you’re relaxed shooting, the shots go in more often than not,” Vandiver said.

And if the ball didn’t go into the basket, Vandiver was there, with 12 defensive boards and five offensive rebounds.

“The ball was coming to me,” she said with a smile. “I know on a couple of them my teammates were boxing out so good, that it was just easy to go up and grab the ball.”

Then again, Vandiver’s aggressive play was heated a bit by Weber State grabbing one away from the Laramie junior.

You might say that payback was in store the rest of the way.

“Weber State is pretty aggressive and I know one time they ripped the ball away from me and I sort of used that as motivation,” Vandiver said. “But I know my teammates helped me out a lot, they boxed out. When they do that, it is easy to just let the ball come to you.”

Caitlin Anderson led Weber State (6-6) with 10 points. The Wildcats struggled offensively, shooting just 27 percent from the field, hitting 1 of 13 3-point attempts. Wyoming shut down the Wildcats with two major scoring droughts -- seven minutes in the first half and five minutes in the second half, outscoring Weber State 33-0 in those two runs.

“If we can get our defense going and hold them down -- I think we got a couple of decent steals that led to layups -- it allows us to get into our offense and gets us going more, I guess,” Vandiver said.

The Cowgirls return to action Sunday as part of a men’s-women’s doubleheader, as they host Oregon at 2 p.m. The Cowboys follow by hosting South Dakota at 5:30 p.m.
　

Cowgirls roll past Dakota State

2009-12-12T16:29:00.002-07:00

by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

CASPER -- Finals week and very little practice time didn't seem to slow down the Wyoming Cowgirls Saturday in the annual Wyoming Shootout at the Casper Events Center.

Wyoming coach Joe Legerski couldn't have scripted the game much better, as the Cowgirls rolled to an 102-54 win over NAIA Dakota State.

The stat sheet said it all: 51 percent shooting from the field, 31 assists, five turnovers. Not bad for a team that practiced about as much all week than it normally does in one day.

"We had about three and one-half hours of practice this week because of finals," Legerski said. "Usually, we get in three and one-hours a day. You take a look at how much time we gave away, I thought we came out focused. We moved the basketball; we found Hillary inside and Hillary had 26 points. When they start collapsing on Hillary, we had an answer from the perimeter."

The Cowgirls (8-1) overcame a slow start to dominate the Trojans, an NAIA team that played the game as an exhibition.

Lashonda Martin scored 10 points for the Trojans (4-5).

Carlson was 11 of 16 from the field and also grabbed nine bounds before being replaced midway through the second half.

"We hadn't played in about a week and had just been concentrating on finals," Carlson said. "We had a lot of motivation and we really came out and played well."

Of the 31 assists, 16 came from the point guard position. Starter Randy Richardson had 10 assists and backup Bec Campigli added six.

"It was 31 assists on 39 field goals and that is even more important," Legerski said. "We talked about keeping the ball off of the floor early. We kept it on the floor too much early and we changed up offensively of what we wanted to do and it really seemed to keep the ball off of the floor and cleared the lanes for everyone."

Sophomore Kristen Scheffler scored 21 points, followed by sophomore Emma Langford with 16 and junior Aubrey Vandiver with 13. The Cowgirls led 48-30 at halftime and pulled away behind strong outside shooting. Wyoming opened the second half by hitting its first four 3-pointers and finished the game connecting on 14 of 31 attempts.

"We did a really good job of sharing the ball," Carlson said.

Washington State hands Cowgirls first loss

2009-12-05T23:24:00.004-07:00

UW-WSU boxscore

PULLMAN, Wash. -- There was no comeback in store on Saturday for the Wyoming Cowgirls, as Washington state built an early lead and never looked back, stopping the Cowgirls 63-50.

The loss was the first of the season, dropping Wyoming to 7-1 on the year. Washington State moved to 3-4.

“I thought we didn’t make very many shots in the first half,” said UW head coach Joe Legerski. “We came out shot 20 percent from the field and went 0-7 from beyond the arc. We had some good looks at the basket, but the ball just didn’t go down. Washington State came out and applied some pressure that we haven’t seen all year, which you can’t simulate in practice. It makes you rush a little when you don’t need to.

" In the second half, we played with a little more composure and didn’t have to rush every shot. We came out and changed up a bit and cut the lead to seven. You have to give Washington State credit they would have an answer on every score which didn’t allow us to gain any ground on the lead. "

Three Cowgirls finished the day in double-figures, led by junior Aubrey Vandiver, who had her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. She was followed by Emma Langford with 10 points and nine rebounds, while Randi Richardson added 10 points and four steals. Wyoming shot 18-of-55 (.327) from the field and were out-rebounded 43-39.

“Aubrey really came out to compete tonight," Legerski said. "She led us in scoring and rebounding, and not only that she was on the floor for 39 minutes. The game tonight was extremely tight. You had to pull down every rebound and make every shot.”

Washington State was led by Jazmine Perkins with a game-high 17 points and six rebounds, while April Cook added 16 points. The Cougars shot 20-of-61 (.328) from the field and 15-of-19 (.789) from the charity stripe.

Wyoming will host the Dakota State Trojans on Saturday at the BlueCross BlueShield of Wyoming Shootout in Casper. The game is set to tip off at 1 p.m.

Cowgirls still unbeten with win over Idaho

2009-12-03T23:18:00.000-07:00

Moscow, Idaho — The Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team (7-0 overall) had to overcome a five point halftime deficit to earn a 61-55 victory over the Idaho Vandals (1-7 overall), on Thursday night in Moscow.

“I thought this was a very difficult game tonight,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “Idaho did a tremendous job and ran a matching zone with our offense and we had to make a change to our motion to get things moving in our offense. It seemed like every time we were trying to get back into it, we would miss a shot, not come up with a rebound, and they would make plays. You have to give Idaho a great deal of credit for their effort tonight just for the way they played and competed. We talked about coming out and winning the second half, which is always important whether you’re up or down going into halftime. We showed great composure in the final four to five minutes of the game, and Jade Kennedy hit a huge shot to tie it.

Three Cowgirls finished the night in double-figures led by junior Hillary Carlson. She recorded a game high 20 points, while shooting 7-12 (.583) from the field and 6-8 (.750) from the free throw line. Emma Langford followed with 14 points and six boards, while Jade Kennedy added ten points, four rebounds and four assists. Aubrey Vandiver finished with a team high 12 rebounds and nine points. As a team, Wyoming shot 20-55 (.364) from the field and 13-16 (.813) from the charity stripe.

“Hillary Carlson played about seven minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. We kept going to her in the second half and she comes out of the game with 20 points. She worked extremely hard at the post and you can see the confidence growing in her game. We need her to get the basketball and when she does she makes good decisions.”

Idaho was led by Shaena Kuehu with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Kanisha Bello had 13 points and Rachele Kloke added 11. The Vandals also shot 20-55 (.364) from the field and out rebounded the Cowgirls 44-33.

It was very low scoring to begin the game as the two teams were tied up at 3-3 through the first media timeout. Hillary Carlson hit a basket to end the scoring drought for the Cowgirls to put them up 5-3, but the Vandals answered with two three-point field goals to regain the lead 9-5. Wyoming responded with a 7-0 run to take a 12-9 lead, unfortunately Idaho scored the next nine straight to take a six point advantage, 18-12. After a Cowgirl three-point field goal, the Vandals scored another seven unanswered to extend the lead to double-figures 25-15. Wyoming closed the gap by scoring the last five points of the half but still headed into the lockerroom down 25-20.

The Cowgirls picked up where they left off from by scoring the first six points to begin the second half to take a one point lead, 26-25. Idaho responded quickly with a 7-0 run to regain the lead, 32-26. Wyoming chipped away at the lead by scoring 10 of 14 to pull even at 36 all, but again the Vandals came back with a 10-2 run to make it an eight point lead, 46-38. The Cowgirls continued to battle and scored six straight to pull within two, 46-44, with 5:40 left in the game. Wyoming would eventually tie it up at 49, but a basket the Vandals put them back up 51-49. Hillary Carlson would hit one of two free throws to make it a one point game, 51-50. Idaho continued to have an answer as they hit another shot to make it 53-50, but Jade Kennedy hit a three-point field goal to tie it up at 1:50 left on the clock. Four straight points by Hillary Carlson made it a two possession game, 57-53. They would allow the Vandals to just score one more field goal as they pulled out the 61-55 victory.

Wyoming will close out the weekend against the Washington State Cougars, on Saturday, Dec. 5. The game is set to tip at 3:00 p.m. MT.

Cowgirls roll over Bengals

2009-11-30T22:35:00.005-07:00

Photo by John McKnight/Wyoming sophomore Leah Fitzgerald goes up for a shot Monday night against Idaho State.

UW-Idaho State boxscore

by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls opened the game on a 17-2 run and cruised past the Idaho State Bengals for a convincing 76-40 win at the Arena-Auditorium Monday night.

Wyoming is now 6-0 for the second time in the last three seasons, while Idaho State drops to 1-5.

The Cowgirls led 34-18 at the break behind 12 points from Hillary Carlson and 10 points chipped in by Aubrey Vandiver. As a team, Wyoming shot 46 percent in the first half and held Idaho State to just 27 percent from the field.

The second half would not be any better for the Lady Bengals, as the Cowgirl defense continued to wear down Idaho State by forcing several turnovers to increase the motion in their transition game, resulting in wide open shots from the perimeter.

Carlson finished with a season-high 25 points on nine of 11 shooting, including two-out-of-three from beyond the arc. Wyoming shot eight of 20 from 3-point land and made 52 percent of its field goals overall, while the Bengals only managed 29 percent.

“I thought tonight our defensive effort was tremendous for 40 minutes,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “To be able to hold a team to 29 percent shooting, really shows the dedication we have to playing defense. I thought Hillary Carlson established herself on the inside. What Hillary was able to accomplish tonight going nine of 11 from the field, it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on everybody. We started getting things open on the perimeter, we shot 40 percent from 3-point range and then all of a sudden you have an inside-outside game that makes it very difficult to stop.”

“Whenever I got the ball, I tried to see if had an opening to score and if I did, I went ahead and took it,” Carlson said. “It felt good tonight. They (the coaches) definitely have been on me to do anything more, especially in that situation when I have that green light to shoot.”

Vandiver ended the night with 13 points, as 10 Cowgirls scored in the game and Wyoming led by as many as 39 points. Oana Iacovita led the Bengals with nine.

Wyoming also shared the wealth earning 19 assists with eight players recording at least one assist. The Cowgirls also took the battle of the boards 39-27.

The Cowgirls will hit the road for the rest of the week when they head to the Pacific Northwest to tangle with the Idaho Vandals on Wednesday at 8 p.m., in Moscow, Idaho before crossing the Palouse River into Pullman, Wash., to face the Washington State Cougars Saturday at 3 p.m.

Cowgirls stop pesky Yellow Jackets

2009-11-24T23:40:00.004-07:00

Cowgirl junior Aubrey Vandiver

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

With the way the Wyoming Cowgirls have played this season, Tuesday night’s 68-45 win over Black Hills State might have actually been better than it looked.

Yes, the Yellow Jackets are an NAIA team, and yes, the Cowgirls struggled hanging onto the basketball.

But no, it wasn’t a bad game as far as Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski was concerned.

“I mentioned to the players at the end of the game, how proud I was of the way they fought tonight,” Legerski said. “To come up with a 23-point win, hold an opponent to under 50 points and 30 percent from the field. This was a great effort.”

The Cowgirls scored the first 13 points of the contest, highlighted by consecutive 3-pointers by Emma Langford, Jade Kennedy and Randi Richardson.

And Wyoming led by 18 at halftime and 24 early in the second half.

By no means was this a blowout, though, and the much smaller Yellow Jackets at times gave the Cowgirls all they wanted.

"Our goal was to just compete for 40 minutes and that's what we did," Black Hills State coach Mark Nore said. "We came out to see what it was all about and for the first five minutes we were down 13-0. We finally regrouped, basically took a breath, and I thought we competed from that point on."

If the Wyoming faithful thought the Cowgirls would automatically blow the Yellow Jackets out, that isn’t always how it goes, Legerski said.

"At times, I think everyone thinks you should just walk in and win by 30 or 40," Legerski said. "I thought Black Hills State played extremely hard tonight. It was a great learning experience to be able to handle as much pressure as they were able to bring and it was a very difficult matchup for us."

The Cowgirls came away impressed with the Yellow Jackets and their bulldog attack.

“They were really aggressive,” Wyoming junior Aubrey Vandiver said. “They came out with a lot of energy and I think a couple of times when we were on the wing, they were able to push us back and force us into making passes that we normally don’t make, which led to turnovers.”

The quick start by the Cowgirls might have picked up the intensity for the Yellow Jackets, UW junior Hillary Carlson said.

“I think that (13-0) lead might have forced them to pick up their play; that’s when the aggression really started and that’s when we had to get ready and adjust to it,“ Carlson said.

Vandiver easily had their best game of the season, with 20 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and a blocked shot. The same could be said for Carlson, who added 14 points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots and two steals.

“I thought Hillary played excellent,” Legerski said. “Our rock was back tonight, Aubrey Vandiver. She played with so much composure, had another double-double and really was a steady influence in this game.”

The Yellow Jackets hung around in a sloppy game that saw both teams combine for 50 turnovers. Wyoming by as much as 24, but a 3-pointer by BH’s Keely Krolikowksi and two free throws by Alana Dykhouse cut the lead to 14 points with five minutes left in the game.Wyoming responded with seven straight to hold off the BHSU rally.

Krolikowski led the Yellow Jackets with 19 points.

"The second half, they beat us by five," Nore said. " Keely was really aggressive offensively and Alana Dykhouse was really physical, and she did a good job on the glass.Black Hills State forced 21 Wyoming turnovers and bothered Wyoming with the aggressive full court press throughout the game, finishing with nine steals.

The game was an exhibition for the Yellow Jackets, 5-2, and Nore said Tuesday night will prepare them for the rest of the season.

"This game scared me. It was a game where we wanted to come and just see what we were made of and compete," Nore said. "That's a great team, probably the best team that we have ever played. Just to compete like we did, I was really pleased."

For the Cowgirls, they will have a little time off before preparing for Idaho State Monday in the A-A.

Legerski said they will do some film work and treatment on Wednesday, take Thursday off for Thanksgiving and then get back at it on Friday.

“One of the things that we will definitely work on is getting the ball up the floor and get it entered into a wing catch in a position we are able to work with,” Legerski said. “Once again, 5-0 I am happy with, but we still have a great deal of work to do with this young group.”
　

Cowgirls rally past Bison

2009-11-20T21:42:00.002-07:00

FARGO N.D. -- The Wyoming Cowgirls battled back again to post another impressive road win, stopping North Dakota State Friday night to remain unbeaten on the season.

The Cowgirls, 4-0, trailed by as much as nine in the first half and were down by five with about six minutes left in the contest before taking control with a strong defense and outstanding outside shooting.

“In tonight’s game, I thought North Dakota State was the aggressor out on the floor,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “We started taking some ill advised shots, they had our offense pushed out a bit and we had to gain some composure, get more focused. That’s due to a young team and being on the road for several days.

“We talked going into the locker room that we out scored them in the last four minutes. Even though we were down, it showed that we were getting better and it carried over into the second half. This was a heck of a ball game. North Dakota State is improved and very aggressive."

Wyoming was led by sophomore Kristen Scheffler with a team-high 17 points and four steals, while shooting 6-of-11 (.545) from the field and 4-of-7 (.571) from beyond the arc. She was followed by junior Aubrey Vandiver with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Jade Kennedy recorded 12 points and three assists. The Cowgirls shot 25-of-58 (.431) from the field and 11-of--22 (.500) from beyond the arc. They out-rebounded the Bison 41-30.

"I thought we got some big play especially from Kristen Scheffler," Legerski said. "She has become an all-around player. Aubrey also showed her leadership by stepping up down the stretch at the end with hitting free throws. As a group, we didn’t shoot the ball extremely well, but I thought we found a way to win.”

The Bison were led by 6-foot-5 Janae Birch with 19 points and six rebounds, while Katie Birkel chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds. North Dakota State went 23-of-53 (.415) from the field and 11-of-18 (.611) from the free-throw line.

North Dakota State quickly jumped out and took a 7-0 lead to begin the game and were up 21-12 before the Cowgirls slowly chipped away, cutting the halftime lead to 28-27.

Wyoming took its first lead at 42-40 on a three-point play by Scheffler with 13 minutes left. The two teams traded leads for the next few minutes before North Dakota went back up 55-50

The Cowgirls answered right back with three straight3-point field goals to regain a four-point lead and never looked back. Vandiver hit four free throws down the stretch to close the scoring and hold off the Bison.

Wyoming returns home for the next two games, facing Black Hills State University on Tuesday and Idaho State on Nov. 30. Both games bwegin at 7 p.m.

Cowgirls crush Fighting Sioux

2009-11-18T22:52:00.005-07:00

UW-North Dakota box score

GRAND FORKS, N.D. --The Wyoming Cowgirls remained unbeaten in a big way, crushing North Dakota 85-59 on Wednesday night.

The Cowgirls, 3-0, have now won their two games by an average of 28 points. The loss dropped the Fighting Sioux to 0-3.

“We played with a great deal of confidence tonight,” UW coach Joe Legerski said. “When you execute as well as we did on the offensive side of the ball and played the way we did on defense, it results in a victory. It was important for us to shoot well and we did in both halves."

Four Cowgirls finished the game in double-figures, led by sophomore Kristen Scheffler's 19 points, three rebounds and three steals. Junior Jade Kennedy had 14 points and a team high eight rebounds. Sophomore Emma Langford also chipped in 14 points, while junior Aubrey Vandiver added 10 points. The Cowgirls shot 29-of-52 (.558) from the field and 20-of-26 (.769) from the charity stripe, while out-rebounding North Dakota 35-27.

“Kristen Scheffler really gave us a lift off the bench in first half with her scoring and really stepped it up as a defender," Legerski said. "Leah Fitzgerald also did an outstanding job after Hillary (Carlson) got into foul trouble. She had an impressive line with six points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. Also, I thought Emma Langford had a good second half defensively against Bagaason, and Jade Kennedy continues to be impressive with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists.”

UND was led by Kayla Bagaason with a game high 25 points, while Whitney Ledger recorded a team high seven rebounds and eight points. The Fighting Sioux shot 20-of-54 (.370) from the field and 12-of-15 (.800) from the free-throw line.

Wyoming will wrap up its road trip against the North Dakota State Bison on Friday, beginning at 5 p.m.

Cowgirls head to North Dakota

2009-11-17T21:34:00.003-07:00

The Wyoming Cowgirls will be back out on the road for the next to games. taking on North Dakota Wednesday night at 6 p.m. in Grand Forks and North Dakota State Friday night at 5 p.m. in Fargo.

Wyoming is 2-0 overall after earning a 65-62 victory over Denver on Friday and a 68-38 win against Montana,on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore Emma Langford leads the way averaging 14 points and six rebounds. She is followed closely by juniors Hillary Carlson and Aubrey Vandiver. They are each adding 11.5 points and a team leading seven rebounds. The Cowgirls are shooting .415 (54-130) from the field and 16-121 (.762) from the charity stripe.

UND is 0-2 overall and is led by Mallory Youngblut, who is averaging 12.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. They return three starters and seven letterwinners to a team that went 18-11 overall and 5-1 in the Great West Conference a year ago. This is only the second meeting between the two schools. Wyoming won the only game on Nov. 20, 2008 by a score of 100-75 in Laramie. North Dakota is coached by Gene Roebuck, who is in his 23rd season with the program.

NDSU is 1-1 overall ad is led by Abby Plucker, who is averaging 15 points and six rebounds. They return four starters and nine letterwinners to a team that went 16-13 overall and 12-6 in the Summit League a year ago. This is the second meeting between the two schools. The last time the two teams met was Dec. 13, 2008, as the Cowgirls defeated the Bison 68-51 in Casper. NDSU is coached by former Cowgirl assistant Carolyn DeHoff, who is in her second year with the program.

Cowgirls roll past Montana

2009-11-15T20:47:00.004-07:00

UW-Montana boxscore

by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls never trailed and used a 17-2 run to end the first half and ran by the Montana Lady Grizzlies 68-38 Sunday afternoon in the Arena-Auditorium.

Wyoming is now 2-0 on the young season after earning a hard fought 65-62 win over the Denver Pioneers on the road Friday night.

Montana, the defending Big Sky champion, drops to 0-2 after a season opening 72-64 defeat on the road to Colorado State Friday night.

The Cowgirls used tough defense to stifle the Lady Grizzlies shooting, holding them to 18.9 percent in the first half, as Wyoming shot 45.7 perent, leading 39-17 at the break.

The rout continued in the second half, as the Cowgirls led by as many as 38 points before Montana would score the last eight points for the final margin.

The Cowgirls also dominated the glass with a 49-35 rebounding advantage, won the assist battle 21-6 and the bench outscored Montana bench 23-9.

“This is a rarity when you have a score of this nature,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “Montana over the years wins and wins at an alarming rate (Montana beat Wyoming 71-64 last year in Missoula). They have young players right now and they a great player that is going to be back this week that is sitting out with injury, so I’m very happy with how we played today.”

Forward Emma Langford led a balanced attack with 13 points, with true freshman Chaundra Sewell chipping in 11.

“Chaundra (Sewell) has great energy and a great competitiveness and drive to succeed,” Legerski said. “She goes after every loose ball and really works hard, and she’s learning how to play. I think she’s learning what it’s about to play at this level and that’s what’s important.”

Sewell said her experience as a Cowgirl has been an adjusting one, but is really starting to get a grasp on playing at the Division I level.

“It’s still kind of strange to me to be in a big arena with all the fans screaming,” she said. “It’s a lot more difficult than high school, but I’m getting use to it and loving it.”

The Cowgirls will head to the North Dakota next week, facing North Dakota at 6 p.m., in Grand Forks on Wednesday, followed by a visit to Fargo to take on the North Dakota State Bison Friday at 5 p.m.

Cowgirls hold off Pioneers

2009-11-13T23:07:00.004-07:00

UW-Denver boxscore

DENVER -- The Wyoming cowgirls opened the 2009-2010 season on a good note, holding off Denver 65-62 Friday night.

The cowgirls overcame a two-point halftime deficit and led by as much as eight in the second half before holding off the Pioneers.

“The thing that really impressed me tonight was our composure,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “We had a good four minute segment where we built up a seven point lead in the second half and in about one minute we lost it. We played with composure down the stretch when we needed to. I was pleased to come out on the road with a young team and earn a tough win over a good team."

Three Cowgirls finished the night in double-figures, led by redshirt junior Aubrey Vandiver, who finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Emma Langford added a team-high 15 points and six rebounds, while Hillary Carlson finished with 14 points and six boards. Wyoming shot 27-of-69 (.391) from the field, 9-of-10 (.900) from the free-throw line, while out rebounding the Pioneers 42-40.

Denver was led by Britteni Rice with a team-leading 16 points. Ashly Robinson recorded 12 points and 12 rebounds, while two other players had 10 points each. DU was 23-of-56 (.411) from the field and 7-of-17 (.412) from beyond the arc.

After shooting just 31 percent from the field in the first half, the Cowgirls went on a 10-1 run and never trailed again -- albeit a slim lead at times and especially in the end.

The Cowgirls led 41-33 before Denver battled back. Wyoming's lead was down to one on a couple of occasions in the final minute until Carlson nailed two free throws with four seconds left for the final points.

“In hitting those two free throws to help win this game showed how much confidence we have in Hillary Carlson," Legerski said. "Also, I thought we were good on the offensive boards behind the play of Jade Kennedy. Overall, I could talk about the great effort from all of the players tonight.”
The Cowgirls will open their home slate Sunday at 2 p.m. when they host Montana.

Cowgirl basketball opens at Denver

2009-11-12T22:09:00.002-07:00

by UW Athletics Media Relations

The Cowgirl basketball team will open up the 2009-10 regular season with one game on the road and another at home this weekend.

Wyoming faces the Denver Pioneers Friday in Denver at 5:30 p.m. before hosting the Montana Lady Griz Sunday at 2 p.m. Live stats can be followed on www.wyomingathletics.com.

Wyoming went 2-0 during the exhibition season with a 72-36 victory over the Adams State Grizzlies and a 76-53 win over CSU-Pueblo. Aubrey Vandiver led the way with 14 points and six rebounds in the first game, while Emma Langford tallied a team high 19 points against the ThunderWolves.

This is the season opener for the Pioneers as well, who went 1-0 in exhibition play with an 82-54 win over Regis. They return three starters and six letterwinners to a team that went 16-15 overall and 10-8 in the SunBelt Conference a year ago. This is the 17th meeting between the two schools. Wyoming leads the series 13-3. The last time the two teams met was November 14, 2008 as the Cowgirls downed the Pioneers, 61-54, in Denver. Denver is coached by Erik Johnson who is in his second season with the program.

Montana went 1-0 in exhibition play and will take on Colorado State before playing the Cowgirls. The Lady Griz return two starters and eight letterwinners to a team that went 28-5 overall and 15-1 in the Big Sky Conference a year ago. This is the 34th meeting between the two teams. Montana leads the series 26-7. The last time the two teams met was Nov. 16, 2008, as the Lady Griz defeated the Cowgirls 71-64 in Missoula. Montana is coached by Robin Selvig who is in his 32nd season with the program.

Cowgirls pull away for win over CSU-Pueblo

2009-11-06T21:42:00.015-07:00

Richard Anderson photos
At left, Wyoming sophomore Emma Langford drives on a Colorado State-Pueblo player Friday night in an exhibition at the Arena-Auditorium. At bottom, junior Jade Kennedy takes the ball to the basket. Langford finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Kennedy added 16 points and nine rebounds in the Cowgirls 76-53 win.

UW-CSU Pueblo box

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The bad news earlier on Friday came when Wyoming women’s basketball coach Joe Legerski learned that sophomore forward Ashley Sickles would be lost for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.

The potential good news later that night came when the Cowgirls beat Colorado State-Pueblo 76-53 in an exhibition, with junior Jade Kennedy and sophomore Emma Langford more than picking up the slack.

“Just with one less big now, it allows everyone else to step up and I think Jade and all of the other bigs did a good job of that tonight,” Langford said.

Sickles played in 18 games during her freshman campaign and averaged 1.9 points and one rebound in 7.9 minutes per game, but was expected to contribute in the rotation this season and had a strong preseason camp. She was injured late in Monday’s exhibition win over Adams State.

Kennedy picked it up on Friday, scoring 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting, grabbing nine rebounds. Langford, who had an up and down freshman campaign offensively last season, led all scorers with 19 points, along with eight rebounds.

“It’s very difficult losing Ashley Sickles,” Legerski said. “At 6-foot-2 with perimeter skills, who can shoot the basketball and has great length, she gives us somebody who can go in and play at the four at times and guard a five. Losing her for the season now creates a situation where somebody else has to step up and maybe get more minutes, and I thought Jade did that tonight and really played well.”

Kennedy averaged 4.0 points and 4.9 rebounds a game last season off of the bench, had just three points and five rebounds against Adams State on Monday.

Those dreaded first-game nerves are over now and Kennedy said she felt much better offensively on Friday.

“The last game it was a bit nervous because it was the first game, I guess I just relaxed and it just came,” Kennedy said.

Langford, who struggled offensively with her bad back in the second half of last season and was just 1 of 10 shooting on Monday, looked more like the player who showed an offensive spark early in her career.

“It was good to get that first game under our belt and the second game was a lot more relaxing and it was good to get to ourselves and get to our offense,” Langford said.

The Cowgirls started slow on Friday, trailing 8-1 and only leading by four at halftime. Still up by only three, Wyoming shifted into second gear defensively, blanking the Division II Thunderwolves for nearly 10 minutes and scoring 22 unanswered points to run away.

“We needed to pick it on defense in the second half and we did that,” Langford said. “We didn’t want them to get as many open shots … they were shooting well from the 3-point line which made it hard for us to keep extending that lead. In the second half, we were more focused on the 3-point shooters and not let them shoot it as much. We picked it up on defense and the offense came together.”

Legerski said that offensively, Friday wasn’t as smooth as Monday, but he thought CSU-Pueblo had a little to do with that as their zone and trapping created some problems for them. He said that once Wyoming started moving the basketball and attacking the spots, it opened up for them.

“Really, I was very pleased with how we played defensively. We only gave up 12 points in the second half to the four minute mark, which is a tremendous effort,” he said. “Even though sometimes we weren’t playing as well on the offensive side, defensively we were solid especially in the second half.

The Cowgirls open the regular season next Friday in Denver against the Denver Pioneers.

Vandiver enjoys her return

2009-11-02T22:59:00.004-07:00

UW photo/Junior Aubrey Vandiver scored 14 points against Adams State Monday night.

Wyoming-Adams State boxscore

by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The toughest part for Aubrey Vandiver on Monday were the hours leading to the Cowgirls exhibition opener against Adams State.

The game, as usual, is somewhat of a breeze for the talented Laramie athlete.

Vandiver, in her first game since the 2007 NCAA tournament against Pittsburgh, scored 14 points and played 28 minutes in leading Wyoming to an easy 72-36 victory in the Arena-Auditorium.

"The first minutes were a lot more relaxing than the minutes before that going up to the game, I was really nervous," Vandiver said. "Once I got out there, it was an amazing feeling to be back out on the court playing with my teammates and having the support of the fans."

Vandiver, a third-team all-conference performer her sophomore season, sat out last year with a bad case of mononucleosis.

Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski said that he wanted to make sure that Vandiver got some quality court time Monday night because she had been so inactive while battling the illness.

"She needs to get as many minutes as possible and we were able to do that," Legerski said.

Despite the long layoff, if there was a little rust, it didn't really look like it as Vandiver hit a pair of 3-pointers early as the Cowgirls ran out to a 10-0 lead.

"That got my confidence going and it made me feel like I hadn't missed a year," Vandiver said.

One of the more athletic and physical players in the Mountain West Conference, Vandiver also mixed it up down low, which brought not only a sweet to her forehead, but a smile on her face.

"I like the physical aspect and it was nice to get some tough rebounds. It was a great feeling," she said. "I think our team overall was physical."

It's been an eventful preseason for Vandiver, who has shown bits of rust and picking up where she left off her sophomore season.

"There are something that after playing for two years that I understand, but I am just trying to get back into the rhythm and getting used to playing with Hill (Hillary Carlson), Emma (Langford) and Kristen (Scheffler)."

Up until this season, the last time Vandiver stepped out on the court, she was a sophomore on a senior-laden team. Her role has changed dramatically, on and off the court.

"I think I'm ready for it and I am comfortable with it," she said. "Even through we had the seniors then, I feel like there were times I had to step up. Even though we don't have any seniors on this team, there are people who can step up, so I don't feel like I necessarily have to take it on myself. If I need to be counted upon, I feel like I can step up and help out."

Legerski liked the composure that Vandiver showed, even in a preseason game.

"At times I think that is what a young group needs. We needed it last season," Legerski said. "We got out there and all of the sudden, she knocks down two 3s and gets us off to a great start. Aubrey is probably the hardest worker that we have. She is always in the gym getting some extra shooting. It is just nice to have her back out on the floor. When you look at her numbers: 14 points, six rebounds, four steals. That's a great night for 28 minutes."

While sitting out last year was tough on Vandiver, she said there were some benefits: her teammates got more experience and she was able to see the game at a different angle.

"When you are playing, you see how the motion works as a player and when you see it as an observer, you see some of the things that you can take advantage of," Vandiver said. "Defensively, you can see how other things work."

Cowgirl basketball ready to go

2009-11-01T22:44:00.002-07:00

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Cowgirls basketball coach Joe Legerski is having a hard time believing the season is just about ready to begin.

It’s not like he is a rookie, he is beginning his seventh year at the helm. But Monday night’s exhibition opener against Adams State (7 p.m., Arena-Auditorium), like any opener, always seems to have a way to sneak up on a coach, albeit not so much for the players.

Legerski said that after about two weeks of practice, the team has progressed fairly well.

“Some of the veterans, when you look at Hillary (Carlson), Emma (Langford) and Aubrey (Vandiver), they have really picked up the pace and demonstrated that they are going to be the leaders for this program, and for this team,” Legerski said. “So, we are excited to get out and have a contest.”

With the return of Vandiver, who sat out last season with mononucleosis, Legerski has a few more lineup options than in the past.

“Aubrey is going to allow us to play her at the one and at the three,” Legerski said. “Because of that, I think you’re going to see some different combinations on the floor. You’ll get a chance to see (freshman) Rebecca Campigli at the point guard position, (sophomore) Kristen Scheffler at the two guard and Aubrey at the three. That is something that will be different for our fans to see. (Junior) Randi Richardson will have the opportunity to play the one and two as well.

“The one thing that is nice is our bigs are interchangeable, they can play the four or the five. I have quit a few combinations that we will see what works best for Wyoming in early November.”

As could be expected, the exhibition season is all about Wyoming and not about the opponent. It is also all about getting some court time for all of the players, especially the younger athletes.
The Cowgirls will play their second exhibition game of the week on Friday when they host CSU-Pueblo.

“We try to separate them to simulate a little about how the season is played out,” Legerski said. “You usually play a couple of games a week, if not three. So, we wanted to make sure we had some practice time between exhibition games, and more importantly that they were not 10 days apart. You want to come right back and get another game in before you get started for real.”

Legerski said the players would rather play games than practice, but as coaches, they would rather practice every day. By doing that, he said they see the glaring weaknesses that they have and how much work they need.”

“There are times you really realize how young we are, even in some of the scrimmages we’ve had and the mistakes, based upon inexperience,” he said. “With five people on the floor, and going as deep as eight or nine players, we run into a bit of inexperience factor that shows its ugly head at the wrong times in scrimmages, and that’s something we need to correct.”

Legerski expects all but sophomore Leah Fitzgerald to play on Monday. Fitzgerald suffered a concussion early in the preseason and hasn’t practiced for a while.

“Leah is just getting back to practicing with us, but we will hold her out on Monday just from a safety standpoint and conditioning from being able to be on the floor and practice with the team,“ he said. “With it being early in the season, we don’t need to rush anything.”

Cowgirls to begin practice on Saturday

2009-10-16T15:42:00.003-06:00

Seventh year head coach Joe Legerski and the University of Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team will practice for the first time Saturday at 9 a.m., in the Arena Auditorium. Practice is open to the public.

Legerski returns three starters and nine letterwinners from last season’s squad, including Second Team All-MWC selection Hillary Carlson, Sixth Player of the Year honoree Emma Langford, plus Kristen Scheffler and Aubrey Vandiver. Wyoming was recently picked fifth in the MWC Pre-Season Poll.

The Cowgirls will continue on Sunday at the same time while Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the following week practice will be from 1:30-4 p.m.

Wyoming will play two exhibition games on Nov. 2 and Nov. 6 before opening the regular season against the Denver Pioneers on Nov. 13, in Denver. Their home opener will be on Nov. 15 against the Montana Lady Griz. Wyoming will begin MWC play on the road Jan. 5 against the Colorado State Rams in a televised game on The Mountain Sports Network. Their first home conference game will be on Jan. 13, against the TCU Lady Frogs. In all, the Cowgirls will be featured four times on The Mtn. Sports Network.

Wyoming will hold their annual media day next Tuesday in the Arena Auditorium beginning at 1 p.m. Cowgirl players and coaches will be available.

Less of a transition expected for Cowgirls

2009-10-07T14:21:00.002-06:00

Wyoming coach Joe Legerski

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls turned a difficult transition into another successful basketball season. Knock on wood, this year’s transition looks to be much easier.

Last season, Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski began without some of the top players in the program history due to graduation. Then he lost who was expected to be the team leader – sophomore Aubrey Vandiver – because of illness.

Yet, despite a slow start, the Cowgirls finished 8-8 in Mountain West Conference play and 16-14 overall.

To say the least, last season was a big challenge for Legerski and the Cowgirls.

“You talk about the group we ended up losing, with Hanna Zavecz, Justyna Podziemska, Jodi Bolerjack and Dominique Sisk,” said Legerski on The Mtn.’s live streaming Wednesday as part of the MWC Basketball Media Days in Denver. “That was a tremendous blow to our program, but everybody goes through graduation. What you don’t count on is having an Aubrey Vandiver not being able to participate.

“I thought that was a bigger challenge because Aubrey was our leader, she was third team all conference as a sophomore. She was going to be the stability needed to make the transition. When I take a look at it now, it was a very satisfying year with a winning season… our fifth consecutive winning season for Wyoming. I’m proud of that and I’m proud of what the players on last year’s team were able to accomplish.”

With that said, the Cowgirls also had to overcome a slow start in league play, losing their first four contests. Several adjustments and just the maturation of a very young team turned things around.

“The Mountain West Conference is an extremely difficult conference to play in. We started 0-4 and that was a shock to our fan base. They were used to seeing us win and win at a very high level,” Legerski said. “We made some adjustments as a team. We started playing a little more zone, which you do not see from a Wyoming team very often. We started finding some victories down the line and were playing pretty well down the stretch. We had a .500 record within the league.”

Look for more adjustments this season, and yes, more zone defense.

“I think you’re going to see a little more from Wyoming in terms of a zone,” Legerski added. “I was happy with the way we were able to play it. You’re going to be able to see some different looks from this Wyoming team. Once again, it still comes down to playing the basics and we’ll get back to some of that.”

This season, Legerski has three starters returning, not including a healthy Vandiver, 10 letterwinners and another talented newcomer class. That has Legerski, always an optimist, excited about the possibilities this season.

“We’ve gained a great deal of experience. Kristen Scheffler and Emma Langford were two freshmen who we threw in the mix, maybe when they weren’t ready at times. We’re anxious for them to be able to participate and how they are going to play,” he said. “Then you take a look at having Aubrey back, and then in the post, having (junior) Hilary Carlson, a second-team all-conference player. She played extremely well for us and she gives us an inside presence. We are excited about what this season holds. We’re still young. We’re going to start two juniors, possibly three juniors, a couple sophomores and look out, we might have a freshman or two who see the court.”

Beginning his seventh year at the helm, Legerski has never had any problem playing freshmen. That won’t be any different this season with three promising talents in this year’s fold.

“We have Rebecca Campigli, who is a true point guard who we expect great things. Chaundra Sewell comes here from Broomfield, Colo. All Chaundra does is win. I think her high school record was 106-4 with three state championships. You put yourself around winners and they continue to win," he said. "Sara Wilson, from Nebraska, shoots the ball very well. I’m excited about this freshmen group.”

That excitement will turn into reality when the Cowgirls hit the courts officially for the first time on Oct. 16.

Aztecs voted first; Cowgirls fifth

2009-10-07T12:22:00.002-06:00

DENVER, Colo. - As expected, San Diego State was the easy choice in the Mountain West Conference coaches and media poll released on Wednesday. Wyoming was tabbed fifth in the preseason voting.

The Aztecs, after sharing the 2008-09 MWC regular-season title and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, received 25 first-place votes and 240 total points. TCU collected three first-place votes and finished second with 216 points, followed by Utah with 185 points. New Mexico (168 points) placed fourth, followed by Wyoming (121 points), BYU (109 points), UNLV (97 points), Colorado State (57 points) and Air Force (31 points).

Last year's all-MWC first-team member, San Diego State senior guard Jené Morris, earned Preseason Player of the Year honors, while teammate Jessika Bradley was named Preseason Newcomer of the Year. Utah's Taryn Wicijowski was tabbed Preseason Freshman of the Year.

Four of the nine MWC teams were represented on the all-conference team, including three seniors and two juniors. Morris is a two-time all-MWC selection and earned WBCA State Farm Honorable Mention All-American accolades last season. She is joined on the preseason all-MWC team by teammate Paris Johnson, New Mexico's Amy Beggin, TCU's Helena Sverrisdottir and Utah's Kalee Whipple.

Cowgirls release basketball schedule

2009-08-05T17:10:00.003-06:00

Five teams that competed in post-season play will be featured on the 2009-10 Wyoming Cowgirl basketball schedule, announced on Wednesday. Montana, San Diego State, TCU and Utah all competed in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, while New Mexico was a participant in the WNIT.

The Cowgirls open the regular season with three out of their first four games on the road. They will start it off against the Denver Pioneers on Nov. 13, before returning home for a one-game showdown with the Montana Lady Griz on Nov. 15. They head back out for a two-game road stretch against North Dakota, Nov. 18, and North Dakota State, Nov. 20.

UW will return home to the friendly confines of the Double A, as they host Black Hills State prior to Thanksgiving on Nov. 24, and then resume play against the Idaho State Bengals on Nov. 30. It will be back out on the road for a three-game stretch beginning with Idaho on Dec. 3, Washington State, Dec. 5, and Dakota State, Dec. 12, at the Wyoming Shootout in Casper. The Cowgirls will close out play before the Christmas break by hosting Weber State, on Dec. 18 and the Oregon Ducks on Dec. 20.

Wyoming will finish out the non-conference schedule with one final game on the road before the MWC begins with a match-up against the Boise State Broncos on Dec. 31 in Boise, Idaho.

“Once again, we have put together a tremendous schedule for our young team,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “Our non-conference schedule will be challenging with the first several games on the road, but it should help prepare us for the MWC. The conference will be as difficult as ever with our first five of eight games on the road. Overall, we are excited about our home schedule and the quality teams we are bringing into Laramie. It should be exciting for our fans.”

Mountain West Conference women’s games will be played primarily on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with one Sunday and three Tuesday games added in to the schedule. Wyoming will begin MWC play on the road Jan. 5 against the Colorado State Rams in a televised game on The Mtn. Sports Network. Their home opener will come on Jan. 13, as they welcome the TCU Horned Frogs. Other MWC televised games for the Cowgirls will be Jan. 19 against the BYU Cougars, UNLV on Feb. 2, and the Utah Utes on Feb. 28. The BYU and Utah games will be featured on The Mtn. in Laramie, while the UNLV game is set to be played in Las Vegas.
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2009-10 Wyoming Cowgirl Basketball Schedule
November
Mon., Nov. 2 -- Adams State (Exh.), 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 6 -- CSU-Pueblo (Exh.), 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 13 -- at Denver, 5:30 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 15 -- Montana, 2 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 18 -- at North Dakota (Grand Forks, N.D.), 6 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 20 -- at North Dakota State (Fargo, N.D.), 5 p.m.
Tues., Nov. 24 -- Black Hills State, 7 p.m.
Mon., Nov. 30 -- Idaho State Laramie, 7 p.m.
December
Thurs., Dec. 3 -- at Idaho (Moscow, Idaho), tba

Sat., Dec. 5 -- at Washington State (Pullman, Wash. ), 3 p.m.
BlueCross/BlueShield of Wyoming Shootout (Casper)
Sat., Dec. 12 -- Dakota State#, 1 p.m.

Fri., Dec. 18 -- Weber State, 7 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 20 -- Oregon, 2 p.m.
Thurs., Dec. 31 -- at Boise State (Boise, Idaho), 2 p.m.
January
Tues., Jan. 5 -- at Colorado State* (Ft. Collins, Colo.), 6 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Sat., Jan. 9 -- at San Diego State* (San Diego, Calif.), TBA
Wed., Jan. 13 -- TCU* 7 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 16 -- at New Mexico* (Albuquerque, N.M.), 2 p.m.
Tues., Jan. 19 -- BYU*, 6 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Wed., Jan. 27 -- at Utah* (Salt Lake City, Utah), 7 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 30 -- Air Force*, 2 p.m.
February
Tues., Feb. 2 -- at UNLV (Las Vegas, Nev.), 9 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Sat., Feb. 6 -- Colorado State*, 2 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 10 -- San Diego State*, 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 13 -- at TCU* (Ft. Worth, Texas), tba.
Wed., Feb. 17 -- New Mexico*, 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 20 -- at BYU* (Provo, Utah), TBA
Sun., Feb. 28 -- Utah, 2 p.m. (The Mtn.)
March
Wed., March 3 -- at Air Force* (Colorado Springs, Colo.), tba
Sat., March 6 -- UNLV, 2:00 p.m.
MWC Tournament (Las Vegas, Nev.)
March 9-13 -- tba
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*Mountain West Conference Games
#game played in Casper, Wyo. (Wyoming Shoot-Out)
All games and times are subject to change
All times listed are Mountain Time

Legerski signs another Australian

2009-04-20T16:42:00.005-06:00

Courtesy photo
New Wyoming recruit Rebecca Campigli, playing with Victoria.

The Wyoming Cowgirls stayed on their Australian pipeline, signing Melbourne point guard Rebecca Campigli to a letter of intent for the fall of 2009.

“Rebecca Campigli is the first true point guard that we’ve had at Wyoming,” Cowgirls head coach Joe Legerski said. “She likes to distribute the basketball and push the ball in transition, while being an outside shooting threat. She completes this recruiting class as she joins Chaundra Sewell and Sara Wilson as future Cowgirls.”

Campigli, at 5-foot-10, is a two-time member of the U20 Victorian team that won an Australian National Gold and Silver medal and the U18 and U16 Victorian Metropolitan team. For two years, she was a development player for the Dandenong Rangers with the WNBL and a member of the Australian Schoolgirls team. During her time at Wesley College, she was selected Girls First Team (2006-08) and a two-time captain, while being named MVP for the McDonalds Cup Tournament (2007) and the Wesley Team (2007-08). Campigli was also a juniors player with the Nunawading Spectres and helped them to four gold medals and one bronze medal at the National Junior Classic.

She has been coached by Lori Chizik. Campigli is the daughter of Peter and Vicki Campigli. She has two siblings, Sarah and Todd.

Campigli is the third student-athlete to sign a letter of intent with the Cowgirls, as they inked two during the early signing period. The other signees include Sewell (6-1, forward, Broomfield, Colo.) and Wilson (5-9, guard, Grant, Neb.).

Rams surprise Cowgirls in tourney opener

2009-03-10T22:36:00.006-06:00

Cowgirls-Rams stats

By Wyoming Sports.org

LAS VEGAS -- The third time was a charm for the Colorado State Rams on Tuesday in the first round of the Mountain West Conference women’s basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Once again, tournament play for the Wyoming Cowgirls was a major disappointment.

Colorado State jumped out to a 20-point first half lead and never really looked back, thumping the Cowgirls 64-56. It was the first win over Wyoming in three games and it also broke a nine-game skid to the Cowgirls dating back to the 2004-2005 season.

Wyoming, meanwhile, fell in the first round for the second straight year and is now 2-19 in combined play of the MWC and Western Athletic Conference tournaments.

“I think in general today, Colorado State came out with a great deal of energy early,“ Legerski said. “I thought they really attacked the basket. They were quicker in transition. We just had to respond from that.”

When the Cowgirls, 16-14, struggle, they usually do some offensively and fall behind early. That was the case against the Rams.

“It's very difficult to continually battle from behind,” Legerski said. “I thought that as far as Wyoming is concerned, we left too many plays out there on the floor today that in tournament play you need to make - none bigger than about 1 minute 40 to go. I believe we're down six and we don't come up with a rebound off a missed free throw, then we don't foul again and come up with the second one.

“Those are plays that you have to make to be in basketball games. But I thought the theme today was CSU's energy and how much they attacked the basket.”

For the Rams, 10-21 and the No. 8 seed, it was the second straight year that they struggled in the regular season, but opened the tourney with a bang. Last year, after a winless MWC regular season, Colorado State won its first two games, including a shocking win over No. 1 seed Utah.

CSU basically dominated all aspects of the game. Amaka Uzomah, Bonnie Barbee and Zoi Simmon all finished with 11 points for the Rams while Uzomah also led the way with nine rebounds. The Rams were 23-of-56 (.411) from the field, 14-of-21 (.667) from the free-throw line and out-rebounded the Cowgirls 39-29.

"I'm extremely proud of my team,” first-year CSU coach Kristen Holt said. “Going into this game, we talked a lot about dictating the tempo. I felt like the first two times we played Wyoming, they dictated the tempo of the game. Our tempo is to try to pick it up and run as much as we can. We pressed a little bit, obviously, today.

“So that's what we wanted to do. We felt that that would play to our advantage. I think it did. So I really liked the start that we had. My team was as focused as they've been in any game this year. It's a good time to be focused. We had good practices leading up to today's game. Zoi took care of the ball very well. I thought she did a great job in the press. Amaka was huge on the boards and made some shots that sometimes I don't let her shoot."

Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey said the Rams were the aggressor the entire game.

“It’s hard to play on your heels when they're playing on their toes the whole game,” McGuffey said. “Yeah, unfortunately, we couldn't come back.”

Three Cowgirls finished the game in double figures, led by sophomore Hillary Carlson, who had 17 points and four rebounds. Freshman Emma Langford followed with 16, while McGuffey added 13 in her final game as a Cowgirl. Freshman Kristen Scheffler had a team high six rebounds.

Wyoming shot 19-of-54 (.352) from the field, 1 of 14 3-pointers (.071) and 17-23 (.739) from the free-throw line.

“You take a look at the last two games, we're 1-of-29 from 3-point range,” Legerski said. “You're not going to win very many games, if any, shooting 1 of 29 from 3. You have to be able to use that. I think, you know, we get players in position to make plays. I came into this game knowing that Colorado State had more tournament experience than we did on the floor with their victories last season. We're out there with a couple of freshmen -- Emma and Kristen -- that I thought did a great job. This is Hillary's first time to step out on tournament play. Those are some challenges for those kids.”

Cowgirls open tourney with CSU

2009-03-09T22:00:00.003-06:00

Richard Anderson photo
Hillary Carlson drives to the basket past a CSU player earlier in the season.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

For a team that has been on the road more times than not in the last few weeks, the new format of the Mountain West Conference women’s basketball tournament doesn’t do the Wyoming Cowgirls too many favors.

For Utah, San Diego State and TCU, that’s a different story.

The Cowgirls, 16-13, 8-8 in MWC and the fifth seed, will open the tournament on Tuesdays by facing rival Colorado State, 9-20, 4-12 and the eighth seed. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

To win the tournament, the Cowgirls will have to win four games in five days.
For Utah and San Diego State, which tied for first in the regular season, both teams don’t even play until Friday’s semifinals.

The new format has the top two teams receive byes until the semifinals, and the No. 3 seed, TCU, earning first-round bye. Wyoming, like CSU, New Mexico, BYU, Colorado State and UNLV, are in it for the long haul.

The Cowgirls are also coming off of two road games last week where they played at BYU, came back to Laramie, traveled to New Mexico, then came home again, before leaving Monday for Las Vegas.

“One of the biggest concerns that I have right now is how tired we may be,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “We’ve traveled five of the last seven days, and that is always a concern, whether we are going to have fresh legs.”

CSU, meanwhile, played its last two games at home.

Even with the odds stacked against them, Legerski said that the new format protects the teams that are the best teams in the league. It came about after last year’s top seed, Utah, was upset in the opening round and didn’t get a favorable draw for the NCAA Tournament.

“They (Utah, SDSU, TCU) have proven over time that they are the best teams,” Legerski said. “The rest of us have some challenges ahead of us, to be able to play for four days. But we had some challenges ahead of us as it was. CSU would have opened up with an 8-9 game, then faced No. 1. We would have faced No. 4. Those were tough challenges in the old format. The challenges have just changed. It will still be very difficult if you are in the bottom half of the league.”

When asked if his Cowgirls would have the legs to play four games in a week, Legerski said he was just worried about having enough legs to play on Tuesday.

“That will be something that we have to wait and see on,” Legerski said. “That is one of the biggest challenges for anybody who starts play on Tuesday.”

The Cowgirls will look for their third win over CSU this season, although both victories were far from easy. Wyoming beat the Rams 64-61 in Fort Collins and topped them again 71-62 in Laramie.

“I look at CSU as a team that ended up winning two games last year in the tournament, and they have a high percentage of those players back who experienced some success,“ Legerski said. “The two previous games were just games played throughout the league. We played well at times and CSU played well at times. I think what it is going to come down to is maybe a longer run together. When the new format, the first round games have really tightened up a bit where you have 5 vs. 8, 6 vs. 7, teams I always figured to be very comparable. It should be a close game.”

The Rams are led by Britney Minor, who is averaging 7.8 points along with 4.2 rebounds. Senior Kandy Beemer is adding 7.6 points, while Amaka Uzomah is leading the way with 6.6 rebounds per game.

Four Cowgirls are scoring in double figures this season, led by sophomore Hillary Carlson, who is averaging 11.6 points, while senior Megan McGuffey is adding 10.6 points. Freshmen Kristen Scheffler and Emma Langford follow closely with 10.4 and 10.3 points respectively.

Legerski said his biggest worry is just winning in the MWC Tournament, something the Cowgirls haven’t had much luck at. In his tenure, Wyoming is just 2-6 in the tourney, and 2-18 overall in the MWC and WAC tournaments combined.

“We have to show up and get a tournament victory. At this time of the year, either you win or you go home,” Legerski said.

Four Cowgirls honored by MWC

2009-03-09T18:48:00.002-06:00

Wyoming sophomore Hillary Carlson was one of four Cowgirls to be honored Monday by the Mountain West Conference.

Carlson was named to the MWC second team to lead the way, with senior Megan McGuffey named to the third team, freshman Kristen Scheffler named to the honorable mention team and freshman Emma Langford was selected as the Sixth Player of the Year.

Carlson led the Cowgirls in scoring at 11.6 points a game and ranked fourth in the league in field goal percentage. In conference games, Carlson finished fourth in scoring (14.6 ppg), fifth in field goal percentage (78-of-159, .491) and ninth in rebounding.

McGuffey finished at 10.6 points a game and was eighth in the league in rebounding at 8.0 per game.

Scheffler and Langford finished at 10.4 and 10.3 points a game respectively. Scheffler was second in the league in 3-point field goals made at 2.38 per game.

Utah’s Morgan Warburton was selected as the Player of the Year, with Defensive Player of the Year honors going to San Diego State’s Jené Morris, while UNLV’s Jamie Smith was chosen as the Freshman of the Year. TK LaFleur earned Newcomer of the Year honors and San Diego State’s Beth Burns, who guided the Aztecs to their first MWC regular-season title, earned her first MWC Coach of the Year honor.

Warburton, a senior guard, helped the Utes to a 13-3 conference record and their seventh MWC regular-season title. She led the league in points (18.1 ppg), and was first in free-throw percentage (.890) and fifth in assists (3.56 apg) during the conference slate.

Five seniors, five juniors and five sophomores make up this year’s all-MWC team. Five all-conference picks were repeat selections from 2007-08.

Three different institutions were honored on this year’s first team. Joining Warburton on the all-MWC first-team were teammate Kalee Whipple of Utah and Helena Sverrisdottir of TCU.

Whipple made her third consecutive all-conference appearance, being named to the third team her freshman year and second team last season. San Diego State had two first-team honorees in Paris Johnson and Jené Morris. Warburton was named a first-team all-conference member for the third consecutive year, while the others are first-time selections to the first team.

New Mexico’s Amy Beggin is the only returning all-conference performer from 2007-08 on the second team. This year, six players were named to the second team, due to a tie for the fifth spot. Underclassmen Emily Carter of TCU and Carlson made the list, while TCU’s TK LaFleur earned second-team honors in her first year competing in the MWC. San Diego State’s Quenese Davis earned her second all-conference honors, after being named to the third team her freshman year, while Utah’s Katie King was also honored.

UNLV’s Shamela Hampton earned her third straight third-team honor. BYU’s Mindy Nielson, New Mexico’s Angela Hartill and McGuffey each made their first appearance on the all-conference list.
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First Team All-Mountain West Conference
#**Morgan Warburton, Utah, Sr., 5-11, G
#**Kalee Whipple, Utah, Jr., 6-0, F
#Helena Sverrisdottir, TCU, So., 6-2, G
Paris Johnson, San Diego State, So., 6-4, C
*Jené Morris, San Diego State, Jr., 5-9, G
Second Team All-Mountain West Conference
*Amy Beggin, New Mexico, Jr., 5-6, G
*Quenese Davis, San Diego State, Jr., 5-9, G
TK LaFleur, TCU, Jr., 5-8, G
Hillary Carlson, Wyoming, So., 6-3, F
Emily Carter, TCU, So., 6-1, G
Katie King, Utah, Sr., 6-1, F
Third Team All-Mountain West Conference
**Shamela Hampton, UNLV, Sr., 6-3, C
Angela Hartill, New Mexico, Sr., 6-3, C
Mindy Nielson, BYU, So., 5-10, G
Megan McGuffey, Wyoming, Sr., 5-11, F
Honorable Mention All-Mountain West Conference
Jamie Smith, UNLV, Fr., 6-0, G/F
Raimee Beck, Air Force, Jr., 5-8, G
Cassie King, BYU, Sr., 6-3, C
Shawnee Slade, BYU, Sr., 5-11, G/F
Kristen Scheffler, Wyoming, Fr., 5-11, G
All-Defensive Team
Jené Morris, San Diego State, Jr., 5-9, G
Paris Johnson, San Diego State, So., 6-4, C
Mindy Nielson, BYU, So., 5-10, G
Quenese Davis, San Diego State, Jr., 5-9, G
Amy Beggin, New Mexico, Jr., 5-6, G
Player of the Year: Morgan Warburton, Utah
Newcomer of the Year: TK LaFleur, TCU
Freshman of the Year: Jamie Smith, UNLV
Defensive Player of the Year:
Jené Morris, San Diego State
6th Player of the Year: Emma Langford, Wyoming
Coach of the Year: Beth Burns, San Diego State
* notes repeat all-conference selection
** notes three-time all-conference selection
# notes unanimous first-team selection

Cowgirls fall to Lobos

2009-03-07T18:20:00.006-07:00

Cowgirls-Lobos stats

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The Wyoming Cowgirls fell behind early and never recovered, losing to New Mexico 63-45 on Saturday in the regular-season finale at The Pit.

The Lobos, 20-9, 9-7 in the Mountain West, ran out to a big early lead and cruised to earn the season split and finish a game ahead of the Cowgirls in the league standings.

Wyoming, which knocked off BYU on he road on Wednesday, finished at 16-13, 8-8.

“New Mexico got off to a great start, hitting their first four shots and got the crowd got into it,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “It was a difficult learning experience for this team. The second half we played better, but the game was determined in the first 20 minutes.”

Two Cowgirls finished the game in double figures, led by freshman Emma Langford with 12 points in her 25 minutes of play. She was followed by senior Megan McGuffey with 10 points and seven rebounds. Wyoming shot just 15-of-54 (.278) from the field and didn't hit a 3-pointer in 15 attempts.

New Mexico was led by Amy Beggin and Angela Hartill with 13 points, while Eileen Weissman added 11. Amanda Best finished with a team-high eight rebounds. The Lobos were 22-of-59 (.373) from the field, while out-rebounding Wyoming 46-37.

New Mexico came out on fire to begin the first half, scoring the first 12 points, leading 18-2 before taking a 37-16 halftime lead.

The second half started off very similar to the first as New Mexico went on an 8-2 run to start things off to lad by as much as 27. The Cowgirls would score 10 of the next 14 points but would never really get back in the game.

The Cowgirls will face Colorado State in the Mountain West Conference Tournament on Tuesday in Las Vegas, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Cowgirls beat Cougars in overtime

2009-03-04T22:25:00.004-07:00

BYU photo
Wyoming's Rebecca Vanderjagt and Kristen Scheffler defend BYU's Cassie King on Wednesday in Provo.

Cowgirls-Cougars stats

By Wyoming Sports.org

PROVO, Utah -- Losing a 12-point halftime lead on the road meant one thing earlier this season for the Wyoming Cowgirls: A loss.

On Wednesday, the progress the young Cowgirl team has made in the last month was evident once again, as the Cowgirls regained their momentum to edge BYU 57-55 in overtime at the Marriott Center.

Not only was it a big win for the Cowgirls, it broke a tie for fifth place with the Cougars in the Mountain West Conference standings. Wyoming moved to 8-7 in league play and 16-12 overall, while BYU fell to 7-8, 17-10.

“This is a big win for our program,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “With eight freshmen and sophomores on the roster, and this is a tremendous place to play, it is a big win.”

Wyoming was led by freshman Emma Langford, who recorded 15 points and had five rebounds off the bench. She was followed by sophomore Hillary Carlson with 12 points and three blocked shots. Senior Megan McGuffey had a career-high 17 boards in her effort.

“Emma Langford was great off the bench and really created some things for us with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists,” Legerski said. “Megan McGuffey, with her 17 rebounds, was just a great performance on the glass.”

BYU was led by Cassie King with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Shawnee Slade added 16 points in her 33 minutes.

“We had many opportunities to win the game,” said BYU coach Jeff Judkins. “Coming out of the second half, the athletes played harder and gave it a lot better effort. We were a lot more aggressive and did a better job of attacking their zone but we were just unable to win the game.”

The Cowgirls got off to a slow start, trailing 9-2, but used a 12-0 run to seemingly take control in the first half. Wyoming led by as much as 14 before taking a 30-18 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Playing on its Senior Night, the Cougars had plenty of fight in them in the next 20 minutes. BYU chipped away and regained the lead at 46-45 and the two teams traded leads down the stretch.

Langford hit two free throws to give Wyoming a three-point lead late, but a three-point play by King tied it up at 53 with 34.6 seconds on the clock. The Cougars had a couple of opportunities to win the game, but it would head to overtime.

Langford and King answered baskets to begin overtime, before both teams continued to struggle offensively. Free throws by Langford and sophomore Jade Kennedy proved to be the difference.

“I thought at the end, BYU made more plays to get the game to overtime, and we are fortunate that one more shot fell for us in the end,” Legerski said.

Neither team shot the ball well, as the Cowgirls hit 21-of-54 (.389) from the field and 11-of-16 (.688) from the free-throw line, while out-rebounding the Cougars 44-42.

The Cougars were 24-of-71 (.338) from the field and 3-of-20 (.150) from beyond the arc.

Wyoming will close out the regular season at New Mexico on Saturday, with tip-off set for 2 p.m.

Challenges lie ahead for Cowgirls

2009-03-03T22:43:00.001-07:00

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The month of January was a bit rough on the Wyoming Cowgirls. February was better. What’s in store for March remains to be seen.

One thing that Wyoming coach Joe Legerski knows if his young team is playing better. Whether that is good enough to win at BYU on Wednesday (7 p.m. ) or at New Mexico (2 p.m.) on Saturday... well, that too remains to be seen.

“We’ve really come on in February, going 7-3. We had a very difficult January, starting out 0-4 in league play,” Legerski said. “ We’ve really grown, we’ve really improved and are heading in the right direction. But these two teams at the end of the year are going to be a tremendous challenge for this young group. I’m anxious to see how they respond. I’m hoping that they respond well.”

The biggest key in the cowgirls’ turnaround? If Legerski had to pinpoint it on one area, he would say the Cowgirls have shown improvement on the boards. If fact, he said his team has been more aggressive rebounding the basketball on both ends of the floor.

“We’ve been able to win the rebounding battle over the last few games,“ he said. “We’re more active to the glass.”

It also hasn’t hurt that some of the younger Cowgirls, particularly freshmen Kristen Scheffler and Emma Langford and sophomores Hillary Carlson and Randi Richardson, are playing some of their best basketball of the season.

“For some of our seniors and having the youngsters step up, it has given us the opportunity to win,” Legerski said. “But nothing is more important than being able t win the rebounding battle.”

At 7-7 in the Mountain West , the Cowgirl shave also put themselves in position to move up in the tournament seeding by facing the team (BYU) that they are tied with.

“Right now our focus is on BYU, with both of us tied for fifth place,“ Legerski said. “The winner of Wednesday’s game is going to move forward and have the upper hand. I don’t get too involved at looking at the tie-breaker system is. We have a game that will go head-to-head that will determine how everything will play out.”

Legerski said that the Cowgirls will have to play well offensively to win in Provo and Albuquerque.

“You can sneak a game or two bye when you are not at our best, but towards the end of the season, you have to be at your best,” he said. “On the road at BYU and New Mexico, we’re going to have to be playing at the highest level to have an opportunity to win in the final minutes.”

Last Saturday was Senior Night for three Cowgirls -- Megan McGuffey, Elisabeth Dissen and Rebecca Vanderjagt. That spurned the Cowgirls on to a big 31-point win over Air Force.

Now, the Cowgirls will have to take a shot of their own medicine, as both games will be on their opponent’s Senior Night.

“That always adds a little incentive for our opponents; they’ll play at a high level and their fans will be charged up," Legerski said. “We know we have challenges ahead of us, but we’re going to have to play well, regardless.”

Richardson solid in running the show

2009-02-28T20:41:00.005-07:00

Richard Anderson photo

Wyoming sophomore guard Randi Richardson pushes the ball against Air Force on Saturday.

Wyoming-AFA stats

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Randi Richardson doesn’t have to score a lot, just enough to make the Cowgirls’ opponents aware threat she can be a threat.

At times this season, Richardson has let the opposition dictate that scenario. In recent games, including Saturday’s 65-34 win over Air Force in the Arena-Auditorium, she has proven otherwise.

Richardson was just 1-of-3 from the field against the Falcons, but her 3-pointer got the team going midway in the second half en route to a 13-point halftime lead. Her job as a defender and as the point guard then went easier.

“We have talked to Randi that she is a good shooter,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “ She has struggled some this season, like all of the young players have. She started deferring all of the time, not to shoot. She’s really taking a great deal of pride in defending. She got the assignment to guard Raimee Beck and she is 4-of-14, so that is a tribute to Randi.

“I just have to reign her in now and then because she just wants to make every play. I keep telling her that some of these plays are made for you, and she stepped up and knocked down a 3.”

Richardson also finished with eight assist and three steals in running the show. Legerski said that any time a player gets a chance to make a shot or two, it improves their all-around confidence. That is what is happening for Richardson, the redshirt sophomore transfer from Arlington, Wash.

“When you start believing what you are doing, then all of the sudden the defense becomes easier and assists become easier,” Legerski said. “When Randi shoots better, it becomes easier for Hillary Carlson, because then they can’t double down on her.”

Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey credited Richardson for getting the Cowgirls going on their 17-4 run and stabilizing the offense in the second half.

“Randi did a great job and she hit some great passes there,” McGuffey said. “She was pushing the ball at the opportune times. That was needed at that point of the game.”

After a seven-minute scoreless span in the first half, the Cowgirls closed on a 17-4 run for a 30-17 halftime lead. Wyoming put the game away early, scoring 13 of the first 14 points.

McGuffey finished with a game-high 24 points and freshman Kristen Scheffler also had a big game, with 22 points, including 6 3-pointers, while Carlson added 12.

Kim Kreke led the Falcons, 4-23, 0-14 in the Mountain West, with 10 points. Air Force shot just 25 percent from the field (13-of-52).

The Cowgirls, 15-12, 7-7, will close the regular season next week at BYU and New Mexico.

“We’ve won seven out of the last 10, 70 percent, which is tremendous," Legerski said. “We’ve found ways to win and our young kids have grown up. They are playing better and better.

“You take a look tonight at Kristen Scheffler, getting 22 points and shooting 50 percent from 3. Hillary Carlson is basically played half of the game, sharing minutes with Elisabeth Dissen. She gets 12 points and eight rebounds. That just shows you the dominating player that Hillary is becoming. I think this it the growth that you see in young teams. It doesn’t get any easier from here on our, but we’re going to enjoy it today.”

Timely timeout gets Cowgirls going; Scheffler makes Falcons pay

2009-02-28T20:16:00.005-07:00

Wyoming freshman Kristen Scheffler

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Less than two minutes into the second half, it was time for a little attitude adjustment for the Wyoming Cowgirls.

Wyoming overcame a scoring drought midway through the first half with a late rush for a comfortable 13-point halftime lead against Air Force on Saturday. But a last-second bucket by the Air Force to close the opening half and five straight points to begin the second half got Wyoming coach Joe Legerski’s attention.

The Cowgirls responded with a 13-1 run and never looked back in routing the Falcons 65-34.

“We talked about coming ready to go at the start; I knew that Air Force has no quit in them, they'll compete for 40 minutes,” Legerski said.

Legerski called a quick timeout and although it was a full timeout, he kept his team on the floor. The Cowgirls responded with a steal and 3-pointer by freshman Kristen Scheffler and the Wyoming defense held the Falcons to just one point over an eight-minute span.

“There was no need to sit down, nobody was tired yet,” Legerski said. “We discussed what we wanted to get done as a team and where we are at as a team, and they are not doing what we asked. When I got that message across, we went right back out and Kristen Scheffler hit a 3 and we made another play. That is what I was hoping to see at the start at the half. It took a timeout to get that done.”

Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey said the Cowgirls couldn’t afford to give up any more points in that run.

“He (Legerski) had to just get up in our faces and get us going again," McGuffey said. “Sometimes we unfortunately have those lapses right after halftime. After he did that, the team came out and Kristen hit a couple of big shots there.”

For Scheffler, it was just a matter of taking what the defense gives you. The Falcons gave her open 3-point looks and she made them pay.

“Teams can make mistakes and you get freed up, so it is really important to make those shots when you get a chance,” Scheffler said.

Scheffler hit six 3-pointers and finished with 22 points in her best scoring night as a Cowgirl. She also had 21 points against Gonzaga and 21 in the first game against Air Force.

Legerski said that shooters shoot and that is exactly what the Lovell freshman did. Scheffler bhit four 3-pointers and scored 14 points in the second half.

“During a timeout, I said to Kristen, 'The basket must look about as big as this arena right now,’” he said. “She walks out there and knocks down the next 3 and I turned to Gerald (Mattinson), and said, ‘It may be as big as this state.’ When shooters get on a roll, the basket looks big to them.”

McGuffey closes on a special note

2009-02-28T18:44:00.007-07:00

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey, left, gets a hug from teammate Hillary Carlson Saturday after being take out of her final home game.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Cowgirl basketball fans wouldn’t let one of their own -- Cheyenne native Megan McGuffey -- leave her final home game without an extra special memory.

After scoring 15 points in the first half and needing 23 to become the 17th Cowgirl to score 1,000 career points, McGuffey was silent offensively for much of the second half. She would get to the milestone in the 65-34 win, but not without a little help.

McGuffey scored her first points of the second half at the 3:25 mark and then hit another layup. Winning easily, the Cowgirl crowd wanted more. Four points away, McGuffey hit a pair of free throws. Two points away with just over a minute left, she then missed the first of two from the charity stripe.

“When she missed that first one, you felt the crowd, the air was taken out of them,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said.

McGuffey made the second free throw, but time appeared to be running out. Suddenly, freshman reserve guard Brenna Freeze stole the ball at midcourt and led McGuffey on the break. She got the ball to the Cowgirl senior and she was fouled once again.

This time, nothing but net.

Legerski called time out for PA announcer Geoff Mack to acknowledge the accomplishment and then took McGuffey out to a standing ovation after she made the second free throw.

“I sure didn’t want to end on 999,” McGuffey said. “Luckily, I got fouled again.”

McGuffey couldn’t help but know how close she was in the final minutes. She had a little help from the Cowgirl fans, the UW coaches and players.

“I kept hearing shout outs from the crowd, ‘Come on, eight more points to go...,’” McGuffey said with a laugh.

The announced crowd (3,816) was also there to honor fellow seniors Elisabeth Dissen and Rebecca Vanderjagt and see one more win on the home court. They got their wishes in both cases.

“It makes it nice that it was here and I got the response that I did,” McGuffey said. “But as far as the season goes, it didn’t really mean much for our team. More so, it was just getting another win. I think we’ve won seven out of our last games, so that is really positive for us right now.”

Legerski said it was a special moment for McGuffey.

“It is special that Megan could get it here, not only in front of her family, but in front of all of the Wyoming fans,” he said.

Averaging 10.3 points a game this season, McGuffey had scored just nine points in her last two games, hitting 2-of-19 from the field. On Saturday, she finished 8-of-16 from the field, including 3 of 8 3-pointers. The blue-collar McGuffey also grabbed nine rebounds, two blocks and three steals.

“I’m not averaging anything near 20 points, so going into the game, I didn’t expect to get it at all,” McGuffey said. “If I wouldn’t (have scored 15 in the first half), I probably wouldn’t have thought about it. Who knows?”

Freshman Kristen Scheffler, who otherwise would have been the story of the game with 22 points on six 3-pointers, was asked about the celebration for McGuffey and the rest of the UW seniors in the media room after the game.

The Lovell native said he couldn’t help but be in a little awe.

“It gives me something to look forward to, just the support here … the crowd, the team and everything,” Scheffler said.

The consummate team player, McGuffey and the rest of the Cowgirl seniors were asked this year to help transition this young team to the future. McGuffey closed her big night by deflecting the attention back to Scheffler.

“She’ll get 2,000 (points),” McGuffey said with a smile.

Cowgirl seniors revel in success and friendship on and off the court

2009-02-27T19:49:00.013-07:00

Richard Anderson photos

From left, Wyoming seniors Elisabeth Dissen, Megan McGuffey and Rebecca Vanderjagt.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Success followed seniors Megan McGuffey, Elisabeth Dissen and Rebecca Vanderjagt around for their careers with the Wyoming Cowgirls. In their first three years with the program, the trio enjoyed a WNIT berth, WNIT title and then NCAA Tournament berth in that order.

It remains to be seen if they can close their Wyoming careers with postseason play. Regardless, it has been a ride they will never forget.

“It’s like one of the best times of my life here,” Vanderjagt said, as the Cowgirls and the three seniors will prepare for the final home game Saturday at 2 p.m. when they host Air Force. “It is something that I will never forget. Every experience that I have had here has exceeded any expectations that I had.”

Has it hit them yet? Yes and no.

“I’m excited, but I am trying to look at it like a normal game and just play normal and not get too amped up for it,” Dissen said.

McGuffey, a Wyoming girl all of the way around as a Cheyenne native, said it will be pretty emotional on Saturday.

“It is always sad to end your career, but we’ve had a great run here,” McGuffey said. “It’s just been an honor to play for this program.”

Added Vanderjagt: “It’s been great playing here for four years. Having the last game here hasn’t hit me yet, but I’m sure it will by the end of the game. It will be sad knowing that it was our last game here.”

Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said it has been a tremendous run for his three seniors, having an opportunity to play in postseason play for three years.

“Being able to get to the NCAA Tournament and winning the WNIT championship, it is just a tremendous run,” he said. “They had to change their roles this season. We’ve looked upon Megan and Elisabeth to be able to score more on the inside and that has been important. With Rebecca, her role has basically been the same whether she has coming in as a starter or coming off the bench just to provide some leadership out there. I’m excited about what has happened to the three of them. We still have a great deal of basketball to play and I think they want to go out playing very well at the end.”

Saturday’s game could be the final time the three jog down the ramp together in front of their fans unless a big run at the end of the season and in the Mountain West Conference Tournament lands them into more postseason play, specifically the WNIT.

The Cowgirls, 14-12, 6-7 in the Mountain West, still have a lot to play for.

“I don’t feel like it is the end of anything at all, we still have a lot of plays after this. I’m just excited to get to postseason and see what we can do,” Dissen said.

The Cowgirls have three of their last four and six of their last nine games. They want to keep that momentum as long a possible.

“We’ve been playing a lot better the second half of this conference season, so it has been a maturation process for this team,” McGuffey said. “I think things are looking up right now and knock on wood, hopefully we can get a win over Air Force and continue it through the next few games.”

A quick start on Saturday will make the final game go much easier.

“It will be nice to have a comfortable game for our last game,” Vanderjagt said.

Winning the WNIT title and advancing to the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament is a memory that will never be taken lightly.

“We’ve had a lot of great experiences, winning the WNIT and playing in the NCAA Tournament,” Dissen said. “I think we have done a lot of cool things while we have been here; it’s been really fun.”

McGuffey said that just making the NCAA tournament was pretty much the ultimate goal, especially for any college athlete at this level.

“It was pretty amazing. It was like a dream come true,” McGuffey said. “Not only that, the WNIT as well, playing in front of a sold-out crowd. Not too many women athletes can say that.”

When they all stepped onto the court for their first practice as freshmen, that was probably the WNIT and NCAA Tournament were likely the furthest things from their mind.

“I don’t think that as a freshman, I ever imagined the things that I would get to do, and it has been great,” Dissen said.

Vanderjagt came to Wyoming from Australia and said she had no idea what she was getting into.

“I wasn’t sure at first if I would last all four years,” she said. “I thought I would do it for a year and see if I would like it. But I really enjoyed it and stuck it out. I have no regrets.”

Talent certainly has been a springboard for their success. Chemistry and friendship has been what sprung them as players on and off the court.

“They are two of my best friends. We’ll be best friends for life. With them, it is more about friendships than anything,” Vanderjagt said.

Dissen and McGuffey echoed Vanderjagt‘s feelings.

“They are like my best friends, on the court and off the court. We get along so well and it has been good,” Dissen said.

“I’ve had so much fun this year. I love my teammates, I love the seniors I will be leaving with,” added McGuffey.

Cowgirls make the plays in the end

2009-02-25T23:55:00.004-07:00

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming sophomore Hillary Carlson drives to the basket against Colorado State on Wednesday.

Wyoming-CSU stats

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

It was de ja vu all over again for the Wyoming Cowgirls … almost.

The Cowgirls almost gave up a 16-point second-half lead but closed strong on the free-throw line for a tough 71-62 win over Colorado State on Wednesday in the Arena-Auditorium.

Earlier in the season, the Cowgirls led CSU by 20 in the first half, before escaping with a three-point win.

On Wednesday, the lead got down to five with just under two minutes left. But Wyoming hit 8-of-8 from the free throw line in the final minute and earned its third win in its last four games.

“I don’t think we had as big of a lead on them this time than we had the last time, but I think, unlike the first game, we really have a lot of confidence in ourselves right now,” sophomore guard Randi Richardson said. “I don’t think we ever really doubted ourselves, that we weren’t going to win the game. We made it a little too close again, but that’s what happens in rivalry games … people bring their best game.”

Wyoming opened by missing nine of its first 10 shots from the field, but chipped away before going on a 11-0 run, highlighted by three straight 3-pointers, two by reserve Jade Kennedy and the other by Richardson. The Cowgirls led 35-22 at halftime.

Wyoming would go up by as much as 16 early in the second half, before CSU cut the lead to 61-56 on a 3-pointer by Kim Mestdagh with 1:17 left. The Cowgirls answered by hitting 8-of-8 from the free-throw line in the final minute.

“It feels good to win after the start that we had,” Wyoming sophomore Hillary Carlson, who finished with 16 points.

Sophomore Emma Langford led the way with 17 points, while Richardson and Kristen Scheffler added 12 each. Carlson also had nine rebounds and five blocked shots.

“Emma came on to get us 17 points and that was big,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “All of the sudden, we had four people in double digit in scoring with Hillary and Kristen coming through. Nothing was bigger than Hillary’s five blocks. She as really able to control the paint.”

The difference between the first game and Wednesday was on the line. Wyoming hit 28-of-33 from the free-throw line, to just 9-of-13 for CSU.

“A month ago, we ended up going 4-of-8 in the last minute,” Legerski said. “It was nice to see Emma step up there, Hillary step up and Randi step up. You have to win close games on the free-throw line.”

Knowing that the Rams would not call it a day after halftime, Legerski said that he told his team that the game is all about 40 minutes and they had to be stronger on the boards and on the free-throw line.

The Cowgirls were just that, out-rebounding CSU 41-34.

“When they started making their 3-pointers towards the end, it closed the game in a hurry," Legerski said. “We just asked everybody to just take a deep breath and do what we’d been doing for the previous 35 minutes.”

Bonnie Barbee, who hit two 3-pointers in the final minute, led the Rams, 9-18, 4-10, with 11 points, followed by Carine Reimink adding 10.

“Wyoming made some good adjustments from the first time that we played them,” CSU coach Kristen Holt said. “Their zone really hurt us. I thought we were tentative and couldn’t make shots. We couldn’t penetrate the zone enough and we just couldn’t handle it well.”

Legerski said the Cowgirls’ zone defense did what it needed to do and switching back to man-to-man also threw the Rams off, who hit just 35 percent shooting from the field.

“CSU started making some adjustments, attacking the zone, so the last eight minutes, we went back to our man defense,” he said. “Once again, I thought we played very well.”

The Cowgirls will close their home schedule on Saturday when they host Air Force, beginning at 2 p.m.

Richardson steps up for some scoring punch

2009-02-25T22:43:00.003-07:00

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming sophomore Randi Richardson moves past some CSU players on Wednesday.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

It’s almost likes teams are daring Randi Richardson to shoot the ball. Maybe it’s even a double-dog dare.

On Wednesday, Richardson answered with a dare of her own: “Here it is, try to stop me.”

Richardson, along with sophomore reserve Jade Kennedy, hit five 3-pointers to kick-start the Wyoming offense in the 71-62 win over Colorado State in the Arena-Auditorium.

When the Cowgirls' big guns came out firing blanks to begin the game, Richardson (2.8 points a game) and Kennedy (4.0 ppg) were the Wyoming offense for the first 10 minutes of the opening half, scoring 12 of the team‘s first 16 points. The Cowgirl mainstays -- sophomore Hillary Carlson (16 points) and freshmen Emma Langford (17) and Kristen Scheffler (12) -- later picked it up with an improved final 30 minutes.

Wide open for much of the night, Richardson stepped up to the task.

“It’s now my job to step up and make that shot,” said Richardson, who finished with 12 points. “If I do, I can make it a little easier on my teammates.”

The Cowgirls, after struggling offensively in the 13-point loss to TCU on Saturday, came out and missed nine of their first 10 shots on Wednesday against the Rams. Fortunately, CSU didn’t shoot much better and only led 8-7 early. Kennedy came off the bench and hit two straight 3-pointers and Richardson added another in an 11-0 run and Wyoming led 35-22 at halftime.

Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said that Wednesday‘s game was about different players stepping up.

“They were doubling up Randi Richardson, creating some problems for Hillary at the block and Randi steps up and knocks down three 3-pointers,” Legerski said. “I thought that was big to get us going, because we couldn’t hit a shot early, couldn’t get something inside. They were leaving Randi open and it was important that she hits some shots, and she did.

“Jade came in a gave us a huge lift with her two 3s. Those are names we are not used to see scoring a great deal. I really believe that was a big part of our success tonight, was different players stepping up.”

Richardson went into the game hitting on just 6 of 40 3-pointers (15 percent). She was 3-of-5 on Wednesday.

“We work on our shot every day,” Richardson said. “It’s just about having the mindset to shoot the ball and actually looking for my shot and having confidence in it. I’ve just been preparing myself to shoot the ball.”

CSU coach Kristen Holt said their strategy of doubling up on Carlson backfired.

“Randi Richardson made us pay,” Holt said.

Cowgirls looking to finish strong down the stretch

2009-02-24T22:27:00.005-07:00

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming coach Joe Legerski talks to his team earlier in the season.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

It’s been a long and winding road for the Wyoming Cowgirls this season and the home schedule is coming to a roundabout end with two final games in the A-A.

The Cowgirls host rival Colorado State on Wednesday at 7 p.m., before taking on Air Force in the Arena-Auditorium at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

For a program in transition, the next two weeks will be critical for what is considered a successful season.

“It’s important getting a little momentum going into the tournament,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “As we wind down., we have two very difficult road games next week with BYU and New Mexico. It will be nice to come out, play well, compete and play in front of our fans.”

The young Cowgirls, 5-7 in league play and 13-12 overall, have played well down the stretch, something that Legerski has been pleased with. So have the young Rams, 4-9, 9-17, who nearly pulled off a monumental upset two weeks ago, losing to San Diego State 62-61 in San Diego.

Legerski said CSU is a much improved program from the last couple of years.

“It is going to be a very hard-fought game, as it always is,” Legerski said. “We’re going to have to go out there and play very well for 40 minutes; we’re going to need to make some shots. That is always important for this group, that we go out and get started early, rather than constantly fighting from behind. We took a look at the TCU game and we had great opportunities to score early, unfortunately the ball didn’t go down.”

The last time the two teams met, they went down to the wire before the Cowgirls prevailed 64-61 in Moby Arena. Wyoming had a big first-half lead and almost gave it up before holding on at the end.

“The first time we played very well for 20 minutes and I thought CSU played very well the second 20 minutes," Legerski said. “It’s about making runs. We have to make sure that our runs are longer than the opponent’s runs are. We were hanging on at the end. That was something that we had not found a way to win and we were able to play a lot people close, so it was very important for us to pull a game out and get some confidence to a group that was lacking confidence at that point and time.”

The Cowgirls finished 2-1 on a recent three-game stretch, losing to TCU on Saturday, 60-47. A horrendous start shooting the ball proved to be the difference in the outcome.

Legerski said he was pleased with how they attacked the zone against TCU, but not with how they finished.

“We just missed several shots and missed several shots at what I call point-blank range," he said. “I tell the team that I am not asking you to make every 3-point shot, but we need to make every shot within three feet. We have Kristen (Scheffler), Megan (McGuffey) and Rebecca (Vanderjagt) go 3-of-29 and that is difficult when you have three starters who are shooting that poorly. Hopefully, that is only one game.”

Take away one tough shooting night and the Cowboys have made some positive strides. It’s all about finishing those strides in the next couple of weeks.

“It’s hard to believe that we are down to the end,” Legerski said. “I think we’re anxious to get out and play again.”

Cowgirls cold in loss to Lady Frogs

2009-02-21T19:24:00.004-07:00

Wyoming-TCU stats

by Wyoming Sports.org

FORTH WORTH, Texas -- The Wyoming Cowgirls reverted to some previous offensive struggles and fell to TCU 60-47 on Saturday.

The Cowgirls, 13-12, 5-7 in the Mountain West, were cold from the field in the first half and trailed by 14 at halftime. While Wyoming did cut the TCU lead in half early in the second half, they couldn't complete the comeback.

“I think some nights you shoot the ball really well and others, it’s just average. Tonight, we had a very difficult time getting anything to fall,” UW coach Joe Legerski said. “The frustrating part was that we got the ball exactly where we wanted it, and for whatever reason things didn’t go down. Hillary (Carlson) having 18 points showed we got her the basketball, and Elisabeth Dissen did a good job scoring. We just have to do a better job shooting than we did.”

Carlson also had seven rebounds for the Cowgirls, with Emma Langford finishing with 11 points and five assists. Megan McGuffey tied her career high with 13 rebounds. The Cowgirls shot 16-of-57 (.281) from the field.

The Lady Frogs, 18-8, 10-3, were led by TK LaFleur with 17 points and five rebounds, with Helena Sverrrisdottir adding 15 points and five rebounds. TCU didn't shoot much better 18-of-55 (.327) from the field, but did 20 of 24 free throws.

The Cowgirls came out ice cold, going the first four minutes without scoring until a pair of free throws by senior Rebecca Vanderjagt ended the drought. TCU took advantage by opening with nine unanswered points and led 20-9. TCU ended the first half on a 9-3 run for a 34-20 halftime lead.

The Cowgirls stormed out to begin the second half with the first seven points but could get no closer. It was still just a nine-point game before the Lady Fongs went on a 10-2 run to end Wyoming's hopes.

The Cowgirls will close their home season next week, hosting Colorado State on Wednesday (7 p.m.) and air Force on Saturday (2 p.m.).

Cowgirls rally past Lady Rebels

2009-02-18T23:12:00.007-07:00

by Wyoming Sports.org

LAS VEGAS -- The Wyoming Cowgirls didn't have to win with style points, but just win as they close the final month of the regular season.

Wyoming did just that on Wednesday, stopping UNLV 50-44 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The win was the second straight in league play and third in the last four games for the Cowgirls, 13-11, 5-6 in the Mountain West.

Wyoming seemed to be in control for much of the first half, leading by 10, before the Lady Rebels scrapped away, holding the Cowgirls scoreless in the final six minutes for a 27-23 halftime lead. Wyoming wouldn't score again until three minutes into the second half and they regained their momentum.

“We had a 10-point lead in the first half and everyone makes runs,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski. “We weren’t aggressive with trying to get to the basket, which we did a better job in the second half. We were driving to the basket and moving in our offense."

Two Cowgirls finished with double figures, led by sophomore Hillary Carlson with a team-high 18 points, along with eight rebounds. Senior Megan McGuffey recorded a double-double, with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The Cowgirls were 19-of-51 (.373) from the field, 9-of-15 (.600) from the free-throw line, while out rebounding UNLV 42-39.

"Megan McGuffey did a good job of getting to the open area, as she finished with a double-double and Hillary Carlson with 18 points and eight rebounds was a great effort by both players," Legerski said.

UNLV was led by Erica Helms with 14 points and Shamela Hampton with 12 points and 14 rebounds. The Lady Rebels were 17-of-57 (.298) from the field and 5-of-13 (.385) from the free-throw line.

It took the teams a couple of minutes to get anything going offensively until an Erica Helms basket made it 29-23. The Cowgirls would finally get back in the scoring column with McGuffey's-point field goal to end a nine minute scoring drought stemming back from the first half. That would start a 9-2 run for Wyoming to give them a one point lead, 32-31.

Wyoming used a 9-2 run for a seven-point lead and UNLV would get no closer than five the rest of the way.

The Cowgirls will stay on the road to face TCU on Saturday in Fort Worth, beginning at 4 p.m.

Young Cowgirls growing up

2009-02-16T22:27:00.009-07:00

From left, Emma Langford, Hillary Carlson and Kristen Scheffler

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Eventually, young players have to grow up, despite their inexperience.

Wyoming fans are beginning to see the ongoing maturation process of three young players -- freshmen Kristen Scheffler and Emma Langford and sophomore Hillary Carlson.

All three, along with senior Megan McGuffey, are scoring in double figures. The average can be somewhat deceptive at times because as Wyoming coach Joe Legerski recently put it, “some games they get 20 points, the next game they get two, so they are averaging 11 points a game.”

On Sunday, Carlson, Scheffler and Langford showed -- whether they were scoring or not -- that their future as Cowgirls looks bright as Wyoming held off San Diego State 64-61.

Carlson, at 6-foot-3, led the way with 18 points and stepped outside twice to nail 3-pointers. Going into the game, she was 0-for-2 from beyond 3-point land.

“I was open, so I just let it fly,” Carlson said with a laugh.

It wasn’t as if Carlson was seeking to become a 3-pointer shooter all of the sudden. Her range came from the necessity of drawing San Diego State’s 6-4 Paris Johnson from the basket had a lot to do with it.

“Hillary Carlson really stepped up,” Legerski said. “Eighteen and nine and none were bigger than her two 3s. Hillary worked hard this summer to be able to shoot the basketball from 3. We haven’t stepped her outside much, but today we had to because Johnson was blocking everything we were taking to the basket. Hillary stepped out and made some plays.”

Legerski said that Carson has the ability to be a good long-range shooter. When the Cowgirls recruited her out of Cheyenne, the plan was to play her at the four sport.

“We wanted to put her on the outside. Her frame was slight and I didn’t want to have to sit her on the block all night long and take the physicalness of what the game requires,” he said. “Hillary has worked really hard to shoot the basketball, but she plays tremendous on the block. She can rebound, she can score on the inside and she shoots well from 12-15 feet.”

Scheffler is the best shooter on the team. Yet, not only she has been hot and cold at times this season, she has been reluctant to take some shots at crunch time. But when Scheffler brings the ball up the court and Legerski flashes the “three-game” sign, she becomes a different player.

“The three-game forces her to put the ball in her hands and make a play,” Legerski said. “I think if we stay with the motion, she is going to defer. A year ago, she is playing for Lovell, trying to make some plays. Now, she is playing against some of the best competition in the country, and that is hard for her. That’s why we ended up going to it. She has that ability to take over a game. We’re just trying to convince her that she has that ability.”

Langford looked early this season to be a lock in the MWC Newcomer of the Year voting, scoring nearly 20 points a game during one stretch.

In league play, it has been a different story, although Langford has shown signs recently of breaking out of a horrendous shooting slump. On Sunday, she struggled shooting (1-of-12 from the field), but the Australian native is now beginning to do other things when her shooting touch is off.

She grabbed eight rebounds against the Aztecs and none was bigger than the offensive board she took away on a Randi Richardson miss with about five seconds left and the Cowgirls protecting a two-point lead. She backed away and was fouled, hitting 1-of-2 free throws.

“I think that is the growth you are seeing in Emma,” Legerski said. “She started out tremendously and was just making shot after shot and she was believing it would be easy. I knew how difficult conference play was going to become. We talked to Emma that she is more than just a shooter or a scorer. You see that tonight with her line. She had more assists than turnovers, having a blocked shot, having a steal, having rebounds. We’re going to get her to shoot the ball better, but I like how she is starting to do other things for us.”

With two wins in their last three games, the Cowgirls are showing some signs of life. It won’t be easy this week as they return to the road at UNLV and TCU.

Legerski, however, likes the direction his young players are heading.

“I know there is going to be some hard days for us. I was asked the other day, ‘do you look at this group as no longer being freshmen because they have played 22-23 games?’” he said. “They are still freshmen; they don’t know what is still ahead. They have never experienced what it is like to finish out a season, like playing at people’s homes on Senior Night, go to the Mountain West Conference Tournament. I’m just happy with how we are continuing to grow as a group.”

Cowgirls crash the boards

2009-02-15T23:25:00.008-07:00

-------------------------------------------------------------

“We went into today’s game hoping that we could keep our turnovers under 20 and we were able to do that, but we knew that we had to do a better job on the offensive boards, to give us some second-chance opportunities." -- Wyoming coach Joe Legerski

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By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls spent enough time in the film room this week preparing for San Diego State.

What they learned -- not that it was hard to figure out -- was that the talented Aztecs dominated the boards in the seven-point SDSU win earlier in the season in San Diego.

Not always a dominating rebounding team, the Cowgirls didn't want that to happen again on Sunday in the Mountain West Conference rematch at the Arena-Auditorium.

This time out, the Cowgirls dominated the boards in the 64-61 win.

“We watched some film and about every clip, we saw they were out-rebounding us,” Wyoming sophomore post Hillary Carlson said. “It was in our minds that we didn’t want to give up a lot of offensive rebounds. We really picked it up.”

The Cowgirls more than picked it up, they dominated the Aztecs, who are led by 6-foot-4 sophomore Paris Johnson. Wyoming out-rebounded San Diego State 44-25, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds.

“We knew that we had to get on the boards in this game since they out-rebounded us the last time,” Wyoming freshman forward Emma Langford said.

Earlier in San Diego, the Aztecs had a 38-31 rebounding edge and SDSU grabbed an alarming 20 offensive rebounds, leading to 12 second-chance points.

“That was what got us in trouble when we played down in San Diego last time," Cowgirl senior forward Megan McGuffey said. “We stepped it up on the boards.”

Also in San Diego, the Cowgirls committed 23 turnovers. On Sunday, they gave up the ball 18 times. While it was probably more than they would have liked, it was an improvement as well.

“The first time we played San Diego State, we gave up roughly 20-22 offensive rebounds and we had roughly 23 turnovers. That’s a lot of opportunities that we ended up giving them and a lot of opportunities that we didn’t have for us,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “We went into today’s game hoping that we could keep our turnovers under 20 and we were able to do that, but we knew that we had to do a better job on the offensive boards, to give us some second-chance opportunities.

"I thought Rebecca Vanderjagt came out and really set the tempo early by grabbing a couple of offensive rebounds; then I thought that Hillary, Megan and Emma getting offensive rebounds were big for us too.”

No offensive boards were bigger than the final one, as Langford grabbed a Randi Richardson miss, peeled out and was fouled with 1.5 seconds left as the Cowgirls were protecting a two-point lead. Langford hit 1-of-2 free throws and the Aztecs couldn’t answer.

“The shot was off and I just knew I had to secure the ball to finish out the game,” Langford said.

After San Diego State missed a 3-pointer and the Cowgirls grabbed the defensive board, Legerski called time out and set up what he hoped would be the last play, even though there was still 34 seconds left in the game.

“I told them we were going to take a shot at the end of the shot clock and nothing quicker than that; just get the ball up the floor and get the ball on the glass however we can, so that would only give San Diego State four or five seconds to try to transition,” Legerski said. “Randi does a good job of getting it up on the glass and then Emma came up from the side to rebound it, showing a little composure as a freshman. She dribbled the ball out to get the clock running rather than try to make a play at the basket.”

The 19 offensive rebounds were second best mark this season to the Cowgirls 21 offensive boards in the win over Weber State. Ironically, it was a late put-back and free throw by Carlson that broke the tie for the win.

Cowgirls hold off Aztecs

2009-02-15T17:54:00.009-07:00

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey drives past San Diego State's Paris Johnson on Sunday.

Wyoming-SDSU box score

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

After struggling for much of the season at home, the Wyoming Cowgirls are finding a little home-court magic.

After losing six of their first 10 games this season in the Arena-Auditorium, the Cowgirls won their second straight in the A-A with another nail-biter, edging San Diego State 64-61 on Sunday.

“We have two home wins in a row," Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey said. "We’re used to winning here, so hopefully we can continue that and finish up with two more wins. These have been two huge wins for us. They are two really great teams in our conference. Also, it has been fun to play here and get our crowd back into it, so it feels like the old Dome of Doom.”

While the Cowgirls are just fighting to get back up in the middle of the Mountain West Conference standings, the loss hurt San Diego State’s chances for the regular-season title, as the Aztecs, 17-6 overall, fell two games behind league-leading Utah at 8-3 in the MWC.

“There are a lot of smiling faces with Wyoming fans, our players and coaching staff,” Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski said. “We always talk about playing hard for 40 minutes, scrambling for the ball, and I think we’ve been doing that the last month. We demonstrated a great deal of effort to have 19 offensive rebounds, which was key in giving us second opportunities at the basket Hillary Carlson really stepped up with her 18 points, nine rebounds and her two 3-point shots. We just found a way to win at the end, which was important.”

In Wyoming's last home game, the Cowgirls hit a last-second shot to beat New Mexico 52-50. The Cowgirls are getting more of that feeling that saw them lose just five times at home in the previous three years.

“That’s an excellent team that we played today,” Legerski said. “The crowd got into it – 3,500 fans here – I keep telling our players that they have to keep believing, because our fans do, they keep showing up. They kept coming even when we had a tough January. To be able to get this victory, it really shows a great magnitude with our fans leading this group. This young group just keeps learning.”

The Aztecs came into Sunday's game just one game behind the Utes, after handing Utah its first league loss earlier in the week. that makes the win extra special, McGuffey said.

"This was just a great win for us," McGuffey said. "We're sitting, kind of in the back of the pack now and we feel that we could have won some games early on that we lost. We're just excited that we are starting to pull out these league wins."

Trailing 32-29 at halftime, the Cowgirls were still down by four with 6:22 left, but used a layup by freshman Kristen Scheffler, two free throws by freshman Emma Langford and a layup by McGuffey to regain the lead at 62-60 with two minutes remaining. The Cowgirls never trailed again, but the game came down to the final possessions.

With Wyoming leading 63-61, San Diego State’s Jene Morris missed a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left. After the rebound, the Cowgirls worked the shot clock and Randi Richardson missed a running floater in the lane, but Langford grabbed the offensive rebound with 1.5 seconds left. She was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws to close the scoring. The Aztecs’ Quenese Davis badly missed an off-balanced 40-foot 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Carlson led the Cowgirls with 18 points, with Scheffler adding 11 points for Wyoming, 12-11, 4-6. The Cowgirls stayed in the game despite turning the ball over 18 times and shooting just 34 percent from the field. Wyoming out-rebounded San Diego State 44-25 and grabbed 19 offensive rebounds for 11 second-chance points.

Paris Johnson led San Diego State with 15 points, followed by Jene Morris with 13 and Coco Davis with 10.

"Without question, the tougher and more competitive team won," San Diego State coach Beth Burns said. "Our defense was the reason Wyoming made a run in the second half."

Wyoming returns to the road, as they face UNLV Wednesday in Las Vegas and TCU Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.

Cowgirls looking for consistency against Aztecs

2009-02-14T21:48:00.001-07:00

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Consistency and a young team often go hand-in-hand and that is certainly the case for the Wyoming Cowgirls this season.

Wyoming has also struggled at times at home. The Cowgirls will look to take a bite out of that discrepancy when they host San Diego State Sunday, with a 2 p.m. tip-off at the Arena-Auditorium.

Although the Cowgirls won their last home game over New Mexico, they are just 5-6 at home this season, after losing just five times in the A-A in the previous three years.

With just three home games remaining this season, Wyoming coach Joe Legerski would like to see his team play with a little more consistency. Unfortunately for the Cowgirls, they have to go up against a very good San Diego State team (8-2 in MWC, 17-5 overall).

“We’ve had a tough time at home this year and a great deal of that is due to the youth of this team, as well as we haven’t had players step up when we needed them to step up,” Legerski said. “It will be an interesting game for us on Sunday and a very difficult opponent to try to stat working towards getting our home court advantage back.”

Even with that, the Cowgirls (11-11, 3-6) showed some positive signs with the win over the Lobos and a good performance in the loss to Utah last Sunday in Salt Lake City.

“One of the things that we are doing, is we are moving in the direction of becoming a better team,” Legerski said. “One of the concerns that I have is we’re having players step up and playing extremely well one night and not another night. The example is how Hillary (Carlson) started out in conference play. Now teams are starting to double her. What we are lacking is a little consistency.

“When you take a look at it and Hillary and Kristen Scheffler are leading the team in scoring and both of them have difficult nights against Utah and Megan (McGuffey) and Emma (Langford) really stepped forward. We need everybody, each and every night, to step up for us to have a chance to win.”

The Aztecs have been nothing but consistent this season, dating back to their strong run in last year’s MWC tournament. San Diego State beat Wyoming 49-42 earlier in the season in San Diego.

“They are a great defensive team and they make it very difficult to get open shots,” Legerski said. “What they really excel at is turning defense into offense, so you have to limit the amount of turnovers. We have to do a better job on the glass -- we gave up way too many offensive rebounds. But that is a very difficult task because they have great size. You can see why they are playing so well and that is why they are one of the top teams in our league.”
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Wyoming Cowgirls (11-11 overall, 3-6 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
3 Randi Richardson G 5-7 RSo. TR Arlington, Wash. 2.9 ppg, 2.5 aspg
10 Rebecca Vanderjagt F 6-3 Sr. 3L Townsville, Australia 2.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.0 bpg
12 Kristen Scheffl er G 5-11 Fr. HS Lovell, Wyo. 10.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.6 aspg
24 Megan McGuffey G 5-11 Sr. 3L Cheyenne, Wyo. 10.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.6 aspg
41 Hillary Carlson F 6-3 So. 1L Cheyenne, Wyo. 10.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.7 bpg
Off The Bench
4 Gemma Koehler F 6-1 Jr. 1L Geelong, Australia Has played in one game
13 Ashley Sickles F 6-1 Fr. HS Cresco, Iowa 2.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg
14 Jade Kennedy F 6-1 So. 1L Cairns, Australia 4.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg
15 Leah Fitzgerald C 6-2 Fr. HS Colorado Springs, Colo. Has played in three games
20 Aubrey Vandiver G 5-11 Jr. 2L Laramie, Wyo. Has not played this season
21 Emma Langford F 6-2 Fr. HS Arthurton, Australia 10.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.7 aspg
22 Brenna Freeze G 5-11 Fr. HS Albuquerque, N.M. 1.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg
33 Elisabeth Dissen C 6-1 Sr. 3L Hillsboro, Ore. 7.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg
45 Mallory Cline C 6-4 Jr. 2L McClave, Colo. Has played in two games
Head Coach: Joe Legerski (Wyoming, ‘79), Sixth Year
Associate Head Coach: Gerald Mattinson (Weber State, '81), Sixth Year
Assistant Coaches: Kristin Becker (Vanderbilt, ‘90), Third Year, Katie Kern (New Mexico, ‘99), Third Year
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San Diego State (17-5 overall, 8-2 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
2 Coco Davis G 5-9 So. 1L Sacramento, Calif. 4.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg
3 Quenese Davis G 5-9 Jr. 2L Sacramento, Calif. 11.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg
5 Jené Morris G 5-9 Jr. 1L San Francisco, Calif. 13.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg
24 Jennifer Layton-Bailes F 6-1 Sr. 1L Sacramento, Calif. 8.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg
32 Paris Johnson C 6-4 So. 1L San Diego, Calif. 15.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg
Off The Bench
4 Kim Spinardi G 5-8 Jr. 2L Merced, Calif. 1.1 ppg, 0.9 rpg
15 Lindsay Leo F 6-2 Fr. HS San Jose, Calif. 1.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg
20 Adrienne Vita F 6-0 Fr. HS Marin County, Calif. Has played in fi ve games
21 Jerica Williams G 5-8 So. RS San Diego, Calif. 5.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg
22 Gabrielle Clark F 6-1 Fr. HS Los Angeles, Calif. 1.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg
23 LaSandra Dixon G 5-7 Sr. 3L Azusa, Calif. 2.2 ppg, 1.0 rpg
40 Candace Chambers F 6-1 Fr. HS Seattle, Wash. 1.3 ppg,1.3 rpg
55 Kalena Tutt C 6-2 Fr. HS Long Beach, Calif. 1.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg
Head Coach: Beth Burns (Ohio Wesleyan, '79), 12th Year
Assistant Coaches: Jualeah Woods (USC, '94), Shanele Stires (Kansas State, '95)
Fred Chmiel
Dir. of Operations: Tammy Stephens (CS Fullerton, '81)

Cowgirls get a needed breather

2009-02-10T18:32:00.002-07:00

Richard Anderson photo

Wyoming freshman Kristen Scheffler looks over the court earlier against BYU.

By Richard Anderson

Wyoming Sports.org

This time of the year can often be like running against the Wyoming wind; sometimes you feel like you are fighting an uphill battle.

For the young Wyoming Cowgirls, this week has come at a good time. The Cowgirls have just one game -- on Sunday when they host San Diego State (2 p.m.) in the Arena-Auditorium.

With that, Wyoming coach Joe Legerski gave his team Monday and Tuesday off before getting back to work on Wednesday in preparation for the Aztecs.

“It is important to get some rest this time of the year, especially with seven days off between games and then we are going to have three games in seven days next week,” Legerski said. “It’s a different week, not having two games in a week. It’s been such a routine, but the rest is much needed.”

For the Wyoming freshmen, they have already played more games this year than they did during each high school regular season.

“The year gets long and when you start playing as many young kids that we have played, they are not ready for the kind of season that they have to go through, or for the intensity of a season that you have to go through,” Legerski said.

The long season doesn’t just wear on the players physically, but mentally as well. Legerski said the mental aspect is difficult.

“We’ve been going basically since September and that is longer than they have ever had to put on a pair of basketball shoes, get in a gym and play at a high level,” Legerski said. “We keep bringing them along and that is why the rest at times is more beneficial for us than stepping out on the court.”

The Cowgirls, 3-6 in Mountain West play and 11-11 overall, are coming off of two decent efforts, albeit one win and one loss. Last week, the Cowgirls rallied to edge New Mexico 52-50 in Laramie, before playing well but falling to unbeaten Utah 64-57 Sunday in Salt Lake City.

With seven games remaining in regular-season play, Legerski said the biggest thing they have to do is get a little more consistency. “We roughly have four players -- Hillary (Carlson), Kristen (Scheffler), Megan (McGuffey) and Emma (Langford) -- who are right around double figures,” he said. “The problem is, they may get 20 one night and two the next, and that is why they are in double figures at 11 points a game. We need to get consistency where we can count on at least three of the four players getting in double figures every night. If we can get that, we can gets some wins over the next three weeks.”

As a team, Legerski would like to see some more consistency as well, as the Cowboys close with three home game and four more on the road. Wyoming is just 5-6 at home this season after losing just five times in the A-A in the previous three seasons. Utah and San Diego State lead the way in the MWC this season at 9-0 and 7-2 respectively, and the two teams meet for what could be the title on Wednesday in San Diego.

“Everybody is scrambling within positioning in the conference, the top teams are looking for a postseason bid; the teams in the bottom half of the league are still trying to find where they are at, maybe pull an upset or two, so it really creates great basketball over the last three weeks,” Legerski said.

Cowgirls stay close, but fall to Utah

2009-02-08T19:12:00.014-07:00

From left, Emma Langford and Megan McGuffey

Wyoming-Utah stats

By Wyoming Sports.org

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Wyoming Cowgirls gave league-leading Utah a battle, but came up short in the final minutes as the Utes held on for a 64-57 win on Sunday.

Utah, 9-0 in the Mountain West, 16-6 overall, had its way against the Cowgirls the first time these two teams met in Laramie. Not this time. Wyoming stayed close and led on a few occasions in the first half and early in the second half before the Utes used an 8-0 to recapture the momentum. Utah was up by as much 11 before the Cowgirls made one final push.

The loss dropped Wyoming to 3-6 and 11-11.

“We are really pleased with the effort from the team,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski. “I thought the whole second half we played from behind. We played well and kept the game close, but most of the time we were down.”

Freshman Emma Langford continued to show flashes of her early-season self, as she led the Cowgirls with 20 points and four rebounds off of the bench. Senior Megan McGuffey finished with 14 points.

“Emma Langford and Megan McGuffey played extremely well and made plays for us,” Legerski said. “It was a possession here or there that made a difference.”

It was another strong performance from Utah’s Morgan Warburton and Kalee Whipple, who combined to score 50 of the team’s 64 points (77 percent). In the 70-52 win in Laramie, the two finished with 53 points. On Sunday, Warburton scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Whipple added 22 points and six rebounds.

"That was one of those games with injuries and foul trouble, we really didn't have five on the floor," Utah coach Elaine Elliott said. "We had a makeshift lineup in the first half and we couldn't run anything with that lineup. But we survived when everything certainly didn't go our way."

It was a struggle for both teams offensively through the first four minutes of this nationally-televised game on CBS College Sports, as they combined for just one basket each. The Utes would come out of the timeout and go on an 8-0 run to regain the lead, 10-2. An Elisabeth Dissen field goal would end an almost five minute scoring drought for Wyoming and the Cowgirls chipped away for their first lead of the game at 17-16. The two teams traded leads before 3-pointers by Wyoming’s Kristen Scheffler and Utah’s Josi McDermott would lock it up at 28-each at halftime.

Again, both teams struggled out of the gate in the second half. McGuffey’s 3-pointer put the Cowgirls up 31-30 by the first media timeout. It proved to be the final Wyoming lead, as Utah would score eight unanswered points and never look back.

The Cowgirls came back and cut the lead to five on Langford’s 3-pointer, but Utah scored five of the next seven points to end the threat. Wyoming did get back within six, but could get no closer .

"I was pleased with the effort today, this is a very difficult place to play," Legerski said. "I think in 36 years of basketball, Wyoming has won here twice. So going in, the odds are stacked against you and Utah has a tremendous winning streak going, they play extremely well at home. I thought Warburton and Whipple once again really stepped up and it was a huge difference in the ball game."

The Cowgirls return to action next Sunday when they host San Diego state at 2 p.m.

Cowgirls back on the road at Utah

2009-02-07T22:26:00.004-07:00

Richard Anderson photo
Utah coach Elaine Elliott has won 551 games in her 26 years with the Utes.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Momentum can often be short-lived. The Wyoming Cowgirls didn’t get a ton of time to really enjoy Wednesday’s thrilling come-from behind win over New Mexico.

Especially when you have to go back out on the road to face Mountain West Conference-leading Utah in the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

The Cowgirls will face the red-hot Utes Sunday at 3 p.m. in a game that will be nationally televised on CBS College Sports (channel 27 on Bresnan Cable in Laramie, 613 on DirecTV).

The Cowgirls finished 3-5 in the first half of league play (11-10 overall), thanks to a big 52-50 win over Utah on a last-second shot by sophomore Hillary Carlson.

At the midpoint part of the conference season, Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said the first eight in the league have been extremely difficult for his young team.

“The Mountain West Conference is one of the top leagues in the country," Legerski said. “We’re a team that was picked in the bottom half of the league, we’re in the bottom half of the league. Every night out is where we have to be at our best to be able to compete. It doesn’t get any easier with Utah and San Diego State, with us turning this thing right back around.”

With that said, Wednesday’s win over the talented Lobos was a nice shot in the arm for a team that had been struggling at home this season.

“Over the last three years, we only lost one league game at home,“ Legerski said. “We get into this conference season and we drop four at home. We have to try to get that back. The home court advantages in the Mountain West Conference are huge. With us going on the road for five of eight, we have our work cut out for us, there is no doubt about that.”

The Utes come in to the game with a 15-6 record overall and 8-0 mark in the MWC this season, riding an eight-game winning streak. Morgan Warburton leads the way, averaging 18.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while Kalee Whipple is adding 16.7 points and 6.5 boards.

The Utes beat the Cowgirls 70-52 earlier this season in Laramie.

Four Cowgirls are scoring in double-figures, led by Carlson, who is averaging 11 points and 4.5 rebounds a game. Freshman guard Kristen Scheffler is close behind with 10.9 points per game, while senior Megan McGuffey and Frshman Emma Langford follow with 10.6 and 10.1 points per game respectively. McGuffey also leads the way with six rebounds per contest.
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Wyoming Cowgirls (11-10 overall, 3-5 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
3 Randi Richardson G 5-7 RSo. TR Arlington, Wash. 2.9 ppg, 2.6 aspg
10 Rebecca Vanderjagt F 6-3 Sr. 3L Townsville, Australia 2.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.1 aspg
12 Kristen Scheffl er G 5-11 Fr. HS Lovell, Wyo. 10.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 aspg
24 Megan McGuffey G 5-11 Sr. 3L Cheyenne, Wyo. 10.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.7 aspg
41 Hillary Carlson F 6-3 So. 1L Cheyenne, Wyo. 11.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.8 bpg
Off The Bench
4 Gemma Koehler F 6-1 Jr. 1L Geelong, Australia Has played in one game
13 Ashley Sickles F 6-1 Fr. HS Cresco, Iowa 2.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg
14 Jade Kennedy F 6-1 So. 1L Cairns, Australia 4.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg
15 Leah Fitzgerald C 6-2 Fr. HS Colorado Springs, Colo. Has played in three games
20 Aubrey Vandiver G 5-11 Jr. 2L Laramie, Wyo. Has not played this season
21 Emma Langford F 6-2 Fr. HS Arthurton, Australia 10.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.8 aspg
22 Brenna Freeze G 5-11 Fr. HS Albuquerque, N.M. 1.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg
33 Elisabeth Dissen C 6-1 Sr. 3L Hillsboro, Ore. 7.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg
45 Mallory Cline C 6-4 Jr. 2L McClave, Colo. Has played in two games
Head Coach: Joe Legerski (Wyoming, ‘79), Sixth Year
Associate Head Coach: Gerald Mattinson (Weber State, '81), Sixth Year
Assistant Coaches: Kristin Becker (Vanderbilt, ‘90), Third Year and Katie Kern (New Mexico, ‘99), Third Year.
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Utah Utes (15-6 overall, 8-0 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
2 Kalee Whipple F 6-0 Jr. 2L Hiko, Nev. 16.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg
5 Hannah Stephens G 5-8 Fr. HS San Mateo, Calif. 3.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg
15 Morgan Warburton G 5-11 Sr. 3L Helper, Utah 18.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg
22 Halie Sawyer F 6-1 Jr. 2L Panguitch, Utah 8.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg
31 Katie King F 6-1 Sr. 1L Layton, Utah 11.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg
Off The Bench
1 Janita Badon G 5-6 Fr. HS Portland, Ore. 3.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg
3 Iwalani Rodrigues G 5-9 Fr. HS Ewa Beach, Hawaii Has not played this season
10 Josi McDermott G 6-0 Fr. RS Ashland, Ore. Has played in seven games
12 Cydney Knight G/F 6-1 So. 1L Pasco, Wash. 1.8 ppg, 0.9 rpg
14 Hennasea Tokumura G 5-4 Jr. 2L Honolulu, Hawaii Has not played this season
20 Sasha McKinnon G 6-0 Jr. 2L Langley, B.C. Has played in two games
23 Deanne Stevenson C 6-3 Sr. 2L Draper, Utah Has played in four games
42 Mandy Munns C 6-3 Fr. HS Brigham City, Utah 1.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Head Coach: Elaine Elliott (Boise State, '77), 26th Year
Assistant Coaches: Matt Legerski, Anthony Levrets, Lana Sitterud
Dir. of BB Operations: Sarah Levrets

Langford looking to get back to old self

2009-02-04T23:27:00.010-07:00

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“I’m just pushing through it, trying not to think about it and trying to get back to the way I was playing. Yeah, I am dealing with a back problem, but I am getting through it and getting into rehab and all that stuff. I’m just playing through it and getting back.” -- Wyoming freshman Emma Langford

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By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

For much of the non-conference season, freshman Emma Langford looked like she would run away with the Newcomer of the Year award for the Mountain West Conference.

Then, she ran into a back injury and the conference schedule. Suddenly, Langford was on the bench and probably wondering if she would ever find her shot again.

As of late, the Australian native has been showing glimpses of her early self in a Cowgirl uniform.

On Wednesday night, she scored eight big points down the stretch to help the Cowgirls rally for a 52-50 win over New Mexico in the Arena-Auditorium.

“We have been waiting for Emma for a long time,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “I thought at Colorado State (18 points), she really seemed to be coming out of some things. Then she slipped back. I think she wants to win so much that at times she tries to hard. We just have to get her to get in the flow of things.”

It hasn’t helped that Langford has been hobbled with a back injury in the past month or so, which at times has limited her practice time. It’s been a physical and mental battle for her.

“I’m just pushing through it, trying not to think about it and trying to get back to the way I was playing,” Langford said. “Yeah, I am dealing with a back problem, but I am getting through it and getting into rehab and all that stuff. I’m just playing through it and getting back.”

Langford, averaging 10.1 points a game in her rookie campaign, came into Wednesday night averaging just 5.9 points a game in league play, shooting just .250 from the field. She had hit just 3-of-14 3-pointers in the previous seven league contests.

She hit a 3-pointer, two free throws and then a layup with 1:55 to play for a five-point Wyoming lead before she fouled out.

“It sure was nice to see one 3-pointer go in for her,” Legerski said. “That is something she can really do. We talk to her about that she has to do more things. Tonight, she got five rebounds and four assists. She is starting to turn into more of an all around player than just somebody who can score. Her confidence has no doubt been shaken over the last six weeks, and it is very important for her to have some games where she can build upon that.”

Cowgirls make the plays to beat Lobos

2009-02-04T22:01:00.009-07:00

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming senior Elisabeth Dissen looks for a shot against New Mexico on Wednesday. Pictured at bottom, left, sophomore Hillary Carlson.

Wyoming-New Mexico game stats

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

For a change, the basketball bounced the Wyoming Cowgirls’ way.

Hillary Carlson’s basket with 0.3 seconds remaining lifted Wyoming to a 52-50 come-from-behind win over New Mexico on Wednesday in the Arena-Auditorium.

The loss snapped a four-game skid in the A-A for the Cowgirls, who finished the first half of Mountain West Conference play at 3-5 (11-10 overall).

“We just knew that we need to get a shot up and take a chance,” said Carlson, who led all scorers with 16 points and also had the game-winner earlier in the season at Weber State. “The ball just bounced to me. That’s the breaks. It was pretty lucky, I’d say.”

Luck or skill, it didn’t matter for the Cowgirls, who had been struggling offensively as of late, even in the first half on Wednesday.

“There are a few more smiles tonight from the players, as well as the coaches,” said Wyoming coach Joe Legerski, who was indeed smiling in the postgame news conference.

It was a tale of two halves, as Wyoming went over 11 minutes without a field goal and New Mexico led 28-16 at halftime.

The Cowgirls turned to a little defense of their own, holding the Lobos scoreless for the first five minutes of the second half and taking their first lead of the game at 36-35 on a layup by Carlson with 6:56 left.

Emma Langford hit a 3-pointer, two free throws and then a layup with 1:55 to play for a five-point Wyoming lead.

The Lobos rallied and tied the game at 50-50 with 19.2 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Amy Beggin.

Wyoming played for the last shot and Randi Richardson drove to the basket in the final seconds and missed a layup, with Carlson grabbing the rebound and putting back the shot for the game-winner.

Both Carlson and New Mexico coach Don Flanagan were a little surprised with how easy it weas for Carlson to get the game-winner.

“I didn’t feel anyone around me,” Carslon said.

Flanagan might have been more mad than surprised.

"One of the keys is blocking out and at the end, we just didn't block Carlson," Flanagan said.

New Mexico had one last chance, but the full-court pass was off the mark to end the game.

Legerski said that the game is always about players and coaches just give directions.

“The last play of the game, we did what we talked about," he said. "We were going to go to Hillary inside. If it got down to five, somebody had to get to the basket and get it up on the rim. Randi did that and we were fortunate enough that it came off on Hillary’s side and she put it back in. I always say that players make plays and Hillary made a big one.”

The Cowgirls have been waiting for good things to happen to this team and the ball to bounce their way one time.

“It seemed that over this last stretch, that we had been in so many games and the plays always go to the opponent in the last two minutes, last three minutes,” Legerski said. “Tonight, we were able to finally have the ball bounce -- fortunately, I call it -- Wyoming. Believe me, if that ball comes off the other way, it’s overtime. It just happens to find Hillary and she had enough composure to get up and get the basket.”

The loss denied Flanagan his 300th career win (299-131), as the Lobos fell to 5-3, 16-5.

“I thought we had the game at halftime. We were dictating what was happening,” Flanagan said. “Then, all of the sudden, no one could score, and my post player is in foul trouble. I thought a bunch of our players didn’t compete, and I’m very unhappy with them. We are going to war in practice because in games, they are not showing me enough.”

Beggin led the Lobos with 12 points, as New Mexico scored just five field goals in the second half.

After shooting 25 percent from the field in the first half, Wyoming shot 48 percent in the second half and got two big 3-pointers from freshman Kristen Scheffler and one from Langford, who added 12 points for the Cowgirls before fouling out with two minutes left.

“We had been close in so many games, it feels good to just get over that hump,” said senior Elisabeth Dissen, who scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds. “I think the crowd definitely helps us in these close games.”

The Cowgirls will begin the second half of league play by taking on Utah on Sunday afternoon in Salt Lake City.