Cowgirls fall to Ducks

EUGENE, Ore. -- Oregon took advantage of 22 Wyoming turnovers to hold off the Cowgirls 51-45 on Saturday.

“We gave the other team too many opportunities with our turnovers,” said UW head coach Joe Legerski. “Oregon has great size, which we had a difficult time handling. We went to the zone, which really got us back in to the game. I attribute some of it to our youth, but at some point we need to get over those growing pains and move forward as a group.”

Freshman Emma Langford led the Cowgirls with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists, while sophomore Hillary Carlson added eight points and three other players had six points. Senior Rebecca Vanderjagt finished with a team high six rebounds. As a team, Wyoming shot 18-of 50 (.360) from the field and 5-of-13 (.385) from beyond the arc.

Oregon was led by Amanda Johnson with 13 points and seven rebounds. Micaela Cocks and Ellie Manou each finished with 12 points each. The Ducks shot 17-of-52 (.327) from the field and 13-of-14 (.929) from the free-throw line.

The Cowgirls got off to a slow start, but battled back with seven straight points to cut the Oregon lead to 25-22 at halftime.

The Ducks would come out in the second half and lead by as much as 14 (47-33), before the Cowgirls made a late push.

Wyoming continued to try and chip away at the lead as they went on a 7-2 run to make it a 49-40 game with just over four minutes left in the game. Langford and freshman Ashley Sickles would hit a couple of baskets to pull them to within four, 49-45, with 51.7 seconds remaining in the game. That was as close as Wyoming would get as Oregon hit a pair of late free throws to close the scoring.

The Cowgirls continue on the road next week, facing Weber State on Thursday and Idaho State on Saturday.

Cowgirls rally past Boise State

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming sophomore guard Randi Richardson looks to get past a Boise State player Tuesday in the Cowgirls 62-55 come-from-behind win.

Wyoming-Boise State box score

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

If Wyoming coach Joe Legerski knew that every time his team would fall behind, it would come back and win, there would be fewer worries on the Cowgirls bench.

But Legerski knows better. For the third straight game, the Cowgirls (3-2) dug themselves a bit of a hole. At least for two of those three games, they found a way to get out of it. On Tuesday, Wyoming did just that, stopping Boise State 62-55 in the Arena-Auditorium.

Against North Dakota last week, Wyoming falls behind by 11 before winning by 25. Against Gonzaga on Sunday, the Cowgirls trailed by 16 before coming back to cut the lead to four, only to lose by 10. Against Boise State, Wyoming found itself down by 15 in the first half and was down by 13 at halftime.

“It was a tale of two halves, there is no doubt,” Legerski said.

This is not exactly how Legerski draws things up. Just why this young Cowgirl team has a problem getting out of the gates remains to be seen. In fact, Legerski wants to know and he plans on asking them. On Tuesday night, he traced their slow start to energy … or the lack of it.

“I thought we came out, for whatever reason and played with very little energy, very little emotion,” Legerski said. “Whether that is the carry-over from Sunday’s game, whether all of the sudden you are turning around and playing almost immediately, whether they were looking forward to Thanksgiving …”

Senior forward Megan McGuffey isn’t sure what happened or why it is happening to the Cowgirls. But it is. She said it is never a good thing to be down, let along by double figures.

“Luckily in the second half, we picked up our defense and started picking up some shots,” McGuffey said.

The difference between first and second halves came on the defensive end. Legerski said they talked about coming out and extending their defense and getting into Boise State’s passing lanes. And of course, they talked about playing with some energy.

“Or you were going to come out and sit by me,” Legerski said.

The Cowgirls got the message.

“They are the only ones who could turn it around, and I thought they did a tremendous job,” he said. “When you take a look at the shooting percentages -- in the first half 45 percent from Boise, to 15 percent in the second half. I thought we really picked up the pace defensively and tried to make some things happen.”

As was the case in the previous two games, the Cowgirls had figure out how to stop their opponent before making a game of it. Wyoming did that, holding the Broncos to just four field goals in the second half that included a nearly 10-minute basket drought. Wyoming outscored Boise State 38-18 in the final 20 minutes.

It all came from, you guessed it, energy.

“When I talk about that, it is about getting to shooters. I thought in the first half, Boise State did a great job of getting 3-point shooters open,” he said. “We broke down defensively more than once. We needed to come out and really get to some shooters. We were able to do that and we started to make some shots and that brings your confidence back.”

The Cowgirls energy on the court then drifted into the stands, as the Wyoming fans came alive as well.

“Our fans are tremendous. They make a difference,” Legerski said. “That’s the biggest change over my six years here. We may have dropped a game my first or second year. The fans now are not going to let you.”

After shooting just 29 percent from the field in the first half, the Cowgirls chipped away at Boise State’s lead and caught and passed the Broncos (48-46) on a pair of free throws each by sophomore Hillary Carlson and freshman Emma Langford. It was Wyoming’s first lead of the game at the 6:17 mark.

The two teams traded leads before the Cowgirls got driving layups by Carlson and McGuffey for a 59-55 advantage with a minute to play. Wyoming closed with one free throw by senior Rebecca Vanderjagt and two by Carlson to clinch the win. Langford bounced back from a tough game on Sunday to lead the Cowgirls with 21 points, while Carlson had a season-high 13 points. McGuffey added nine points and 13 rebounds.

“It’s always to have these games early when they kind of have you in a corner pinned,” McGuffey said. “We really overcame a lot of adversity. In that second half. It was a great win for the team.”

The difference came on the free-throw line, as Wyoming was 22-of-32, while Boise State was 12-of-19.

“We couldn’t keep them off of the free-throw line,” Boise State coach Gordy Presnell said.

Brittany Moore led Boise State (2-3), with 16 points, including 13 in the first half. Boise State hit 6 of 9 3-pointers in the first half, but just 1-of-5 in the second half.

“In the first half, we shot the ball so well from the perimeter that we might have had a false lead to begin with,” Presnell said. “We shot the ball so well and we haven’t done that all year."

Wyoming gets back to the road on Saturday when it faces Oregon in Eugene.

Cowgirls host Boise State

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming senior Elisabeth Dissen goes up for a shot against Gonzaga on Sunday.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls just finished playing a strong Gonzaga team on Sunday and head coach Joe Legerski could only look forward and scratch his head.

No breather here. In fact, another tough matchup as the Cowgirls host Boise State Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium.

It’s a schedule that ,if it doesn’t damage the young Cowgirls’ psyche, will only make them battled tested for the Mountain West Conference season.

After an opening win over Denver, the Cowgirls went to Missoula and played a good Montana team before falling in the final minutes by seven. Next was North Dakota at home against a coach who has won 86 percent of his games -- the Cowgirls won 100-75.

Gonzaga is the defending West Coast Conference champs and 5-0 this season and the Cowgirls fell behind big early before losing by 10.

Boise State is the defending WAC champions and favored to win this year.

“The challenge for us right now is we are in a section of our schedule where Boise State is the two-time defending Western Athletic Conference champ and they have been picked to win it again this season,” Legerski said. “We ended up finishing a game with Gonzaga, which is in the same situation. We’re playing high level, high quality teams. The biggest thing is that we have to be able to move forward as a group and just worry about getting better ourselves and making sure that we get good play from our seniors and then our freshmen continue to grow.”

Then, there is Pac 10 Oregon on the road on Saturday.

The Broncos are currently 2-2 overall this season. Marisa Stotler leads the way, averaging 11.5 points and eight rebounds per game, while Ja'Lara Walker is adding 10.3 points and five rebounds. They return three starters and eight letterwinners to a team that went 24-9 overall and 12-4 in the Western Athletic Conference a year ago.

Legerski said the Broncos’ depth will be hard to match.

“They are going to play 10 players double-digit minutes,” Legerski said. “When you have that, it makes the scout a little more difficult because you cannot zero in on one person. They’ll have six or seven different players take anywhere from five to eight shots. What we have to do is approach this game where we’re going to try to contain them, keep them in front of us and challenge shots.

“I was pleased with the rebounding that we had against Gonzaga. We’re going to need that kind of effort against Boise State, to get to the glass really strong. They are going to end up having a little more quickness that we do. The defense as a team is going to be very important.”

The Cowgirls are led this year by a pair of freshmen -- guard Kritsen Scheffler and wing Emma Langford. Both are averaging 15.5 points a game.

On Sunday, Scheffler had a career-high 21 points and Langford, who scored 26 against North Dakota, struggled with just five points and 10 turnovers.

Senior Megan McGuffey is averaging 10.5 points and 7 rebounds a game.

Legerski said that Scheffler will start again at the point guard position, with sophomore Randi Richardson continuing to recover from a knee injury that she suffered against North Dakota.

“We’re going to be able to bring Randi back,” Legerski said. “It is so early in the season. She could have played more on Sunday, but that was just the decision. Kristen was playing very well and we just decided to go that way. Randi will be a big part of our rotation.”

Junior guard Aubrey Vandiver, who would have been the starting point guard, is still struggling with mononucleosis. Legerski said there is no time table for Vandiver’s return.

“I spoke to Aubrey on Sunday before the game and she even went home then to rest some more,” he said. “I think we just want Aubrey to get healthy and then we’ll worry about basketball.”
---
WYOMING COWGIRLS (2-2 overall)
Probable Starters
12 Kristen Scheffler G 5-11 Fr. 15.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg
24 Megan McGuffey G 5-11 Sr. 10.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg
33 Elisabeth Dissen C 6-1 Sr. 8.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg
10 Rebecca Vanderjagt F 6-3 Sr. 3.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.0 aspg
21 Emma Langford F 6-2 Fr. 15.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.0 aspg
Off The Bench
3 Randi Richardson G 5-7 RSo. 4.5 ppg, 2.0 aspg
4 Gemma Koehler F 6-1 Jr. Has not played this season
13 Ashley Sickles F 6-1 Fr. 4.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg
14 Jade Kennedy F 6-1 So. 6.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg
15 Leah Fitzgerald C 6-2 Fr. Has played in one game
20 Aubrey Vandiver G 5-11 Jr. Has not played this season
22 Brenna Freeze G 5-11 Fr. Has played in one game
41 Hillary Carlson F 6-3 So.3.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg
45 Mallory Cline C 6-4 Jr. Has played in one game
BOISE STATE BRONCOS (2-2 overall)
Probable Starters
13 Jamia Malone G 5-7 Sr. 4.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
20 Jenna Galassi G/F 5-10 Sr. 2.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg
22 Brittany Moore G 5-7 Sr. 2.8 ppg, 0.8 rpg
34 Janie Bos F/C 6-1 So. 3.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg
42 Ja’Lara Walker C 6-4 Jr. 10.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Off The Bench
2 Heather Pilcher G 5-8 Fr. 6.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg
3 Courtney VanBrocklin G 5-7 Fr. 3.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg
12 Tasha Harris G 5-7 Sr. 17.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg
15 Jessica Thompson G 5-9 Sr.Has not played this season
21 Melissa Rima F 6-2 So. 3.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg
23 Marisa Stotler F 6-1 So. 11.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg
24 Stacie Gross F 6-0 Fr. 2.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
25 Ainsleigh Sanders F 6-1 So. RHas not played this season
32 Sierra Moeller F 6-1 So. 1L 4.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg
50 Rebecca Kepilino F 6-0 Jr. Has not played this season

Cowgirls fall to Gonzaga

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming's Jade Kennedy loses the basketball as she collides with Gonzaga's Kelly Bowen on Sunday. Kennedy was called for an offensive foul on the play.

Wyoming-Gonzaga box score

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Joe Legerski knew that these kind of days were out there. He just hopes that they are far and few between.

Sunday was one of those days. The young Cowgirls showed their youth and inexperience, falling to a veteran Gonzaga team 68-58 in the Arena-Auditorium.

The Cowgirls fell behind early, by as much as 16 points, and trailed by 12 at halftime. Wyoming made a couple of pushes in the second half, but could get no closer than four points. The Bulldogs, now 5-0 on the season, took control down the stretch to remain unbeaten.

“I thought tonight we played as freshmen at times,” Legerski said. “Gonzaga is very talented. They came out very aggressive, and I think we tried to make plays that were not there. When you try to do that against a very talented team, the rotations take passes away. At times we did not adjust.”

Wyoming senior post Elisabeth Dissen said they just got behind against a good team and could not quite come back.

“We picked it up a lot in the second half and played very hard,“ Dissen said. “We got down to (four), but just couldn’t get it any closer.”

While the Cowgirls (2-2) had problems hanging on to the basketball (20 turnovers), they also had troubles shooting, especially in the first half (25 percent from the field). Wyoming missed several close-in shots that would come back to haunt them.

“We missed a lot of easy shots and I give Gonzaga credit for that,” Legerski said. “They really made it a situation where we were starting to rush everything. I thought they rotated tremendously on defense. Now all of the sudden when we have some draw and kicks, we’re looking for defenders instead of looking for the basket. When you shoot poorly from the free-throw line and you miss as many bunnies as we missed tonight, that tells me we are looking for things instead of focusing on shooting the basketball."

Freshman wing Emma Langford and senior Megan McGuffey combined to make just 4-of-25 from the field in the game.

One Cowgirl who didn’t have problems shooting the ball was freshman guard Kristen Scheffler, who led the way with 21 points, including hitting 6 of 8 3-pointers. It was Scheffler’s first start of her college career, as she replaced sophomore Randi Richardson, who is struggling with a slight knee injury.

“I was nervous. But once you get out on the court you do what coach taught us. It wasn’t too bad once we got started,” Scheffler said.

Scheffler and Langford are tied with the team lead in scoring at 15.5 points a game.

“Coach gave me the green light. In practice one time, I actually had to sit out because I didn’t shoot. I just don’t hesitate and shoot when I am open,” Scheffler said.

Legerski said that Scheffler is a player who coaches often describe as having “it.”

“She plays with a great deal of confidence She is a tremendous shooter and she does not get rattled,” Legerski said. “She plays way beyond her age. We’re excited to be able to see that.”

Dissen, who finished with nine points and 10 rebounds, said that although they were sluggish on offense, they learned from their mistakes and it will benefit the team down the stretch.

“We need to be tougher and not be afraid to take the same shots that we always take, even though they are a good defensive team,” Dissen said.

The Cowgirls had problems against the hawking Gonzaga defense, with Langford guilty of 10 of those miscues. While Langford has shown an unique offensive ability as a freshman (26 points last Thursday), she has also been prone to turn the ball over at times this season.

“We try to talk to Emma about not trying to make something happen on every catch. It’s OK to make a pass and allow somebody else to make something happen,” Legerski said. “Emma is going to grow. I think we all just got used to seeing Emma make shots and make plays and think that she was never going to have an off night. I know tonight, she had a difficult evening. Emma will come back in practice and get right back at it and work extremely hard. She’ll have very few of these games.”

The Cowgirls chipped away at the Gonzaga lead in the second half and moved within four points with 6:18 left on a basket by Dissen.The Bulldogs, however, got 11 points by Heather Bowman in the final minutes to preserve the win.

“Positively, there was no give up with this team. To be down 13 at halftime, as many as 16 in the first, to fight back and get it as close as five, I thought it showed a tremendous amount of determination. I was pleased with the way we played,” Legerski said.

Bowman led the Bulldogs with 28 points, followed by Courtney Vandersloot with 18. Gonzaga is the returning West Coast Conference champions with four starters back from that team.

The Cowgirls won’t have much time to dwell on the loss, as they host Boise State Tuesday at 7 p.m. After Thanksgiving, Wyoming hits the road for the first of three games away form the A-A when they take on Oregon. The Cowgirls will also face Weber State and Idaho State in early December on the road.

“I think sometimes it makes it easier to play right away because we start concentrating on that game,” Dissen said. “We’ll go in tomorrow with the normal practice time and look at that game, with this game behind us. We’ve learned from it and we’ll move on.”

El fuego: Cowgirl offense sizzles

Richard Anderson photo
UW's Megan McGuffey looks to get past North Dakota's Kayla Bagaason Thursday night. At bottom, left, is Elisabeth Dissen, Emma Langford and Jade Kennedy.



Wyoming-North Dakota box score

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Sophomore Randi Richardson made the local faithful jump for joy when she nailed two free throws that put Wyoming at the century mark, as the Cowgirls ran past North Dakota 100-75 Thursday night in the Arena-Auditorium.

But it was the sizzling 3-point shooting in the first half by freshman Emma Langford and the strong inside presence of senior Elisabeth Dissen and sophomore Jade Kennedy that got the Cowgirls to that point.

“This is the first time a Wyoming team of mine has scored 100 points,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “When there are a lot of possessions, we’re going to shoot the ball and we’re going to take our chances up and down the floor.”

It’s not the first time the Cowgirls have scored 100 -- they beat Sacramento State 101-47 in 2001 and also blasted Colorado State 117-57 in 1992.

After slow start, though, it turned out to be quite an offensive performance by Wyoming. For a while, it looked like a record-breaking night for Langford, who only played her third game as a Cowgirl on Thursday.


Langford keyed a 28-4 run in the first half (16 points) and scored 24 in the first 20 minutes, hitting 6 of 7 3-pointers. She didn’t shoot much in the second half, but didn’t need to as the Wyoming inside game took over. She finished with 26 points.

Langford scored 31 points in her first two games and that helped her with her confidence Thursday night.

“These girls kept getting me the ball and I just kept shooting … it worked out well,” she said.

Legerski said that Langford is a young player, but very talented.

“That 24 points at half, not only the points, but she was 6-of-7 from 3,” Legerski said. “Then she started finding people with assists. That’s the biggest adjustment that Emma ha shad to make. The first couple of games she had a great deal of turnovers, tonight Emma steps up with six assists and one turnover. What a ratio.”

While Langford scored well in her first two games, she also turned the ball over 13 times, compared to just seven assists.

Legerski calls her the best passer on the team.

“With her size being 6-foot-2, she can see greatly over the playing surface,” he said. “When she puts it on the floor, she has an understanding of where people need to be and she already knows who she is looking for. She was able to find people tonight. There was none better than when the shot clock was winding down and she drove to the middle and found our post for an easy basket. That showed a great deal of maturity and confidence.”

In the second half, Dissen and Kennedy shined. Kennedy finished with a career-high 16 points, while Dissen added 15. The two combined to hit 13-of-18 from the field. As a team, Wyoming was 34-of-65 from the field (53 percent), including 11 of 26 3-pointers (42 percent).

“Once again, we needed to score in the post and we were able to start finding them when we started knocking down shots.” Legerski said. “Elisabeth goes 7-for-7, and the big part is making those shots. Jade Kennedy really stepped up big tonight and really contributed to what we were trying to get done.”

Dissen credited the Wyoming outside game for setting up the post.

“Everyone was shooting it well, especially Emma in the first half,” Dissen said. “They had to get out on our guards and it just opened the middle. We got amazing passes and Jade did a great job.”

Senior Megan McGuffey, who had 11 points and a team-high eight assists, said their zone principles can lead to big games like this.

“Everyone was in the right spot. Emma does a great job of finding the open spots. Fortunately, she was open and we got the shots to go down,” McGuffey said. “We’ve only played three games, but I think people have done a great job. We’re learning all of the time.”

Now if Legerski could only get a little more consistency out of Langford, he says in jest.

“I’m going to ask Emma, ‘You get 24 in the first half and I am going to expect a little more than two points in the second half,’” Legerski said with a laugh. “That is a little tough as a coach. She has a situation where, on some night, she can put 30-40 on the board and really get her assist ratio going.”

Cowgirls roll past Fighting Sioux

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming freshman guard Kristen Scheffler drives in for a layup past North Dakota's Jossy Bergan after a steal.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

When you think about hitting the century mark, you think of scorching the nets. Emma Langford and the Cowgirls did just that.

When you think about giving up 75 points, you’re not thinking about good defense.

Yet, the Wyoming defense keyed some offensive outbursts in the 100-75 win over North Dakota Thursday night in the Arena-Auditorium.

The Cowgirls certainly didn’t play strong defense in the first 10 minutes, trailing by 11 points as the Fighting Sioux were fighting hot.

Langford, who scored 26 points (24 in the first half), said the sudden deficit made them pick it up.

“We got on our defense and got it going,” Langford said.

Wyoming also discovered its shot while finding it’s defense, closing the first half on a 28-4 for run for a 13-point halftime lead.

Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said the pace was fast to begin the game -- maybe too fast for his young team.

“North Dakota came out with a great deal of energy. I thought they shot the ball extremely well and we had to adjust to that pace of the game,“ Legerski said. “It looked like we were trying to make one play that gets us back into it instead of just fighting back into it.

“We just talked about winning the next four minutes, to cut into that lead. Little did I know we would go on a 28-4 run to close the half. I thought what happened was we started getting some confidence against the zone and started shooting the basketball and we started defending a great deal better. Nothing was better than seeing Kristen Scheffler jumping the pass and taking it the length of the floor. That got the crowd into and you could see our confidence growing from there on out."

After leading by as much as 21 early in the second half, North Dakota rallied on a 19-6 run to cut the lead to nine. Again, the Cowgirls misplaced their defense.

They found it again, though, and held North Dakota to just one basket and four points in over seven minutes and pulled away for the victory.

“I think we really just picked it up on the defensive end,“ Wyoming senior forward Megan McGuffey said. “We weren’t defending them like we wanted to in the first 10 minutes. We got after it and then started hitting shots.”

After the Fighting Sioux were 14-of-20 from the field, they finished the first half 2-of-10. North Dakota shot just 42 percent in the second half.

“I think defense is something that we always try to get better at every day,” Cowgirls senior post Elisabeth Dissen said. “I think it is our main priority. It is definitely something we’re going to work on and try to improve at.”

Just what did the Cowgirls do differently to stop North Dakota?

Nothing special, McGuffey said. Unless you consider getting in your opponent’s face and out-muscling them. When the Cowgirls play defense, that’s what they do best.

“We just got together as a group. We’re just trying to stick to fundamentals,” McGuffey said. “We had a game plan going in and we stuck to that and picked up the intensity.”

Veteran North Dakota coach Gene Roebuck said the Cowgirls were just tougher than his team Thursday night.

“I thought we hung in there for a while,” Roebuck said. “Obviously they (Wyoming) are bigger and more physical and I think that wore us down.”

It was not like the Fighting Sioux didn’t show the ability to score -- Danye Guinn scored 26 and Kierah Kimbrough added 20. North Dakota shot 47 percent from the field, including 53 percent in the first half.

“We knew they could shoot, we knew they could penetrate, we knew they had good post kids,” Langford said. “We had to try to cover all areas. I think we did a good job.”

Legerski said they always talk about runs, and North Dakota had a couple of runs.

“They were scoring inside, they were hitting 3s. When that happens, all of the sudden it gets difficult to defend," he said. “You can start pressing out on 3-point shooters, but we knew Kimbrough was very good inside and the basketball started going in there. Elisabeth Dissen had to step up and I thought Diss did a great job. All of the sudden she started taking things away on the inside. When that happened, then we can get out on some shooters and then we got out on a run of our own."

While the ebbs and flows helped the Cowgirls at times, it also hurt them defensively. Still a young and relatively inexperienced team, Langford said defense will sink in for not only her, but the team.

“That comes with experience, just being able to come together as a team and realize that we need to do something to stop their runs, pick it up on defense to get some turnovers and some shots on the other end,” Langford said.

Scheffler in a good zone for Cowgirls

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming freshman Kristen Scheffler nails a 3-pointer in an early exhibition game.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Transition periods from high school to college are always tough for student athletes. Apparently, freshman Kristen Scheffler didn’t get the memo.

All Scheffler has done from her all-state days with Lovell High School to Division I basketball with the Wyoming Cowgirls, is lead the team in scoring through her first two games.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Scheffler said. “I guess as a freshman coming in, you never know how you are going to compete in practice. I guess I got my opportunity, so it’s cool. I’m enjoying it.”

Scheffler and the Cowgirls will open their home season Thursday night against North Dakota (7 p.m. in the A-A).

Not only is Scheffler leading the team in scoring at 16.5 points a game, she is doing it coming off the bench. In one way, she has shown her versatility, and in another she hasn’t.

With junior guard Aubrey Vandiver still out of action with mononucleosis, Scheffler backs up starting point guard Randi Richardson, while also taking a shot or two at shooting guard.

In fact, she’s taking more than a shot or two. Scheffler is 11-of-21 from the field this season, second to the 23 field goal attempts by fellow freshman wing Emma Langford.

Oh yeah … all 11-of-21 are from beyond the 3-point arc.

“Right now, I guess it is my comfort zone,” Scheffler said of her 3-point prowess. “Coach (Joe Legerski) talked about it today and even said they’ll be able to shut me down (with the 3-pointer), so I need to step up and start driving and create opportunities for my teammates.”

Considered a strong all-around player in high school, Scheffler said that while she does enjoy shooting the 3s, she has more to her game than long bombs.

“I think as the season goes along, I’ll get more confidence and be able to branch out a little bit,” Scheffler said. “I think I’ll be able to do it if I work hard in practice.”

“Kristen Scheffler has really stepped up,” Legerski said. “We’ve always know that she is a very talented basketball player. Once again, she is trying to make a jump from Lovell, Wyoming, to Division I basketball. Sometimes that is a bigger leap fro players. But she does have all the skills that you need at this level and we’re just excited in Kristen’s play. She is getting better every day and she had a big game this weekend in Denver and Montana. We continue to hope that Kristen continues to grow as a player and continues to have success.”

While Scheffler will be working on her all-around offensive game, she is also working hard on defense, something that most freshman come into college scratching their heads about.

"In high school I didn’t have to play much defense, so defense has really challenged me,” Scheffler said.”

The cowgirls are off to a 1-1 start, beating Denver on Friday before falling to a good Montana team in the final minutes in Missoula.

Despite the loss to the Lady Griz, Scheffler was pleased with their performance.

“We went out and played really hard. It was 8-0 at the beginning of the game,” she said. We were trying really hard. I guess we let up a little bit. That is one lesson I have learned …. you can’t ever relax. But we’ve played really well as a team.”

While Lovell is still a few miles from Missoula, it was close enough for a little Scheffler family reunion.

“Probably most of the Wyoming fans were my family,” Scheffler said with a laugh. "I had to get nine tickets. I have a little fan club, I guess.”

About North Dakota
North Dakota is 1-1 overall. The Fighting Sioux are led by Kierah Kimbrough, who is averaging 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds. Mallory Youngblut follows with 13.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. They return three starters and eight letterwinners to a team that went 27-4 overall and 10-2 in the Great West Conference a year ago.

This is the first meeting ever between the two schools. North Dakota is coached by Gene Roebuck who is in his 22nd season with the program. The Fighting Sioux are in the fifth season of their transition to Division I.

“North Dakota wins,” said Legerski. “When you are used to winning, that’s a big part of any program. Coach Roebuck is the all-time winningest coach up there, he's won over 85 percent of his basketball games. They’ll come out and compete for 40 minutes. They have an All-American in Kimbrough. When you are used to winning, that just continues from year-to-year.”
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Wyoming Cowgirls (1-1 overall)
Probable Starters
3 Randi Richardson G 5-7 RSo. 6.5 ppg, 4.0 aspg
24 Megan McGuffey G 5-11 Sr. 12.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg
33 Elisabeth Dissen C 6-1 Sr. 5.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg
10 Rebecca Vanderjagt F 6-3 Sr. 0. 0 ppg, 5.0 rpg
21 Emma Langford F 6-2 Fr. 15.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.5 aspg
Off The Bench
4 Gemma Koehler F 6-1 Jr. Has not played this season
12 Kristen Scheffl er G 5-11 Fr. 16.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg
13 Ashley Sickles F 6-1 Fr. Has not played this season
14 Jade Kennedy F 6-1 So. 2.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg
15 Leah Fitzgerald C 6-2 Fr. Has not played this season
20 Aubrey Vandiver G 5-11 Jr. Has not played this season
22 Brenna Freeze G 5-11 Fr. Has not played this season
41 Hillary Carlson F 6-3 So. 4.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg
45 Mallory Cline C 6-4 Jr. Has not played this season
Head Coach: Joe Legerski (Wyoming, ‘79), Sixth Year
Assoc. Head Coach: Gerald Mattinson (Weber State, '81), Sixth Year
Assistant Coaches: Kristin Becker (Vanderbilt, ‘90), Third Year
Katie Kern (New Mexico, ‘99), Third Year

North Dakota Fighting Sioux (1-1 overall)
Probable Starters
1 Jossy Bergan G 5-3 Jr. 1.5 ppg, 2.0 aspg
14 Mallory Youngblut G 6-0 So. 13.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg
23 Danye Guinn G 5-10 Sr. 12.5 ppg, 5.0 aspg
31 Kayla Bagaason G 5-11 Jr. 5.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg
35 Kierah Kimbrough F 6-1 Sr. 19.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg
Off The Bench
2 Alys Seay G 5-8 Jr. 8.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
3 Whitney Ledger F 6-1 Jr. 13.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg
11 Courtney Thingstad G 5-8 RS Has not played this season
15 Ashley Privratsky G 5-8 Fr. 1.0 rpg, 1.0 aspg
21 Corey Lof F 6-0 So. 1.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg
22 Andrea LaFrance G 5-9 So. 4.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
32 Kristie Gillett F 5-11 Fr. Has played in one game
52 Jenna Gillett F 6-1 Fr. Has not played this season
Head Coach: Gene Roebuck (Mayville State, '69), 22nd Year
Assistant Coaches: Megan Kelling, Travis Brewster, Greg Ulland

Montana holds off Cowgirls

The Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team (1-1 overall) suffered their first loss of the season against the Montana Lady Griz (1-0 overall) 71-64 Sunday afternoon in Missoula.

“This is a very tough place to play,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “I was very happy how we came out and played from the start. We looked inexperienced at times, but we made great runs when we needed to. We had our opportunities but we gave them too many chances to stay in the game. We had a good effort from our younger players, but we had good leadership from our seniors. Megan McGuffey really stepped up with her 15 points and 10 rebounds.”

Wyoming was led by freshman Emma Langford with a career-high 20 points, along with four rebounds and four assists. McGuffey and freshman Kristen Scheffler each added 15 points. As a team, the Cowgirls shot 23-of-52 (.442) from the field, 11-of-27 (.407) from beyond the arc and 7-of-9 (.778) from the free throw line.

Montana was led by Sarah Ena with 19 points, while Mandy Morales followed with 14. Britney Lohman finished with a team-high 12 rebounds and nine points. The Lady Griz shot 22-of-63 (.349) from the field and 22-of-28 (.786) from the free-throw line.

Wyoming got off to a strong start, scoring the first eight points and leading 13-3. The Lady Griz would rally and lead by as much as seven before the Cowgirls led 31-29 at halftime.

Both teams traded leads for much of the second half, with the Cowgirls up 59-58 late. Leading 66-64, the Lady Griz scored the final five points of the game in the finals minutes.

The Cowgirls return home Thursday when they host North Dakota beginning at 7 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium.
---
LADY GRIZ 71, COWGIRLS 64
Wyoming 64
## Player FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA Off Def Tot PF TP A TO Blk Stl Min
10 VANDERJAGT, Rebecca f 0-3 0-1 0-0 1 2 3 4 0 0 2 0 1 16
21 LANGFORD, Emma f 7-11 3-6 3-3 2 2 4 2 20 4 7 0 0 38
33 DISSEN, Elisabeth c 0-4 0-0 0-0 0 3 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 14
03 RICHARDSON, Randi g 3-5 1-2 0-0 0 1 1 2 7 4 2 0 1 32
24 MCGUFFEY, Megan g 6-9 2-4 1-2 3 7 10 5 15 3 2 1 0 29
12 SCHEFFLER, Kristen 5-12 5-12 0-0 0 3 3 0 15 0 1 1 0 30
14 KENNEDY, Jade 1-5 0-2 0-0 0 3 3 4 2 3 2 0 0 25
41 CARLSON, Hillary 1-3 0-0 3-4 0 0 0 4 5 0 1 1 0 16
Totals 23-52 11-27 7-9 7 24 31 24 64 15 18 3 2 200
FG % 1st Half: 11-23 47.8%, 3FG % 1st Half: 6-15 40.0% , FT % 1st Half: 3-4 75.0%, 2nd half: 12-29 41.4% , 2nd half: 5-12 41.7%, 2nd half: 4-5 80.0% , Game: 23-52 44.2% , Game: 11-27 40.7%, Game: 7-9 77.8%, Deadball
Rebounds 1,1
Montana 71
## Player FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA Off Def Tot PF TP A TO Blk Stl Min
14 ENA, Sarah f 6-12 0-0 7-7 2 2 4 4 19 1 1 0 1 29
22 LOHMAN, Britney f 1-5 0-1 7-11 8 4 12 0 9 1 4 1 1 36
45 BECK, Lauren f 3-9 1-1 4-6 2 7 9 0 11 1 1 1 1 29
03 MORALES, Mandy g 5-18 2-9 2-2 1 3 4 4 14 4 1 0 1 39
10 ROGERS, Sonya g 5-14 2-6 0-0 0 2 2 0 12 0 1 0 0 40
05 NANCE-JOHNSON, S. 1-2 0-0 2-2 0 1 1 0 4 2 2 0 1 17
20 LINFORD, Jessa 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 6
54 ROBISON, Shadra 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 4
Totals 22-63 5-17 22-28 19 23 42 12 71 9 10 2 5 200
FG % 1st Half: 10-31 32.3%, 3FG % 1st Half: 4-10 40.0%, FT % 1st Half: 5-5 100.0%, 2nd half: 12-32 37.5%, 2nd half: 1-7 14.3%, 2nd half: 17-23 73.9% , Game: 22-63 34.9%, Game: 5-17 29.4%, Game: 22-28 78.6%
Officials: Bob Scofield, Jeneane Pence, Lorena Ahumada, Technical fouls: Wyoming-None. Montana-None. Attendance: 3240
Wyoming 31 33 -- 64
Montana 29 42 -- 71

Cowgirls open by beating Denver; Legerski picks up 100th coaching win

Richard Anderson photo

Wyoming Cowgirls coach Joe Legerski picked up his 100th victory Friday night in the win over Denver.

DENVER -- Joe Legerski and his Cowgirls had 100 reasons to celebrate Friday’s season-opening win over Denver. Legerski gained his 100th victory as Cowgirls’ coach in the 61-54 win over the Pioneers.

“I thought we played exceptional tonight,” Legerski said. “When you don’t see film on a team, it’s hard to know what they will do out there, but we held our own. This is a game of runs, teams will make them, as a team you have to make a few more plays to come away with the win. We did a good job the last minute of holding our own and making the adjustments when we needed to.”

Three players finished the night in double figures for the Cowgirls, as they were led by freshman Kristen Scheffler, who scored 18 points, while shooting 6-of-9 from the field in 27 minutes of play.

Senior post Elisabeth Dissen and freshman wing Emma Langford each added 11 points. Langford also had six rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Senior Rebecca Vanderjagt led the way with seven rebounds. Wyoming shot 22-of-50 (.440) from the field, 11-of-16 (.688) from the charity stripe and brought down 35 rebounds.

“Our seniors came up big tonight as well. Elisabeth (Dissen) got us off to a great start, and Megan (McGuffey) came in and hit those big free throws,” Legerski said. “We also know that Kristen Scheffler has the ability to shoot the ball. She stepped and had no hesitation to hit those shots.”

Denver was led by Ashly Robinson with a team-high 13 points and six rebounds. Brianna Culberson followed with nine points and four boards, while Sara Bents added eight. The Pioneers were 20-of-49 (.408) from the field and had 28 rebounds.

The Cowgirls stormed out early in the game as they scored nine unanswered points as it took the Pioneers over four minutes before a Sara Bents basket put them on the board. Denve then pulled within one as Wyoming went cold, going five minutes without scoring until a three-point play by Langford ended the drought.

The two teams then stayed close the rest of the first half and the game was tied at 26-26 at halftime.

The Cowgirls led by as much as 10 in the second half before Denver came back to cut the lead to 51-48. It was still just a five-point game before McGuffey hit four straight free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

The Cowgirls stay on the road and face Montana in Missoula on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Cowgirls open as road warriors

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming sophomore Hillary Carlson looks to get past a Metro State player last week.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

There’s some good to opening the season with a pair of road games. Wyoming Cowgirls’ head coach Joe Legerski would be at home.

The schedule wins out this time over Legerski’s wishes, as the Cowgirls open the regular season Friday night at Denver (7 p.m.), before facing a very tough Montana team Sunday in Missoula (1 p.m.).

“I’d prefer to be able to open up at home,” Legerski said. “You get in a comfortable surroundings, especially with a number of new players that we have. It is going to be a difficult challenge for them to step right out on the road early in this season.”

What this trip and other road non-conference games will do for the young Cowgirls is prepare them for the Mountain West Conference battles later this season.

“It’s a very difficult league to play in. The Mountain West Conference is one of the best leagues in the country,” Legerski said. “The environments we play in are just top notch. To be able to go on the road early against Denver, Montana, Gonzaga, Weber State, Oregon … these will be games that may not be the best for us as a young group early, but hopefully it prepares us for conference play.”

Denver won its exhibition over Adams State 65-36. The Pioneers return two starters and eight letterwinners to a team that went 11-19 overall and 6-12 in the Sun Belt Conference a year ago.

This is also the season opener for the Lady Griz, who went 1-0 in exhibition play. They return four starters and nine letterwinners to a team that went 25-7 overall and 13-3 in the Big Sky Conference a year ago.

This early of the season, Legerski said that all he is really concerned about is his own team.

“First of all, with the number of young players that we have, we’re still trying to figure out what the best rotation is for them,” he said. “The second thing is we have very little film to go on with your opponents. Denver has a new coach (Erik Jacobson), so that brings a new system that we will play with on Friday. With Montana, it is a different situation. They have so m many returning players, in fact four returning starters.”

Wyoming thumped UC-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions 93-48 and Metro State 79-49 in its two exhibition games. Freshman wing Emma Langford led the way, averaging 23.0 points a game in those two games. Look for freshmen Kristen Scheffler and Ashley Sickles to also be in the rotation to go along with seniors Megan McGuffey, Elisabeth Dissen and Rebecca Vanderjagt, along with sophomores Randi Richardson, Hillary Carlson and Jade Kennedy. Junior Aubrey Vandiver is still out with an illness.

Just what do the UW newcomers have to face in their first regular-season action as Cowgirls? Legerski said the intensity of the game will be their biggest challenge.

“I really believe that Division I basketball is physical, Division I basketball creates a situation where you have to be willing to compete for 40 minutes,” he said. “If you take a lapse, a team will go on a quick run and that may be the difference in the basketball game. That is the biggest adjustment …. everybody plays at such a high level,. The quicker we can get them to adjust to that, the better. We’ve been trying in practice and have been improving in that phase daily, but it is still young in their careers. I like the young talent, they are as talented group that we have recruited, they just need some time to gain some experience.”

Cowgirls ink two prospects

“We are excited about the additions to the Cowgirl basketball family. Chaundra is one of the best wing players in the state of Colorado, and will have a major impact on our program. Sara is a tremendous shooter and will bring depth and skill to our backcourt.” -- UW women's basketball coach Joe Legerski

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

University of Wyoming Cowgirl head basketball coach Joe Legerski announced on Wednesday the signing of two student-athletes to attend Wyoming beginning in the fall of 2009. They are Chaundra Sewell of Broomfield, Colo. and Sara Wilson of Grant, Neb. Both will enter as freshman.

“We are excited about the additions to the Cowgirl basketball family,” said Legerski. “Chaundra is one of the best wing players in the state of Colorado, and will have a major impact on our program. Sara is a tremendous shooter and will bring depth and skill to our backcourt.”

A two-time All-State and All-Region selection while attending Broomfield High School, Sewell has also been named All-Conference three times and the state tournament MVP in 2008. A 6-foot-1 forward, Sewell has helped her team to back-to-back State Championships in 2007 and 2008. They have a combined record of 54-2 over the past two seasons.

During that time, they have also won three-straight District Championships. She is currently coached by Mike Croell. A three-time letterwinner in basketball, she is also a three-time letterwinner in track and field. She has earned All-Conference and All-State honors in the high jump, and has placed as high as third at the State Championships in that event. An excellent student, she is a member of the National Honor Society and on the honor roll.

A three-time All-South Platte Valley Association and All-Area by the Keith County News and North Platte Telegraph selection while attending Perkins County High School, Wilson has also been named a two-time Player of the Year by the Keith County News and the North Platte Telegraph. As a sophomore and junior, she was selected Class C-2 All-State by the Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha World Herald. Over the past three years, Wilson, a 5-9 guard, has helped her team to a 64-4 overall record including a Class C-2 State Championship in 2008 and the Class C-2 Runner-Up Spot in 2007.

She was also selected to several All-Tournament teams during the past couple of years as well. Wilson is coached by Chris Mestl. A three-time letterwinner in basketball, she also earned letters in volleyball, golf and track and field. In volleyball, she was a Class C-2 All-State Honorable Mention selection, along with earning All-Area and All-Conference Honorable Mention. An excellent student, she is a member of the National Honor Society, on the honor roll and involved with several scholastic activities

Inside-out, Cowgirls roll past Roadrunners

Richard Anderson photos
At top, Wyoming senior Elisabeth Dissen goes up strong underneath against Metro State. At bottom, Cowgirl freshman Kristen Scheffler hits on one of her three 3-pointers in the game.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Until Wyoming coach Joe Legerski cleared his bench in the final minutes Friday night in the exhibition against Metro State, Elisabeth Dissen and Hillary Carlson were the only Cowgirls not attempting or making 3-point field goals.

At that time, seven Cowgirls hit 13 3-pointers.

That was fine with Dissen; she’ll stick to the yeoman’s work inside. She did that pretty well too, hitting 7-of-10 from the field and scoring 14 points in the Cowgirls 79-49 win.

“I think definitely, I like to stick to my strengths,” Dissen said. “We have really good 3-point shooters, so I’ll let one of them shoot.”

Dissen will be counted on as muscle down low to help compliment the dangerous Wyoming outside game.

“I think that is one of the good things this year, we really can go inside-out,” Dissen said. “When it is working on the inside, we can do that, and we have really good shooters, so we can do that too.”

It’s not like Dissen, at 6-foot-1, doesn’t like to run the floor once in a while. She was rewarded for her hustle in the second half when sophomore point guard Randi Richardson spun a 360 and dished her the ball for a layup.”

“I was like, ‘Wow, that was an awesome move Randi,’” Dissen said with a smile.

The Division II Roadrunners proved to be a little more of a challenge than Tuesday’s opponent -- CS-Colorado Springs -- and stayed with Wyoming at times on Friday. Metro State was also a little more physical, and when push came to shove, Dissen and the Cowgirls responded.

“We’re going to have problems with physical teams,” Legerski said. “I thought they got physical at times tonight. Rebecca (Vanderjagt) and Hillary (Carlson) are doing the best that they can. When you look at the game getting physical, and all of the sudden, you see Elisabeth Dissen go 7-of-10. That is something that we really set up early, to be able to take the ball inside and score some easy baskets. Then we get our transition game going, and all of the sudden we step up and start knocking down 3s. The stretch where we went back-to-back-to-back from the 3-point line, that was a big blow that we were able to deliver at that time.”

Leading 51-30, the Cowgirls got 3-pointers from freshman Kristen Scheffler, senior Megan McGuffey and freshman Emma Langford and never looked back.

Langford, who had another outstanding game for the Cowgirls with 21 points, was 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, as was Vanderjagt. Scheffler was 3-of-7. Richardson, McGuffey, freshman Ashley Sickles and Jade Kennedy also connected from downtown.

“When I take a look at that, that puts a great deal of pressure on teams defensively, knowing that we have so many weapons to go to,” Legerski said. “Having Ashley Sickles and Kristen Scheffler off the bench, to be able to do that, helps. I thought Randi Richardson really played well with seven assists and one turnover. She really distributed.”

Legerski said it is important for the Cowgirls to get the ball inside, as he said they won’t be able to shoot like that every night.

“We open in the road next week -- different environments, different gyms. We’re not going to have 3,000 fans cheering for us," he said. “Those things are going to be more difficult for this group and sometimes your outside shooting is the first ting to go.”

After Langford’s 21 points and 14 from Dissen, Vanderjagt and Scheffler both added nine points for Wyoming, which opens the regular season next Friday at Denver, Wyoming was 21-of-64 from the field and 13-of-24 from 3-point land. The Cowgirls did struggle from the free-throw line, hitting just 4-of-12.

Megan Sinclair led Metro State with 12 points, followed by Sharaya Selsor with 11 and Chelsea Williamson with 10. Metro State was just 20-of-60 from the field and 4-of-9 from beyond the 3-point arc.

After Friday’s game at Denver, the Cowgirls will travel to Missoula, Mont., to face Montana on Nov. 15.
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COWGIRLS 79, ROADRUNNERS 49
METRO STATE: Megan Sinclar 5-11 2-2 12, Sharaya Selsor 5-14 0-0 11, Chelsea LeFebre 1-7 0-0 2, Leandra Sands 3-8 0-0 7, Alyssa Benson 1-1 0-0 2, Chelsea Williams 3-4 2-2 10, Erin D. 0-1 0-0 0, Jasmine Cervantes 0-4 0-0 0, Rae Bean 2-7 0-0 4, Kiley Gill 0-3 1-2 1. Totals: 20-60 5-6 49.
WYOMING: Rebecca Vanderjagt 3-4 0-0 0, Emma Langford 9-12 0-2 21, Elisabeth Dissen 7-10 0-1 14, Randi Richardson 1-3 0-0 3, Megan McGuffey 2-4 1-2 6, Gemma Koehler 0-4 0-0 0, Kristen Scheffler 3-8 0-0 9, Ashley Sickles 1-8 1-2 4, Jade Kennedy 2-2 1-2 6, Leah Fitzgerald 0-0 1-3 1, Brenna Freeze 0-1 0-0 0, Hillary Carlson 2-4 0-0 4, Mallory Kline 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 31-64 4-12 79.
Metro State 21 28 -- 49
Wyoming 40 39-- 79
3 pt. field goals: Metro -- 4-19 (Sinclair 0-2, Selsor 1-6, Sands 1-3, Williamson 2-3, Erin D 0-1, Cervantes 0-1, Gill 0-3), UW -- 13-24 (Vanderjagt 3-3, Langford 3-3, Richardson 1-2, McGuffey 1-1, Koehler 0-1, Scheffler 3-7, Sicklers 1-5, Kennedy 1-1, Freeze 0-1). Rebounding: Metro -- 36 (Sinclair 8, Sinclair 4, Selsor 3), UW -- 41 (Vanderjagt 7, Carlson 5, McGuffey 5), Assists: Metro 11 (Sinclair 4, Selsor 3), UW -- 25 (Richardson 7, Langford 5, Scheffler 3, Sickles 3). Turnovers: Metro -- 18 (Sands 5, Selsor 4), UW -- 12 (Vanderjagt 3, Langford 2, Sickles 2), Blocks: Metro -- 1 (Cervantes 1), UW 5 (Carlson 2, Dissen, Sickles, McGuffey 1 each), Steals: Metro -- 3 (Cervantes 2, Sands 1), UW -- 12 (Carlson 3, Langford 2, Kennedy 2). A -- 3,121.

Vandiver anxious to get back to old self

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming junior Aubrey Vandiver, far right, watches from the bench Tuesday against CU-Colorado Springs.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

There’s no doubt Joe Legerski and the Wyoming Cowgirls miss not having Aubrey Vandiver out on the court as they prepare for the regular season.

Vandiver, last year’s third leading scorer who has been sidelined with mononucleosis, probably misses it more.

“It’s frustrating. I look forward to every season, and the past two years I haven’t been slowed down by injuries or anything,” Vandiver said.

Vandiver, who averaged 10.6 points a game last season and was a third team All-MWC pick, finally was able to get back out on the court this week -- albeit for short periods of time.

“It’s a day-to-day situation,” Legerski said after the Cowgirls opening exhibition win on Tuesday, “but I know we need her.”

Vandiver was diagnosed with mono in mid September. She had a hunch something was wrong earlier, not feeling well the previous month before the diagnosis.

“I was feeling kind of low on energy,” she said. “I got sick one day and I came back the next day for weights and conditioning and it just sort of obliterated my body. We knew something might be wrong then. About a week later, Dr. Kleppinger diagnosed me with mono.”

For much of the time since then, all the 5-foot-11 junior point guard could do was rest and let her body heel.

“It’s been frustrating not being able to be on the court with the girls, just to be able to hang out with them,” Vandiver said. “The trainers and I know this is the best thing possible. The team is just doing just fine.”

For now, patience will also be a virtue as she strives to get back to her old self.

“When I start feeling better, we can moved forward from there,” she said.

Vandiver watched from the bench Tuesday in Wyoming’s big 93-48 win over CU-Colorado Springs. What Cowgirl fans saw for the first time from the young Wyoming team, Vandiver already knew. But she too likes what she sees from the squad.

“This team has so much potential,” Vandiver said. “We have some freshmen who came in who are going to be really great once they get used to this level of play. We have some veterans returning in Elisabeth Dissen, Rebecca Vanderjagt and Megan McGuffey, who are going to lead the way.”

And when Vandiver gets her health back, she’ll be running the show from her point guard position. While Legerski has been pleased with his team’s guard play, he knows he needs No. 20 back out on the court.

“I joked with Aubrey on the bench that we really needed her back,” Legerski said. “But she is stability out on the court.”

Cowgirls host Metro State
Wyoming returns to the court Friday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Metro State in the final exhibition of the season.

Legerski said he will be looking for improved play in taking care of the basketball (19 turnovers against CU-CS) and a little more intensity. He said he will once again give everyone plenty of court time, as he looks to solidify his lineup.

In fact, Legerski said that although he has been a coach who usually sticks with one starting lineup (barring injury), he might change that notion this season.

“Most of the time my rotations are down to 7-8 players. With the competitiveness and along with the youth, you’re going to see that number stretch to 8-10 players,” he said. “I thought Hillary Carlson and Jade Kennedy got their first extended minutes and we’re going to do the same thing on Friday.

“One of the things I was pleased with, we went with a different starting lineup in the second half than we did in the first half. We may be in a situation this year where somebody is playing better, they are going to through the highs and flows of a season, and we’ll go with a different lineups.”

Metro State returns one starter and six letterwinners to a team that went 19-10 overall and 14-5 in the RMAC a year ago. The two teams have met 10 previous times during the regular season. UW holds the series record 10-0. The last time the two teams met was December 18, 1996, as the Cowgirls defeated Metro State, 66-54. The Roadrunners are coached by Linda Lappe, who is in her second year with the program.

Family Friday
Prices for the game are $8 for adults and $5 for children (ages 3 through 18). Students with their i.d. can get in the game for free. It’s also Family Friday night. A family of four (two adults and two kids) receives four hot dogs, four Pepsi Products and four game tickets for $26. Tickets much be purchased prior to game day. For more information, call the UW Ticket Office at 800-922-9461 or 766-4850.

Langford, Cowgirl frosh shine in debut

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming freshman Emma Langford, center, is fouled by CU-Colorado Springs' Lauren Holm Tuesday night in an exhibition at the A-A.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Joe Legerski knew it was coming. He was ready.

Legerski answered his first question comparing Hanna Zavecz and fellow Australian Emma Langford … in the first exhibition game of the season.

Zavecz, from the Australian Institute of Sport Academy, will easily go down as one of the best players in Wyoming women’s basketball history, as she ranked in the top 10 in basically every statistical category and helped lead UW to the WNIT title and first-ever NCAA bid.

Langford, also from the Australian Institute of Sport, might have had the best debut ever for the Cowgirls Tuesday night in Wyoming’s big 93-48 exhibition win over CU-Colorado Springs in the Arena-Auditorium.

Langford scored 25 points, including 19 in the first half, while dishing out six assists in not only her impressive first game in a Wyoming uniform, but a strong start for the freshmen Cowgirls as a whole.

Legerski called it an unbelievable effort from Langford.

“We knew she could play and I knew she could score,” Legerski said. “To see somebody get 19 by half and finish with 25 for the game … I thought she played extremely well. Even with that, I was just so pleased with the way she defended. We had a matchup out there where she had somebody 5-foot-5, a great deal quicker than she was, and Emma worked extremely hard. I’ll be the first to know that we’re not going always get 25 points from Emma Langford every night. It is nice to know that she has that type f capabilities. She shot the ball well, got the ball inside and she was a bright spot tonight.”

Senior forward Megan McGuffey has now officially played with both players in a game, but stopped short in comparing the two talented Aussies.

“They are both really great players, but I don’t think it is really fair to compare people like that. Emma is her own player and she is great product of Australia, just like Hanna was,” McGuffey said. “We’re happy to have her.”

The 6-2 Langford, who can score inside and outside, said she was pretty nervous going into the game. As the Cowgirls hit their first six shots in the contest, Langford nailed a 3-pointer in her first attempt, and the game and her confidence began to flow.

“As soon as I got out on the court and the tip-off went off and I started running up and down the court, that’s when it went (nerves) away,“ Langford said. “I just tried to stay relaxed and play my own game. It was fun.”

Langford was 8-of-13 from the field, including 3 of 5 3-pointers and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line in just 26 minutes.

She was a little surprised that she shot like she did, considering she hadn’t been shooting well lately in practice.

“The last few practices I had been missing quite a few, so it was good tonight to get out and make a few,” Langford said.

Legerski admitted that there are some comparisons between Zavecz and Langford. The biggest, he said, was their ability to take over and game, yet still understand that they need their teammates.

“She has the skills and the mental capabilities to play this game at a high level. I don’t think she is as athletic -- you would see Hanna makes more plays defensively,” he said. “But I believe Emma is really a very talented offensive player and a tremendous passer. When you put those things together -- not only 25 points, but she had five assists. To start the second half, she started looking around to get her teammates incorporated. I’m very pleased with her effort and I’m glad she is a freshman.”

While Langford’s star shined in her debut, it wasn‘t a bad effort from the rest of the Cowgirl freshmen, including Kristen Scheffler and Ashley Sickles.

Scheffler, from Lovell, finished with nine points, nine rebounds and one assist, while the 6-1 Sickles had 13 points, four rebounds and an assist. Other Cowgirl freshmen making their debuts were Brenna Freeze and Leah Fitzgerald.

“I thought it was a great first game for them,” McGuffey said. “I think they were nervous in the beginning. Eventually, they calmed down and I think they showed how athletic we are this year and how we have replaced some of the players from last year. I think we’re a little younger, but the athleticism is there.”

McGuffey’s words of wisdom to the youngsters?

“I just told some of them to relax and just shoot when they are open. That’s all I can do,” McGuffey said.

As well as the young Cowgirls played, it was far from perfect. Wyoming turned the ball over 19 times and missed 1o free throws. Yet, Legerski couldn’t have been much happier for just an exhibition win.

“Having eight sophomores and freshmen out there tonight, I think there were times they played very well and at times, we have a great ways to go,” he said. “I thought we got great senior leaderships from Megan (McGuffey), Rebecca (Vanderjagt) and Elisabeth (Dissen) tonight. We start out the first four minutes 15-3 and we went 6-of-6 (from the field) to open the game. It was a tremendous start and their leadership showed early in this basketball game.”

Dissen also scored 11 points for the Cowgirls, who were 31-of-65 from the field in the game. Wyoming also had a commanding 59-33 rebounding edge, with 17 offensive rebounds.
Mallory Lowe led the Mountain Lions with 12 points.

Wyoming will continue on the exhibition trail Friday night when it hosts Metro State at 7 p.m. in the A-A.
---
COWGIRLS 93, MOUNTAIN LIONS 48
CU-C. SPRINGS: Ashley Miller 1-7 1-2 3, Nancy Hoist 3-4 2-4 9, Mallory Lowe 3-8, 5-8 12, Janean Jubic 1-6 0-0 3, Payden Ackerman 0-7 0-0 0, Jessica Lynch 0-7 0-0 0, Alex Shark 3-7 0-0 7, Lauren Holm 2-6 3-4 7, Karlee Gradisar 0-5 0-0 0, Jazzmin Awa-Williams 0-2 0-2 0, Alex Pitts 2-6 3-4 7. Totals: 15-65 15-24 48.
WYOMING: Rebecca Vanderjagt 2-2 0-0 4, Emma Langford 8-13 6-7 25, Elisabeth Dissen 3-4 5-7 11, Randi Richardson 0-1 2-2 2, Megan McGuffey 1-6 3-4 6, Gemma Koehler 0-3 0-0 0, Kristen Scheffler 3-10 2-2 9, Ashley Sickles 5-10 1-2 13, Jade Kennedy 4-6 0-0 8, Leah Fitzgerald 0-0 0-0 0, Brenna Freeze 0-2 3-4 3, Hillary Carlson 3-5 1-4 7, Mallory Cline 2-3 1-2 5. Totals: 31-65 24-34 93.
UC-C. Springs 24 24 -- 48
Wyoming 52 41 -- 93
3 pt. field goals: CU-CS -- 3-30 (Miller 0-1, Hoist 0-1, Lowe 1-2, Jubic 1-5, Ackerman 0-6, Lynch 0-5, Sherk 1-3, Holm 0-2, Gradisar 0-3, Pitts 0-2), UW -- 7-19 (Langford 3-5, Richardson 0-1, McGuffey 1-2, Scheffler 1-8, Sickles 2-3). Rebounding: CU-CS -- 33 (Hoist 8), UW -- 59 (Scheffler 9, McGuffey 8, Carlson 7, Dissen 5). Assists: CU-Cs -- 9 (Jubic 3), UW -- 24 (Richardson 7, Langford 5, Kennedy 3, Vanderjagt 3. Turnovers: CU-CS -- 18 (Lynch 5, Holm 3), UW -- 19 (Langford 6, Vanderjagt 3, McGuffey 3), Blocks: CU-CS -- 0, Wyoming 7 (Sickles 2, Carlson 2, Vanderjagt, Dissen, Kennedy 1 each), Steals: CU-CS -- 7 (Jubic 2, Lynch 2), UW -- 11 (Fitzgerald 3, Scheffler 2, Kennedy 2). A -- 2,839.

Cowgirls to open with CU-Colorado Springs

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls will see some different uniforms for the first time this season, hosting CU-Colorado Springs Tuesday night in exhibition basketball at the Arena-Auditorium.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski said that, as always, players are ready to play somebody different. The coaches want to just get work done. Regardless, he said that now is time to play.

“You need to be able to run some sets in practice that not everybody knows where the ball is going,” Legerski said. “That gets very difficult a times. There is always a positive and a negative to each play. Now, we’re ready to see how many positives we can put together in this exhibition game.”

Legerski expects to go nine or 10 deep this season. One of those players, however, who won’t see action for a while is junior guard Aubrey Vandiver, who is still out with a case of mononucleosis.
Vandiver was third on the team in scoring last year at 10.6 points a game and has been sidelined since mid-September. Legerski said that she is still on a day-to-day, wait-and-see status.

“Maybe a couple of weeks, but we are always hoping for the best,” he said. “All of the sudden, that takes a big portion of our experience away. When you couple in the four seniors that we lost and Aubrey, right now the amount of points that we have coming back starts with Megan McGuffey with four points a game.”

Legerski indicated that he will open with the senior McGuffey at small forward, sophomore transfer Randi Richardson at the point guard, freshman Emma Langford at the two guard and seniors Rebecca Vanderjagt and Elisabeth Dissen at the post.

“That’s what we will start with. We really have had very competitive practices, and I am looking forward to seeing Hillary Carlson on the floor for extended minutes. Jade Kennedy is going to be in that situation, along with other freshmen -- Ashley Sickles and Kristen Scheffler,” Legerski said. “I never get hung up on who gets the call to start. It’s all about who gets the chance to play.”

Legerski said that with any game, you want to go out and play the best that you can.

“We need to find out who can step up, like I like to say, when the lights turn on,” he said. “It’s one thing to play well during practice, it is another thing when it is game time.”

CU-Colorado Springs returns two starters and six letterwinners to a team that went 11-19 overall and 5-14 in the RMAC a year ago.

Wyoming will play one final exhibition game against Metro State Friday at 7 p.m., before opening up regular-season play on Nov. 14 against the Denver Pioneers on the road.