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.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Cowgirls hold on to win MWC opener
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.
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.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Kennedy paces Cowgirls to win
UW junior Jade KennedyBy 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.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Cowgirls roll past Falcons again
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.
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.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Cowgirls come up short again
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.
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.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Cold-shooting Cowgirls fall to BYU
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.
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.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Cowgirls start, finish storng to beat Lobos
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.
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.
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