Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming freshman Emma Langford looks to get past a couple of Saint Louis defenders on Saturday.
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls are a couple of weeks away from opening Mountain West Conference play.
Yet, it will seem like a league matchup when the Cowgirls face highly regarded Gonzaga for the second time this season, beginning at 7 p.m. Monday in Spokane, Wash.
“It feels more like a conference game trying to prepare for them for the second time,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said Saturday after his Cowgirls fell to Saint Louis 74-59. “But it is what we did to be able to get the games scheduled. This is what has worked out."
The two teams met earlier in the season in Laramie, as Gonzaga held on for a 68-58 victory.
The Cowgirls, 6-4, will have a big challenge ahead of them against the Bulldogs, who are 10-3 on the season. The Zags are led by 6-foot-2 Heather Bowman at 19.3 points a game and sophomore guard Courtney Vandersloot at 16.8 points a game.
“Bowman and Vandersloot are very talented. We’re going to need a big effort out of this group,” Legerski said.
Since beating Wyoming, Gonzaga has won five of eight games with notable wins over Utah, then No. 15 Virginia and Montana.
Like on Saturday, as well as in the first meeting with Gonzaga, the Cowgirls can’t afford to start slow Monday night on the road.
“Possession by possession is going to be very important,” he said. “ We’re going to have to do a better job on the inside with Bowman … that is very easy for us to talk about, but very difficult to happen.
“I knew scheduling that game would be a big challenge for us. And that is what this group needs. When we begin conference play, we’re going to open up with Utah and San Diego State. Those are the two teams who are picked to win, and this is the caliber of team that we will play in Gonzaga.”
On Saturday, the Cowgirls fell behind by 14 at halftime and by as much as 22 in the game before chipping away and making a run in the final minutes. Wyoming closed within eight, but could get no closer. The Cowgirls missed six straight free throws in that comeback attempt and could never recover.
Wyoming shot 30 percent from the field in the first half and 37 percent in the game. The Cowgirls hit on just 6 of 24 3-pointers. No one struggled more than leading scorer, freshman Emma Langford, who was 3 of 17 from the field for six points.
For the Cowgirls to stay with the Zags on Wednesday, Legerski said that they’ll need a big effort from Langford.
“Right now, there is no doubt that this group goes as Emma goes," he said. “Emma had a difficult night shooting the basketball. I thought she played hard, she grabbed seven rebounds, which is a high for her. She had six assists, so she was trying to do things. The ball just wouldn’t drop for her. When you start dropping 16, 18 points a game, now all of the sudden we’re in a situation where it is difficult off of our bench to ask somebody to make those points up for us.”
Despite the quick turnaround, Legerski said the Cowgirls can’t dwell on Saturday’s loss.
“We need to move on,” Legerski said. “It’s not easy to say, we’re just going to go to Gonzaga, who I think is a Top 25 team and play at their place. But it is what the schedule is.”
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Wyoming Cowgirls (6-4 overall)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
3 Randi Richardson G 5-7 RSo. TR Arlington, Wash. 2.9 ppg, 1.8 aspg
24 Megan McGuffey G 5-11 Sr. 3L Cheyenne, Wyo. 11.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.8 aspg
33 Elisabeth Dissen C 6-1 Sr. 3L Hillsboro, Ore. 9.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg
10 Rebecca Vanderjagt F 6-3 Sr. 3L Townsville, Australia 2.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.4 aspg
21 Emma Langford F 6-2 Fr. HS Arthurton, Australia 14.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.2 aspg
Off The Bench Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
4 Gemma Koehler F 6-1 Jr. 1L Geelong, Australia Has not played this season
12 Kristen Scheffl er G 5-11 Fr. HS Lovell, Wyo. 11.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.2 aspg
13 Ashley Sickles F 6-1 Fr. HS Cresco, Iowa 2.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg
14 Jade Kennedy F 6-1 So. 1L Cairns, Australia 4.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg
15 Leah Fitzgerald C 6-2 Fr. HS Colorado Springs, Colo. Has played in one game
20 Aubrey Vandiver G 5-11 Jr. 2L Laramie, Wyo. Has not played this season
22 Brenna Freeze G 5-11 Fr. HS Albuquerque, N.M. Has played in one game
41 Hillary Carlson F 6-3 So. 1L Cheyenne, Wyo. 7.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg
45 Mallory Cline C 6-4 Jr. 2L McClave, Colo. Has played in one game
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
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Gonzaga Bulldogs (10-3 overall)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
11 Janelle Bekkering F/G 6-0 So. 1L Taber, Alberta, Canada 5.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg
12 Vivian Frieson F 6-0 Jr. 2L Seattle, Wash. 8.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg
21 Courtney Vandersloot G 5-8 So. 1L Kent, Wash. 16.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg
30 Heather Bowman F 6-2 Jr. 2L Spokane, Wash. 19.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg
32 Jami Schaefer G 5-11 Sr. 3L Spokane, Wash. 5.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg
Off The Bench Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown
1 Carter Schick G 5-7 RFr. HS Olympia, Wash. Has played in two games
3 Ariam TecleMariam G 5-9 Fr. HS Tacoma, Wash. Has played in three games
10 Tatriana Lorenzo G 5-7 So. 1L Wahiawa, Hawaii 1.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg
20 Amanda Brown G 5-6 Sr. 2L Sacramento, Calif. Has played in three games
31 Shannon Reader C 6-2 Fr. HS Lake Oswego, Ore. 2.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg
33 Kayla Standish F 6-2 Fr. HS Ellensburg, Wash. 5.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg
34 Tiffanie Shives G 5-7 Jr. 1L Lansing, Mich. 10.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg
35 Claire Raap F 5-11 So. 1L Prosser, Wash. 3.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg
44 Kelly Bowen F 6-0 Fr. HS Victoria, Australia 4.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Head coach: Kelly Graves (New Mexico, '88), Ninth Year
Assistant coaches: Jodie Kaczor Berry, Lisa Mispley Fortier, Michelle Elliott
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