BOISE, Idaho -- The Wyoming cowgirls fell behind too many times to overcome, as Boise State prevailed 73-67 on Thursday.
The Broncos jumped out to double-digit in the second half, only yo see the Cowgirls rally. But each time Wyoming came back, Boise State had an answer.
The game was the final non-conference contest before the Cowgirls (9-3) open Mountain West Conference play next week. Boise State moved to 11-3 with the win.
“We made some key mistakes against a very good Boise State team tonight,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “We gave up too many offensive rebounds and you can survive a night like that when you are doing other things well, but we struggled in some areas. We also didn’t shoot that well from the free throw line, so it really compounds the problem. When you add those things up it gives your opponent too many advantages. It’s always difficult to lose but I saw a lot of progress from this group. We had our chances down the stretch unfortunately we didn’t have a couple of shots go our way.”
Wyoming was led by Aubrey Vandiver, who recorded a career-high 29 points, along with 11 rebounds. It’s her eighth double-double of the season. She was followed by Hillary Carlson with 11 points and five boards. The Cowgirls shot 24-of-60 (.400) from the field and 10-of-20 (.500) from the free throw line.
“Aubrey was excellent tonight with 29 points and 11 rebounds," Legerski said. "She single handily kept us in the game and you just keep asking more of her. We talked about going to the bench a little bit more and trying to keep us fresh, but it’s difficult to keep a player like her off the floor. We just need to have other players be able to step up and help her out.”
Boise State was led by Tasha Harris with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Jessica Van Hoogen added 15 points. They shot 25-of-65 (.385) from the field and out-rebounded the Cowgirls 51-34.
Wyoming played well early, leading 27-20, before the Broncs went on a 14-0 run and led 43-36 at halftime.
Boise State came out and scored six of the first seven points and led by as much as 15 before the Cowgirls would rally.
Vandiver would hit a basket to end an almost five minute scoring drought, which would start an 11-2 run to pull them to within six, 57-51 with just over nine minutes left in the game. Boise State would respond with two 3-point field goals to give them a 12-point advantage and the Broncs would never look back.
The Cowgirls open MWC play Tuesday in Fort Collins against Colorado State. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Ducks smother Cowgirls early for win
by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls dug themselves a hole that they couldn't get out of, falling to a talented Oregon team on Sunday, 78-66 in the Arena-Auditorium.
The Ducks (9-2) bothered the Cowgirls with a smothering full-court press and scored the game's first 11 points, leading by as much as 22 in the first half. Oregon forced 26 Wyoming turnovers in the game, including 21 in the first half.
The first 10 minutes told the story of the game.
"With today's game, I was very pleased with the effort that we gave," Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. "To dig yourself such a big hole to begin with, we're down 20-24 points early. It jut became an issue for us to have to fight from that far back."
Oregon led 45-28 at halftime and was back up by 21 in the second half. The Cowgirls battled back to make it a nine-point game with 11 minutes left, only to see the Ducks answer with a 10-0 run for some breathing room.
"It's very difficult in practice to try to simulate the speed of the game and what is going to happen with the pressure," Legerski said. "I thought we got better as the game when along, but the game was determined in the first eight minutes."
Wyoming junior Aubrey Vandiver, who led the Cowgirls with 19 points and 10 rebounds, said the start was obviously disappointing for the team.
"We just didn't come out prepared and their pressure got us with so many turnovers," Vandiver said. "It was a real disappointing first half."
It was a matter of the Cowgirls coming back and doing what they do well, and at times, they were able to do that in the second half. While not into moral victories, they felt better about things after making a game of it in the second half.
"If we wouldn't have gotten ourselves in the hole at the very beginning, we would have been right in there or we could have even come out with the win," Wyoming sophomore guard Kristen Scheffler said. "It's kind of a learning experience for us, to know that we can lay at that level. We just have to calm down and play like we know how."
Even when the Ducks weren't forcing turnovers with their press, they were taking valuable time off the clock for Wyoming to set up its offense.
"We're a very patient team, waiting for the best shot possible, and when you only have about 10 seconds left, you're probably not going to get the best shot and that's what happened," Vandiver said.
Hillary Carlson and Scheffler finished with 15 points each for the Cowgirls and Emma Langford added 12 points. Carlson also had 13 rebounds for UW.
With their press, the Ducks were also able to play more physical than the Cowgirls. Once Wyoming started to push back a little, they were also able to get back in the game.
"We're going to see teams that are going to push us like that, so we definitely can learn from this and be a better team from it," Carlson said.
Micaela Cocks led Oregon with 17 points. Taylor Lilley and Nia Jackson scored 14 points each for the Ducks, followed by Amanda Johnson 10.
"We played exceptionally well in the first half ... the only thing that you worry about is, 'Can we do it for 40 minutes?" Oregon coach Paul Westhead said. "They shot the ball much better in the second half, which we knew they were going to do. We wanted to keep them in control and not let them get too hot."
The Cowgirls will return to action on Dec. 31 at Boise State.
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls dug themselves a hole that they couldn't get out of, falling to a talented Oregon team on Sunday, 78-66 in the Arena-Auditorium.
The Ducks (9-2) bothered the Cowgirls with a smothering full-court press and scored the game's first 11 points, leading by as much as 22 in the first half. Oregon forced 26 Wyoming turnovers in the game, including 21 in the first half.
The first 10 minutes told the story of the game.
"With today's game, I was very pleased with the effort that we gave," Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. "To dig yourself such a big hole to begin with, we're down 20-24 points early. It jut became an issue for us to have to fight from that far back."
Oregon led 45-28 at halftime and was back up by 21 in the second half. The Cowgirls battled back to make it a nine-point game with 11 minutes left, only to see the Ducks answer with a 10-0 run for some breathing room.
"It's very difficult in practice to try to simulate the speed of the game and what is going to happen with the pressure," Legerski said. "I thought we got better as the game when along, but the game was determined in the first eight minutes."
Wyoming junior Aubrey Vandiver, who led the Cowgirls with 19 points and 10 rebounds, said the start was obviously disappointing for the team.
"We just didn't come out prepared and their pressure got us with so many turnovers," Vandiver said. "It was a real disappointing first half."
It was a matter of the Cowgirls coming back and doing what they do well, and at times, they were able to do that in the second half. While not into moral victories, they felt better about things after making a game of it in the second half.
"If we wouldn't have gotten ourselves in the hole at the very beginning, we would have been right in there or we could have even come out with the win," Wyoming sophomore guard Kristen Scheffler said. "It's kind of a learning experience for us, to know that we can lay at that level. We just have to calm down and play like we know how."
Even when the Ducks weren't forcing turnovers with their press, they were taking valuable time off the clock for Wyoming to set up its offense.
"We're a very patient team, waiting for the best shot possible, and when you only have about 10 seconds left, you're probably not going to get the best shot and that's what happened," Vandiver said.
Hillary Carlson and Scheffler finished with 15 points each for the Cowgirls and Emma Langford added 12 points. Carlson also had 13 rebounds for UW.
With their press, the Ducks were also able to play more physical than the Cowgirls. Once Wyoming started to push back a little, they were also able to get back in the game.
"We're going to see teams that are going to push us like that, so we definitely can learn from this and be a better team from it," Carlson said.
Micaela Cocks led Oregon with 17 points. Taylor Lilley and Nia Jackson scored 14 points each for the Ducks, followed by Amanda Johnson 10.
"We played exceptionally well in the first half ... the only thing that you worry about is, 'Can we do it for 40 minutes?" Oregon coach Paul Westhead said. "They shot the ball much better in the second half, which we knew they were going to do. We wanted to keep them in control and not let them get too hot."
The Cowgirls will return to action on Dec. 31 at Boise State.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Cowgirls roll past Weber State
Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming's Aubrey Vandiver drives past Weber State's Ali Thorderson Friday night in the Arena-Auditorium.
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
The ball just fell into Aubrey Vandiver’s hands, so she says. The ball went in the basket for the Cowgirls and not for the Wildcats, which was obvious to the naked eye.
It was all about focus for Wyoming on Friday night, as the Cowgirls ran past Weber State 78-40 in the Arena-Auditorium.
Vandiver, looking as if last year’s redshirt year was well, well behind her, scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds, as the Cowgirls shot 51 percent from the field, including a sizzling 9 of 16 behind the 3-point arc.
Defensively, Wyoming had 12 blocked shots and 10 steals, holding Weber State to a cool 27 percent from the field.
Yeah, that’s paying attention to the task at hand, all right.
“We’ve been really focused and have been training really hard for this,” said Wyoming junior post Jade Kennedy, who had a pretty decent game herself, with 12 points, five rebounds, five assists, four blocked shots and three steals.
The Cowgirls (9-1) spotted Weber State the first two points of the game, then scored 16 unanswered and led comfortably the rest of the way.
“Tonight we talked about coming out with a focus, an energy, because we knew that Weber State would have that energy to play hard,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “We got off to a great start offensively and then Weber State upped the intensity and we matched it.”
Kristen Scheffler and Kennedy both scored 12 points for Wyoming, with Hillary Carlson adding 11 points. Six Cowgirls scored at least nine points, as they shot 51 percent from the field, hitting 9 of 16 3-pointers.
Counting last Saturday’s 102-54 win over Dakota State, Wyoming also has 50 assists on 67 field goals made.
“We got into our rhythm and motion and were comfortable shooting, and we’re you’re relaxed shooting, the shots go in more often than not,” Vandiver said.
And if the ball didn’t go into the basket, Vandiver was there, with 12 defensive boards and five offensive rebounds.
“The ball was coming to me,” she said with a smile. “I know on a couple of them my teammates were boxing out so good, that it was just easy to go up and grab the ball.”
Then again, Vandiver’s aggressive play was heated a bit by Weber State grabbing one away from the Laramie junior.
You might say that payback was in store the rest of the way.
“Weber State is pretty aggressive and I know one time they ripped the ball away from me and I sort of used that as motivation,” Vandiver said. “But I know my teammates helped me out a lot, they boxed out. When they do that, it is easy to just let the ball come to you.”
Caitlin Anderson led Weber State (6-6) with 10 points. The Wildcats struggled offensively, shooting just 27 percent from the field, hitting 1 of 13 3-point attempts. Wyoming shut down the Wildcats with two major scoring droughts -- seven minutes in the first half and five minutes in the second half, outscoring Weber State 33-0 in those two runs.
“If we can get our defense going and hold them down -- I think we got a couple of decent steals that led to layups -- it allows us to get into our offense and gets us going more, I guess,” Vandiver said.
The Cowgirls return to action Sunday as part of a men’s-women’s doubleheader, as they host Oregon at 2 p.m. The Cowboys follow by hosting South Dakota at 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Cowgirls roll past Dakota State
by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
CASPER -- Finals week and very little practice time didn't seem to slow down the Wyoming Cowgirls Saturday in the annual Wyoming Shootout at the Casper Events Center.
Wyoming coach Joe Legerski couldn't have scripted the game much better, as the Cowgirls rolled to an 102-54 win over NAIA Dakota State.
The stat sheet said it all: 51 percent shooting from the field, 31 assists, five turnovers. Not bad for a team that practiced about as much all week than it normally does in one day.
"We had about three and one-half hours of practice this week because of finals," Legerski said. "Usually, we get in three and one-hours a day. You take a look at how much time we gave away, I thought we came out focused. We moved the basketball; we found Hillary inside and Hillary had 26 points. When they start collapsing on Hillary, we had an answer from the perimeter."
The Cowgirls (8-1) overcame a slow start to dominate the Trojans, an NAIA team that played the game as an exhibition.
Lashonda Martin scored 10 points for the Trojans (4-5).
Carlson was 11 of 16 from the field and also grabbed nine bounds before being replaced midway through the second half.
"We hadn't played in about a week and had just been concentrating on finals," Carlson said. "We had a lot of motivation and we really came out and played well."
Of the 31 assists, 16 came from the point guard position. Starter Randy Richardson had 10 assists and backup Bec Campigli added six.
"It was 31 assists on 39 field goals and that is even more important," Legerski said. "We talked about keeping the ball off of the floor early. We kept it on the floor too much early and we changed up offensively of what we wanted to do and it really seemed to keep the ball off of the floor and cleared the lanes for everyone."
Sophomore Kristen Scheffler scored 21 points, followed by sophomore Emma Langford with 16 and junior Aubrey Vandiver with 13. The Cowgirls led 48-30 at halftime and pulled away behind strong outside shooting. Wyoming opened the second half by hitting its first four 3-pointers and finished the game connecting on 14 of 31 attempts.
"We did a really good job of sharing the ball," Carlson said.
Wyoming Sports.org
CASPER -- Finals week and very little practice time didn't seem to slow down the Wyoming Cowgirls Saturday in the annual Wyoming Shootout at the Casper Events Center.
Wyoming coach Joe Legerski couldn't have scripted the game much better, as the Cowgirls rolled to an 102-54 win over NAIA Dakota State.
The stat sheet said it all: 51 percent shooting from the field, 31 assists, five turnovers. Not bad for a team that practiced about as much all week than it normally does in one day.
"We had about three and one-half hours of practice this week because of finals," Legerski said. "Usually, we get in three and one-hours a day. You take a look at how much time we gave away, I thought we came out focused. We moved the basketball; we found Hillary inside and Hillary had 26 points. When they start collapsing on Hillary, we had an answer from the perimeter."
The Cowgirls (8-1) overcame a slow start to dominate the Trojans, an NAIA team that played the game as an exhibition.
Lashonda Martin scored 10 points for the Trojans (4-5).
Carlson was 11 of 16 from the field and also grabbed nine bounds before being replaced midway through the second half.
"We hadn't played in about a week and had just been concentrating on finals," Carlson said. "We had a lot of motivation and we really came out and played well."
Of the 31 assists, 16 came from the point guard position. Starter Randy Richardson had 10 assists and backup Bec Campigli added six.
"It was 31 assists on 39 field goals and that is even more important," Legerski said. "We talked about keeping the ball off of the floor early. We kept it on the floor too much early and we changed up offensively of what we wanted to do and it really seemed to keep the ball off of the floor and cleared the lanes for everyone."
Sophomore Kristen Scheffler scored 21 points, followed by sophomore Emma Langford with 16 and junior Aubrey Vandiver with 13. The Cowgirls led 48-30 at halftime and pulled away behind strong outside shooting. Wyoming opened the second half by hitting its first four 3-pointers and finished the game connecting on 14 of 31 attempts.
"We did a really good job of sharing the ball," Carlson said.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Washington State hands Cowgirls first loss
UW-WSU boxscore
PULLMAN, Wash. -- There was no comeback in store on Saturday for the Wyoming Cowgirls, as Washington state built an early lead and never looked back, stopping the Cowgirls 63-50.
The loss was the first of the season, dropping Wyoming to 7-1 on the year. Washington State moved to 3-4.
“I thought we didn’t make very many shots in the first half,” said UW head coach Joe Legerski. “We came out shot 20 percent from the field and went 0-7 from beyond the arc. We had some good looks at the basket, but the ball just didn’t go down. Washington State came out and applied some pressure that we haven’t seen all year, which you can’t simulate in practice. It makes you rush a little when you don’t need to.
" In the second half, we played with a little more composure and didn’t have to rush every shot. We came out and changed up a bit and cut the lead to seven. You have to give Washington State credit they would have an answer on every score which didn’t allow us to gain any ground on the lead. "
Three Cowgirls finished the day in double-figures, led by junior Aubrey Vandiver, who had her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. She was followed by Emma Langford with 10 points and nine rebounds, while Randi Richardson added 10 points and four steals. Wyoming shot 18-of-55 (.327) from the field and were out-rebounded 43-39.
“Aubrey really came out to compete tonight," Legerski said. "She led us in scoring and rebounding, and not only that she was on the floor for 39 minutes. The game tonight was extremely tight. You had to pull down every rebound and make every shot.”
Washington State was led by Jazmine Perkins with a game-high 17 points and six rebounds, while April Cook added 16 points. The Cougars shot 20-of-61 (.328) from the field and 15-of-19 (.789) from the charity stripe.
Wyoming will host the Dakota State Trojans on Saturday at the BlueCross BlueShield of Wyoming Shootout in Casper. The game is set to tip off at 1 p.m.
PULLMAN, Wash. -- There was no comeback in store on Saturday for the Wyoming Cowgirls, as Washington state built an early lead and never looked back, stopping the Cowgirls 63-50.
The loss was the first of the season, dropping Wyoming to 7-1 on the year. Washington State moved to 3-4.
“I thought we didn’t make very many shots in the first half,” said UW head coach Joe Legerski. “We came out shot 20 percent from the field and went 0-7 from beyond the arc. We had some good looks at the basket, but the ball just didn’t go down. Washington State came out and applied some pressure that we haven’t seen all year, which you can’t simulate in practice. It makes you rush a little when you don’t need to.
" In the second half, we played with a little more composure and didn’t have to rush every shot. We came out and changed up a bit and cut the lead to seven. You have to give Washington State credit they would have an answer on every score which didn’t allow us to gain any ground on the lead. "
Three Cowgirls finished the day in double-figures, led by junior Aubrey Vandiver, who had her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. She was followed by Emma Langford with 10 points and nine rebounds, while Randi Richardson added 10 points and four steals. Wyoming shot 18-of-55 (.327) from the field and were out-rebounded 43-39.
“Aubrey really came out to compete tonight," Legerski said. "She led us in scoring and rebounding, and not only that she was on the floor for 39 minutes. The game tonight was extremely tight. You had to pull down every rebound and make every shot.”
Washington State was led by Jazmine Perkins with a game-high 17 points and six rebounds, while April Cook added 16 points. The Cougars shot 20-of-61 (.328) from the field and 15-of-19 (.789) from the charity stripe.
Wyoming will host the Dakota State Trojans on Saturday at the BlueCross BlueShield of Wyoming Shootout in Casper. The game is set to tip off at 1 p.m.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Cowgirls still unbeten with win over Idaho
Moscow, Idaho — The Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team (7-0 overall) had to overcome a five point halftime deficit to earn a 61-55 victory over the Idaho Vandals (1-7 overall), on Thursday night in Moscow.
“I thought this was a very difficult game tonight,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “Idaho did a tremendous job and ran a matching zone with our offense and we had to make a change to our motion to get things moving in our offense. It seemed like every time we were trying to get back into it, we would miss a shot, not come up with a rebound, and they would make plays. You have to give Idaho a great deal of credit for their effort tonight just for the way they played and competed. We talked about coming out and winning the second half, which is always important whether you’re up or down going into halftime. We showed great composure in the final four to five minutes of the game, and Jade Kennedy hit a huge shot to tie it.
Three Cowgirls finished the night in double-figures led by junior Hillary Carlson. She recorded a game high 20 points, while shooting 7-12 (.583) from the field and 6-8 (.750) from the free throw line. Emma Langford followed with 14 points and six boards, while Jade Kennedy added ten points, four rebounds and four assists. Aubrey Vandiver finished with a team high 12 rebounds and nine points. As a team, Wyoming shot 20-55 (.364) from the field and 13-16 (.813) from the charity stripe.
“Hillary Carlson played about seven minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. We kept going to her in the second half and she comes out of the game with 20 points. She worked extremely hard at the post and you can see the confidence growing in her game. We need her to get the basketball and when she does she makes good decisions.”
Idaho was led by Shaena Kuehu with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Kanisha Bello had 13 points and Rachele Kloke added 11. The Vandals also shot 20-55 (.364) from the field and out rebounded the Cowgirls 44-33.
It was very low scoring to begin the game as the two teams were tied up at 3-3 through the first media timeout. Hillary Carlson hit a basket to end the scoring drought for the Cowgirls to put them up 5-3, but the Vandals answered with two three-point field goals to regain the lead 9-5. Wyoming responded with a 7-0 run to take a 12-9 lead, unfortunately Idaho scored the next nine straight to take a six point advantage, 18-12. After a Cowgirl three-point field goal, the Vandals scored another seven unanswered to extend the lead to double-figures 25-15. Wyoming closed the gap by scoring the last five points of the half but still headed into the lockerroom down 25-20.
The Cowgirls picked up where they left off from by scoring the first six points to begin the second half to take a one point lead, 26-25. Idaho responded quickly with a 7-0 run to regain the lead, 32-26. Wyoming chipped away at the lead by scoring 10 of 14 to pull even at 36 all, but again the Vandals came back with a 10-2 run to make it an eight point lead, 46-38. The Cowgirls continued to battle and scored six straight to pull within two, 46-44, with 5:40 left in the game. Wyoming would eventually tie it up at 49, but a basket the Vandals put them back up 51-49. Hillary Carlson would hit one of two free throws to make it a one point game, 51-50. Idaho continued to have an answer as they hit another shot to make it 53-50, but Jade Kennedy hit a three-point field goal to tie it up at 1:50 left on the clock. Four straight points by Hillary Carlson made it a two possession game, 57-53. They would allow the Vandals to just score one more field goal as they pulled out the 61-55 victory.
Wyoming will close out the weekend against the Washington State Cougars, on Saturday, Dec. 5. The game is set to tip at 3:00 p.m. MT.
“I thought this was a very difficult game tonight,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “Idaho did a tremendous job and ran a matching zone with our offense and we had to make a change to our motion to get things moving in our offense. It seemed like every time we were trying to get back into it, we would miss a shot, not come up with a rebound, and they would make plays. You have to give Idaho a great deal of credit for their effort tonight just for the way they played and competed. We talked about coming out and winning the second half, which is always important whether you’re up or down going into halftime. We showed great composure in the final four to five minutes of the game, and Jade Kennedy hit a huge shot to tie it.
Three Cowgirls finished the night in double-figures led by junior Hillary Carlson. She recorded a game high 20 points, while shooting 7-12 (.583) from the field and 6-8 (.750) from the free throw line. Emma Langford followed with 14 points and six boards, while Jade Kennedy added ten points, four rebounds and four assists. Aubrey Vandiver finished with a team high 12 rebounds and nine points. As a team, Wyoming shot 20-55 (.364) from the field and 13-16 (.813) from the charity stripe.
“Hillary Carlson played about seven minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. We kept going to her in the second half and she comes out of the game with 20 points. She worked extremely hard at the post and you can see the confidence growing in her game. We need her to get the basketball and when she does she makes good decisions.”
Idaho was led by Shaena Kuehu with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Kanisha Bello had 13 points and Rachele Kloke added 11. The Vandals also shot 20-55 (.364) from the field and out rebounded the Cowgirls 44-33.
It was very low scoring to begin the game as the two teams were tied up at 3-3 through the first media timeout. Hillary Carlson hit a basket to end the scoring drought for the Cowgirls to put them up 5-3, but the Vandals answered with two three-point field goals to regain the lead 9-5. Wyoming responded with a 7-0 run to take a 12-9 lead, unfortunately Idaho scored the next nine straight to take a six point advantage, 18-12. After a Cowgirl three-point field goal, the Vandals scored another seven unanswered to extend the lead to double-figures 25-15. Wyoming closed the gap by scoring the last five points of the half but still headed into the lockerroom down 25-20.
The Cowgirls picked up where they left off from by scoring the first six points to begin the second half to take a one point lead, 26-25. Idaho responded quickly with a 7-0 run to regain the lead, 32-26. Wyoming chipped away at the lead by scoring 10 of 14 to pull even at 36 all, but again the Vandals came back with a 10-2 run to make it an eight point lead, 46-38. The Cowgirls continued to battle and scored six straight to pull within two, 46-44, with 5:40 left in the game. Wyoming would eventually tie it up at 49, but a basket the Vandals put them back up 51-49. Hillary Carlson would hit one of two free throws to make it a one point game, 51-50. Idaho continued to have an answer as they hit another shot to make it 53-50, but Jade Kennedy hit a three-point field goal to tie it up at 1:50 left on the clock. Four straight points by Hillary Carlson made it a two possession game, 57-53. They would allow the Vandals to just score one more field goal as they pulled out the 61-55 victory.
Wyoming will close out the weekend against the Washington State Cougars, on Saturday, Dec. 5. The game is set to tip at 3:00 p.m. MT.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Cowgirls roll over Bengals
Photo by John McKnight/Wyoming sophomore Leah Fitzgerald goes up for a shot Monday night against Idaho State.UW-Idaho State boxscore
by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls opened the game on a 17-2 run and cruised past the Idaho State Bengals for a convincing 76-40 win at the Arena-Auditorium Monday night.
Wyoming is now 6-0 for the second time in the last three seasons, while Idaho State drops to 1-5.
The Cowgirls led 34-18 at the break behind 12 points from Hillary Carlson and 10 points chipped in by Aubrey Vandiver. As a team, Wyoming shot 46 percent in the first half and held Idaho State to just 27 percent from the field.
The second half would not be any better for the Lady Bengals, as the Cowgirl defense continued to wear down Idaho State by forcing several turnovers to increase the motion in their transition game, resulting in wide open shots from the perimeter.
Carlson finished with a season-high 25 points on nine of 11 shooting, including two-out-of-three from beyond the arc. Wyoming shot eight of 20 from 3-point land and made 52 percent of its field goals overall, while the Bengals only managed 29 percent.
“I thought tonight our defensive effort was tremendous for 40 minutes,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “To be able to hold a team to 29 percent shooting, really shows the dedication we have to playing defense. I thought Hillary Carlson established herself on the inside. What Hillary was able to accomplish tonight going nine of 11 from the field, it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on everybody. We started getting things open on the perimeter, we shot 40 percent from 3-point range and then all of a sudden you have an inside-outside game that makes it very difficult to stop.”
“Whenever I got the ball, I tried to see if had an opening to score and if I did, I went ahead and took it,” Carlson said. “It felt good tonight. They (the coaches) definitely have been on me to do anything more, especially in that situation when I have that green light to shoot.”
Vandiver ended the night with 13 points, as 10 Cowgirls scored in the game and Wyoming led by as many as 39 points. Oana Iacovita led the Bengals with nine.
Wyoming also shared the wealth earning 19 assists with eight players recording at least one assist. The Cowgirls also took the battle of the boards 39-27.
The Cowgirls will hit the road for the rest of the week when they head to the Pacific Northwest to tangle with the Idaho Vandals on Wednesday at 8 p.m., in Moscow, Idaho before crossing the Palouse River into Pullman, Wash., to face the Washington State Cougars Saturday at 3 p.m.
by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls opened the game on a 17-2 run and cruised past the Idaho State Bengals for a convincing 76-40 win at the Arena-Auditorium Monday night.
Wyoming is now 6-0 for the second time in the last three seasons, while Idaho State drops to 1-5.
The Cowgirls led 34-18 at the break behind 12 points from Hillary Carlson and 10 points chipped in by Aubrey Vandiver. As a team, Wyoming shot 46 percent in the first half and held Idaho State to just 27 percent from the field.
The second half would not be any better for the Lady Bengals, as the Cowgirl defense continued to wear down Idaho State by forcing several turnovers to increase the motion in their transition game, resulting in wide open shots from the perimeter.
Carlson finished with a season-high 25 points on nine of 11 shooting, including two-out-of-three from beyond the arc. Wyoming shot eight of 20 from 3-point land and made 52 percent of its field goals overall, while the Bengals only managed 29 percent.
“I thought tonight our defensive effort was tremendous for 40 minutes,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “To be able to hold a team to 29 percent shooting, really shows the dedication we have to playing defense. I thought Hillary Carlson established herself on the inside. What Hillary was able to accomplish tonight going nine of 11 from the field, it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on everybody. We started getting things open on the perimeter, we shot 40 percent from 3-point range and then all of a sudden you have an inside-outside game that makes it very difficult to stop.”
“Whenever I got the ball, I tried to see if had an opening to score and if I did, I went ahead and took it,” Carlson said. “It felt good tonight. They (the coaches) definitely have been on me to do anything more, especially in that situation when I have that green light to shoot.”
Vandiver ended the night with 13 points, as 10 Cowgirls scored in the game and Wyoming led by as many as 39 points. Oana Iacovita led the Bengals with nine.
Wyoming also shared the wealth earning 19 assists with eight players recording at least one assist. The Cowgirls also took the battle of the boards 39-27.
The Cowgirls will hit the road for the rest of the week when they head to the Pacific Northwest to tangle with the Idaho Vandals on Wednesday at 8 p.m., in Moscow, Idaho before crossing the Palouse River into Pullman, Wash., to face the Washington State Cougars Saturday at 3 p.m.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Cowgirls stop pesky Yellow Jackets
Cowgirl junior Aubrey Vandiver
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
With the way the Wyoming Cowgirls have played this season, Tuesday night’s 68-45 win over Black Hills State might have actually been better than it looked.
Yes, the Yellow Jackets are an NAIA team, and yes, the Cowgirls struggled hanging onto the basketball.
But no, it wasn’t a bad game as far as Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski was concerned.
“I mentioned to the players at the end of the game, how proud I was of the way they fought tonight,” Legerski said. “To come up with a 23-point win, hold an opponent to under 50 points and 30 percent from the field. This was a great effort.”
The Cowgirls scored the first 13 points of the contest, highlighted by consecutive 3-pointers by Emma Langford, Jade Kennedy and Randi Richardson.
And Wyoming led by 18 at halftime and 24 early in the second half.
By no means was this a blowout, though, and the much smaller Yellow Jackets at times gave the Cowgirls all they wanted.
"Our goal was to just compete for 40 minutes and that's what we did," Black Hills State coach Mark Nore said. "We came out to see what it was all about and for the first five minutes we were down 13-0. We finally regrouped, basically took a breath, and I thought we competed from that point on."
If the Wyoming faithful thought the Cowgirls would automatically blow the Yellow Jackets out, that isn’t always how it goes, Legerski said.
"At times, I think everyone thinks you should just walk in and win by 30 or 40," Legerski said. "I thought Black Hills State played extremely hard tonight. It was a great learning experience to be able to handle as much pressure as they were able to bring and it was a very difficult matchup for us."
The Cowgirls came away impressed with the Yellow Jackets and their bulldog attack.
“They were really aggressive,” Wyoming junior Aubrey Vandiver said. “They came out with a lot of energy and I think a couple of times when we were on the wing, they were able to push us back and force us into making passes that we normally don’t make, which led to turnovers.”
The quick start by the Cowgirls might have picked up the intensity for the Yellow Jackets, UW junior Hillary Carlson said.
“I think that (13-0) lead might have forced them to pick up their play; that’s when the aggression really started and that’s when we had to get ready and adjust to it,“ Carlson said.
Vandiver easily had their best game of the season, with 20 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and a blocked shot. The same could be said for Carlson, who added 14 points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots and two steals.
“I thought Hillary played excellent,” Legerski said. “Our rock was back tonight, Aubrey Vandiver. She played with so much composure, had another double-double and really was a steady influence in this game.”
The Yellow Jackets hung around in a sloppy game that saw both teams combine for 50 turnovers. Wyoming by as much as 24, but a 3-pointer by BH’s Keely Krolikowksi and two free throws by Alana Dykhouse cut the lead to 14 points with five minutes left in the game.Wyoming responded with seven straight to hold off the BHSU rally.
Krolikowski led the Yellow Jackets with 19 points.
"The second half, they beat us by five," Nore said. " Keely was really aggressive offensively and Alana Dykhouse was really physical, and she did a good job on the glass.Black Hills State forced 21 Wyoming turnovers and bothered Wyoming with the aggressive full court press throughout the game, finishing with nine steals.
The game was an exhibition for the Yellow Jackets, 5-2, and Nore said Tuesday night will prepare them for the rest of the season.
"This game scared me. It was a game where we wanted to come and just see what we were made of and compete," Nore said. "That's a great team, probably the best team that we have ever played. Just to compete like we did, I was really pleased."
For the Cowgirls, they will have a little time off before preparing for Idaho State Monday in the A-A.
Legerski said they will do some film work and treatment on Wednesday, take Thursday off for Thanksgiving and then get back at it on Friday.
“One of the things that we will definitely work on is getting the ball up the floor and get it entered into a wing catch in a position we are able to work with,” Legerski said. “Once again, 5-0 I am happy with, but we still have a great deal of work to do with this young group.”
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
With the way the Wyoming Cowgirls have played this season, Tuesday night’s 68-45 win over Black Hills State might have actually been better than it looked.
Yes, the Yellow Jackets are an NAIA team, and yes, the Cowgirls struggled hanging onto the basketball.
But no, it wasn’t a bad game as far as Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski was concerned.
“I mentioned to the players at the end of the game, how proud I was of the way they fought tonight,” Legerski said. “To come up with a 23-point win, hold an opponent to under 50 points and 30 percent from the field. This was a great effort.”
The Cowgirls scored the first 13 points of the contest, highlighted by consecutive 3-pointers by Emma Langford, Jade Kennedy and Randi Richardson.
And Wyoming led by 18 at halftime and 24 early in the second half.
By no means was this a blowout, though, and the much smaller Yellow Jackets at times gave the Cowgirls all they wanted.
"Our goal was to just compete for 40 minutes and that's what we did," Black Hills State coach Mark Nore said. "We came out to see what it was all about and for the first five minutes we were down 13-0. We finally regrouped, basically took a breath, and I thought we competed from that point on."
If the Wyoming faithful thought the Cowgirls would automatically blow the Yellow Jackets out, that isn’t always how it goes, Legerski said.
"At times, I think everyone thinks you should just walk in and win by 30 or 40," Legerski said. "I thought Black Hills State played extremely hard tonight. It was a great learning experience to be able to handle as much pressure as they were able to bring and it was a very difficult matchup for us."
The Cowgirls came away impressed with the Yellow Jackets and their bulldog attack.
“They were really aggressive,” Wyoming junior Aubrey Vandiver said. “They came out with a lot of energy and I think a couple of times when we were on the wing, they were able to push us back and force us into making passes that we normally don’t make, which led to turnovers.”
The quick start by the Cowgirls might have picked up the intensity for the Yellow Jackets, UW junior Hillary Carlson said.
“I think that (13-0) lead might have forced them to pick up their play; that’s when the aggression really started and that’s when we had to get ready and adjust to it,“ Carlson said.
Vandiver easily had their best game of the season, with 20 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and a blocked shot. The same could be said for Carlson, who added 14 points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots and two steals.
“I thought Hillary played excellent,” Legerski said. “Our rock was back tonight, Aubrey Vandiver. She played with so much composure, had another double-double and really was a steady influence in this game.”
The Yellow Jackets hung around in a sloppy game that saw both teams combine for 50 turnovers. Wyoming by as much as 24, but a 3-pointer by BH’s Keely Krolikowksi and two free throws by Alana Dykhouse cut the lead to 14 points with five minutes left in the game.Wyoming responded with seven straight to hold off the BHSU rally.
Krolikowski led the Yellow Jackets with 19 points.
"The second half, they beat us by five," Nore said. " Keely was really aggressive offensively and Alana Dykhouse was really physical, and she did a good job on the glass.Black Hills State forced 21 Wyoming turnovers and bothered Wyoming with the aggressive full court press throughout the game, finishing with nine steals.
The game was an exhibition for the Yellow Jackets, 5-2, and Nore said Tuesday night will prepare them for the rest of the season.
"This game scared me. It was a game where we wanted to come and just see what we were made of and compete," Nore said. "That's a great team, probably the best team that we have ever played. Just to compete like we did, I was really pleased."
For the Cowgirls, they will have a little time off before preparing for Idaho State Monday in the A-A.
Legerski said they will do some film work and treatment on Wednesday, take Thursday off for Thanksgiving and then get back at it on Friday.
“One of the things that we will definitely work on is getting the ball up the floor and get it entered into a wing catch in a position we are able to work with,” Legerski said. “Once again, 5-0 I am happy with, but we still have a great deal of work to do with this young group.”
Friday, November 20, 2009
Cowgirls rally past Bison
FARGO N.D. -- The Wyoming Cowgirls battled back again to post another impressive road win, stopping North Dakota State Friday night to remain unbeaten on the season.
The Cowgirls, 4-0, trailed by as much as nine in the first half and were down by five with about six minutes left in the contest before taking control with a strong defense and outstanding outside shooting.
“In tonight’s game, I thought North Dakota State was the aggressor out on the floor,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “We started taking some ill advised shots, they had our offense pushed out a bit and we had to gain some composure, get more focused. That’s due to a young team and being on the road for several days.
“We talked going into the locker room that we out scored them in the last four minutes. Even though we were down, it showed that we were getting better and it carried over into the second half. This was a heck of a ball game. North Dakota State is improved and very aggressive."
Wyoming was led by sophomore Kristen Scheffler with a team-high 17 points and four steals, while shooting 6-of-11 (.545) from the field and 4-of-7 (.571) from beyond the arc. She was followed by junior Aubrey Vandiver with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Jade Kennedy recorded 12 points and three assists. The Cowgirls shot 25-of-58 (.431) from the field and 11-of--22 (.500) from beyond the arc. They out-rebounded the Bison 41-30.
"I thought we got some big play especially from Kristen Scheffler," Legerski said. "She has become an all-around player. Aubrey also showed her leadership by stepping up down the stretch at the end with hitting free throws. As a group, we didn’t shoot the ball extremely well, but I thought we found a way to win.”
The Bison were led by 6-foot-5 Janae Birch with 19 points and six rebounds, while Katie Birkel chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds. North Dakota State went 23-of-53 (.415) from the field and 11-of-18 (.611) from the free-throw line.
North Dakota State quickly jumped out and took a 7-0 lead to begin the game and were up 21-12 before the Cowgirls slowly chipped away, cutting the halftime lead to 28-27.
Wyoming took its first lead at 42-40 on a three-point play by Scheffler with 13 minutes left. The two teams traded leads for the next few minutes before North Dakota went back up 55-50
The Cowgirls answered right back with three straight3-point field goals to regain a four-point lead and never looked back. Vandiver hit four free throws down the stretch to close the scoring and hold off the Bison.
Wyoming returns home for the next two games, facing Black Hills State University on Tuesday and Idaho State on Nov. 30. Both games bwegin at 7 p.m.
The Cowgirls, 4-0, trailed by as much as nine in the first half and were down by five with about six minutes left in the contest before taking control with a strong defense and outstanding outside shooting.
“In tonight’s game, I thought North Dakota State was the aggressor out on the floor,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “We started taking some ill advised shots, they had our offense pushed out a bit and we had to gain some composure, get more focused. That’s due to a young team and being on the road for several days.
“We talked going into the locker room that we out scored them in the last four minutes. Even though we were down, it showed that we were getting better and it carried over into the second half. This was a heck of a ball game. North Dakota State is improved and very aggressive."
Wyoming was led by sophomore Kristen Scheffler with a team-high 17 points and four steals, while shooting 6-of-11 (.545) from the field and 4-of-7 (.571) from beyond the arc. She was followed by junior Aubrey Vandiver with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Jade Kennedy recorded 12 points and three assists. The Cowgirls shot 25-of-58 (.431) from the field and 11-of--22 (.500) from beyond the arc. They out-rebounded the Bison 41-30.
"I thought we got some big play especially from Kristen Scheffler," Legerski said. "She has become an all-around player. Aubrey also showed her leadership by stepping up down the stretch at the end with hitting free throws. As a group, we didn’t shoot the ball extremely well, but I thought we found a way to win.”
The Bison were led by 6-foot-5 Janae Birch with 19 points and six rebounds, while Katie Birkel chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds. North Dakota State went 23-of-53 (.415) from the field and 11-of-18 (.611) from the free-throw line.
North Dakota State quickly jumped out and took a 7-0 lead to begin the game and were up 21-12 before the Cowgirls slowly chipped away, cutting the halftime lead to 28-27.
Wyoming took its first lead at 42-40 on a three-point play by Scheffler with 13 minutes left. The two teams traded leads for the next few minutes before North Dakota went back up 55-50
The Cowgirls answered right back with three straight3-point field goals to regain a four-point lead and never looked back. Vandiver hit four free throws down the stretch to close the scoring and hold off the Bison.
Wyoming returns home for the next two games, facing Black Hills State University on Tuesday and Idaho State on Nov. 30. Both games bwegin at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Cowgirls crush Fighting Sioux
UW-North Dakota box score
GRAND FORKS, N.D. --The Wyoming Cowgirls remained unbeaten in a big way, crushing North Dakota 85-59 on Wednesday night.
The Cowgirls, 3-0, have now won their two games by an average of 28 points. The loss dropped the Fighting Sioux to 0-3.
“We played with a great deal of confidence tonight,” UW coach Joe Legerski said. “When you execute as well as we did on the offensive side of the ball and played the way we did on defense, it results in a victory. It was important for us to shoot well and we did in both halves."
Four Cowgirls finished the game in double-figures, led by sophomore Kristen Scheffler's 19 points, three rebounds and three steals. Junior Jade Kennedy had 14 points and a team high eight rebounds. Sophomore Emma Langford also chipped in 14 points, while junior Aubrey Vandiver added 10 points. The Cowgirls shot 29-of-52 (.558) from the field and 20-of-26 (.769) from the charity stripe, while out-rebounding North Dakota 35-27.
“Kristen Scheffler really gave us a lift off the bench in first half with her scoring and really stepped it up as a defender," Legerski said. "Leah Fitzgerald also did an outstanding job after Hillary (Carlson) got into foul trouble. She had an impressive line with six points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. Also, I thought Emma Langford had a good second half defensively against Bagaason, and Jade Kennedy continues to be impressive with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists.”
UND was led by Kayla Bagaason with a game high 25 points, while Whitney Ledger recorded a team high seven rebounds and eight points. The Fighting Sioux shot 20-of-54 (.370) from the field and 12-of-15 (.800) from the free-throw line.
Wyoming will wrap up its road trip against the North Dakota State Bison on Friday, beginning at 5 p.m.
GRAND FORKS, N.D. --The Wyoming Cowgirls remained unbeaten in a big way, crushing North Dakota 85-59 on Wednesday night.
The Cowgirls, 3-0, have now won their two games by an average of 28 points. The loss dropped the Fighting Sioux to 0-3.
“We played with a great deal of confidence tonight,” UW coach Joe Legerski said. “When you execute as well as we did on the offensive side of the ball and played the way we did on defense, it results in a victory. It was important for us to shoot well and we did in both halves."
Four Cowgirls finished the game in double-figures, led by sophomore Kristen Scheffler's 19 points, three rebounds and three steals. Junior Jade Kennedy had 14 points and a team high eight rebounds. Sophomore Emma Langford also chipped in 14 points, while junior Aubrey Vandiver added 10 points. The Cowgirls shot 29-of-52 (.558) from the field and 20-of-26 (.769) from the charity stripe, while out-rebounding North Dakota 35-27.
“Kristen Scheffler really gave us a lift off the bench in first half with her scoring and really stepped it up as a defender," Legerski said. "Leah Fitzgerald also did an outstanding job after Hillary (Carlson) got into foul trouble. She had an impressive line with six points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. Also, I thought Emma Langford had a good second half defensively against Bagaason, and Jade Kennedy continues to be impressive with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists.”
UND was led by Kayla Bagaason with a game high 25 points, while Whitney Ledger recorded a team high seven rebounds and eight points. The Fighting Sioux shot 20-of-54 (.370) from the field and 12-of-15 (.800) from the free-throw line.
Wyoming will wrap up its road trip against the North Dakota State Bison on Friday, beginning at 5 p.m.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Cowgirls head to North Dakota
The Wyoming Cowgirls will be back out on the road for the next to games. taking on North Dakota Wednesday night at 6 p.m. in Grand Forks and North Dakota State Friday night at 5 p.m. in Fargo.
Wyoming is 2-0 overall after earning a 65-62 victory over Denver on Friday and a 68-38 win against Montana,on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore Emma Langford leads the way averaging 14 points and six rebounds. She is followed closely by juniors Hillary Carlson and Aubrey Vandiver. They are each adding 11.5 points and a team leading seven rebounds. The Cowgirls are shooting .415 (54-130) from the field and 16-121 (.762) from the charity stripe.
UND is 0-2 overall and is led by Mallory Youngblut, who is averaging 12.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. They return three starters and seven letterwinners to a team that went 18-11 overall and 5-1 in the Great West Conference a year ago. This is only the second meeting between the two schools. Wyoming won the only game on Nov. 20, 2008 by a score of 100-75 in Laramie. North Dakota is coached by Gene Roebuck, who is in his 23rd season with the program.
NDSU is 1-1 overall ad is led by Abby Plucker, who is averaging 15 points and six rebounds. They return four starters and nine letterwinners to a team that went 16-13 overall and 12-6 in the Summit League a year ago. This is the second meeting between the two schools. The last time the two teams met was Dec. 13, 2008, as the Cowgirls defeated the Bison 68-51 in Casper. NDSU is coached by former Cowgirl assistant Carolyn DeHoff, who is in her second year with the program.
Wyoming is 2-0 overall after earning a 65-62 victory over Denver on Friday and a 68-38 win against Montana,on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore Emma Langford leads the way averaging 14 points and six rebounds. She is followed closely by juniors Hillary Carlson and Aubrey Vandiver. They are each adding 11.5 points and a team leading seven rebounds. The Cowgirls are shooting .415 (54-130) from the field and 16-121 (.762) from the charity stripe.
UND is 0-2 overall and is led by Mallory Youngblut, who is averaging 12.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. They return three starters and seven letterwinners to a team that went 18-11 overall and 5-1 in the Great West Conference a year ago. This is only the second meeting between the two schools. Wyoming won the only game on Nov. 20, 2008 by a score of 100-75 in Laramie. North Dakota is coached by Gene Roebuck, who is in his 23rd season with the program.
NDSU is 1-1 overall ad is led by Abby Plucker, who is averaging 15 points and six rebounds. They return four starters and nine letterwinners to a team that went 16-13 overall and 12-6 in the Summit League a year ago. This is the second meeting between the two schools. The last time the two teams met was Dec. 13, 2008, as the Cowgirls defeated the Bison 68-51 in Casper. NDSU is coached by former Cowgirl assistant Carolyn DeHoff, who is in her second year with the program.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Cowgirls roll past Montana
UW-Montana boxscore
by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls never trailed and used a 17-2 run to end the first half and ran by the Montana Lady Grizzlies 68-38 Sunday afternoon in the Arena-Auditorium.
Wyoming is now 2-0 on the young season after earning a hard fought 65-62 win over the Denver Pioneers on the road Friday night.
Montana, the defending Big Sky champion, drops to 0-2 after a season opening 72-64 defeat on the road to Colorado State Friday night.
The Cowgirls used tough defense to stifle the Lady Grizzlies shooting, holding them to 18.9 percent in the first half, as Wyoming shot 45.7 perent, leading 39-17 at the break.
The rout continued in the second half, as the Cowgirls led by as many as 38 points before Montana would score the last eight points for the final margin.
The Cowgirls also dominated the glass with a 49-35 rebounding advantage, won the assist battle 21-6 and the bench outscored Montana bench 23-9.
“This is a rarity when you have a score of this nature,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “Montana over the years wins and wins at an alarming rate (Montana beat Wyoming 71-64 last year in Missoula). They have young players right now and they a great player that is going to be back this week that is sitting out with injury, so I’m very happy with how we played today.”
Forward Emma Langford led a balanced attack with 13 points, with true freshman Chaundra Sewell chipping in 11.
“Chaundra (Sewell) has great energy and a great competitiveness and drive to succeed,” Legerski said. “She goes after every loose ball and really works hard, and she’s learning how to play. I think she’s learning what it’s about to play at this level and that’s what’s important.”
Sewell said her experience as a Cowgirl has been an adjusting one, but is really starting to get a grasp on playing at the Division I level.
“It’s still kind of strange to me to be in a big arena with all the fans screaming,” she said. “It’s a lot more difficult than high school, but I’m getting use to it and loving it.”
The Cowgirls will head to the North Dakota next week, facing North Dakota at 6 p.m., in Grand Forks on Wednesday, followed by a visit to Fargo to take on the North Dakota State Bison Friday at 5 p.m.
by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls never trailed and used a 17-2 run to end the first half and ran by the Montana Lady Grizzlies 68-38 Sunday afternoon in the Arena-Auditorium.
Wyoming is now 2-0 on the young season after earning a hard fought 65-62 win over the Denver Pioneers on the road Friday night.
Montana, the defending Big Sky champion, drops to 0-2 after a season opening 72-64 defeat on the road to Colorado State Friday night.
The Cowgirls used tough defense to stifle the Lady Grizzlies shooting, holding them to 18.9 percent in the first half, as Wyoming shot 45.7 perent, leading 39-17 at the break.
The rout continued in the second half, as the Cowgirls led by as many as 38 points before Montana would score the last eight points for the final margin.
The Cowgirls also dominated the glass with a 49-35 rebounding advantage, won the assist battle 21-6 and the bench outscored Montana bench 23-9.
“This is a rarity when you have a score of this nature,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “Montana over the years wins and wins at an alarming rate (Montana beat Wyoming 71-64 last year in Missoula). They have young players right now and they a great player that is going to be back this week that is sitting out with injury, so I’m very happy with how we played today.”
Forward Emma Langford led a balanced attack with 13 points, with true freshman Chaundra Sewell chipping in 11.
“Chaundra (Sewell) has great energy and a great competitiveness and drive to succeed,” Legerski said. “She goes after every loose ball and really works hard, and she’s learning how to play. I think she’s learning what it’s about to play at this level and that’s what’s important.”
Sewell said her experience as a Cowgirl has been an adjusting one, but is really starting to get a grasp on playing at the Division I level.
“It’s still kind of strange to me to be in a big arena with all the fans screaming,” she said. “It’s a lot more difficult than high school, but I’m getting use to it and loving it.”
The Cowgirls will head to the North Dakota next week, facing North Dakota at 6 p.m., in Grand Forks on Wednesday, followed by a visit to Fargo to take on the North Dakota State Bison Friday at 5 p.m.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Cowgirls hold off Pioneers
UW-Denver boxscore
DENVER -- The Wyoming cowgirls opened the 2009-2010 season on a good note, holding off Denver 65-62 Friday night.
The cowgirls overcame a two-point halftime deficit and led by as much as eight in the second half before holding off the Pioneers.
“The thing that really impressed me tonight was our composure,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “We had a good four minute segment where we built up a seven point lead in the second half and in about one minute we lost it. We played with composure down the stretch when we needed to. I was pleased to come out on the road with a young team and earn a tough win over a good team."
Three Cowgirls finished the night in double-figures, led by redshirt junior Aubrey Vandiver, who finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Emma Langford added a team-high 15 points and six rebounds, while Hillary Carlson finished with 14 points and six boards. Wyoming shot 27-of-69 (.391) from the field, 9-of-10 (.900) from the free-throw line, while out rebounding the Pioneers 42-40.
Denver was led by Britteni Rice with a team-leading 16 points. Ashly Robinson recorded 12 points and 12 rebounds, while two other players had 10 points each. DU was 23-of-56 (.411) from the field and 7-of-17 (.412) from beyond the arc.
After shooting just 31 percent from the field in the first half, the Cowgirls went on a 10-1 run and never trailed again -- albeit a slim lead at times and especially in the end.
The Cowgirls led 41-33 before Denver battled back. Wyoming's lead was down to one on a couple of occasions in the final minute until Carlson nailed two free throws with four seconds left for the final points.
“In hitting those two free throws to help win this game showed how much confidence we have in Hillary Carlson," Legerski said. "Also, I thought we were good on the offensive boards behind the play of Jade Kennedy. Overall, I could talk about the great effort from all of the players tonight.”
The Cowgirls will open their home slate Sunday at 2 p.m. when they host Montana.
DENVER -- The Wyoming cowgirls opened the 2009-2010 season on a good note, holding off Denver 65-62 Friday night.
The cowgirls overcame a two-point halftime deficit and led by as much as eight in the second half before holding off the Pioneers.
“The thing that really impressed me tonight was our composure,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “We had a good four minute segment where we built up a seven point lead in the second half and in about one minute we lost it. We played with composure down the stretch when we needed to. I was pleased to come out on the road with a young team and earn a tough win over a good team."
Three Cowgirls finished the night in double-figures, led by redshirt junior Aubrey Vandiver, who finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Emma Langford added a team-high 15 points and six rebounds, while Hillary Carlson finished with 14 points and six boards. Wyoming shot 27-of-69 (.391) from the field, 9-of-10 (.900) from the free-throw line, while out rebounding the Pioneers 42-40.
Denver was led by Britteni Rice with a team-leading 16 points. Ashly Robinson recorded 12 points and 12 rebounds, while two other players had 10 points each. DU was 23-of-56 (.411) from the field and 7-of-17 (.412) from beyond the arc.
After shooting just 31 percent from the field in the first half, the Cowgirls went on a 10-1 run and never trailed again -- albeit a slim lead at times and especially in the end.
The Cowgirls led 41-33 before Denver battled back. Wyoming's lead was down to one on a couple of occasions in the final minute until Carlson nailed two free throws with four seconds left for the final points.
“In hitting those two free throws to help win this game showed how much confidence we have in Hillary Carlson," Legerski said. "Also, I thought we were good on the offensive boards behind the play of Jade Kennedy. Overall, I could talk about the great effort from all of the players tonight.”
The Cowgirls will open their home slate Sunday at 2 p.m. when they host Montana.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Cowgirl basketball opens at Denver
by UW Athletics Media Relations
The Cowgirl basketball team will open up the 2009-10 regular season with one game on the road and another at home this weekend.
Wyoming faces the Denver Pioneers Friday in Denver at 5:30 p.m. before hosting the Montana Lady Griz Sunday at 2 p.m. Live stats can be followed on www.wyomingathletics.com.
Wyoming went 2-0 during the exhibition season with a 72-36 victory over the Adams State Grizzlies and a 76-53 win over CSU-Pueblo. Aubrey Vandiver led the way with 14 points and six rebounds in the first game, while Emma Langford tallied a team high 19 points against the ThunderWolves.
This is the season opener for the Pioneers as well, who went 1-0 in exhibition play with an 82-54 win over Regis. They return three starters and six letterwinners to a team that went 16-15 overall and 10-8 in the SunBelt Conference a year ago. This is the 17th meeting between the two schools. Wyoming leads the series 13-3. The last time the two teams met was November 14, 2008 as the Cowgirls downed the Pioneers, 61-54, in Denver. Denver is coached by Erik Johnson who is in his second season with the program.
Montana went 1-0 in exhibition play and will take on Colorado State before playing the Cowgirls. The Lady Griz return two starters and eight letterwinners to a team that went 28-5 overall and 15-1 in the Big Sky Conference a year ago. This is the 34th meeting between the two teams. Montana leads the series 26-7. The last time the two teams met was Nov. 16, 2008, as the Lady Griz defeated the Cowgirls 71-64 in Missoula. Montana is coached by Robin Selvig who is in his 32nd season with the program.
The Cowgirl basketball team will open up the 2009-10 regular season with one game on the road and another at home this weekend.
Wyoming faces the Denver Pioneers Friday in Denver at 5:30 p.m. before hosting the Montana Lady Griz Sunday at 2 p.m. Live stats can be followed on www.wyomingathletics.com.
Wyoming went 2-0 during the exhibition season with a 72-36 victory over the Adams State Grizzlies and a 76-53 win over CSU-Pueblo. Aubrey Vandiver led the way with 14 points and six rebounds in the first game, while Emma Langford tallied a team high 19 points against the ThunderWolves.
This is the season opener for the Pioneers as well, who went 1-0 in exhibition play with an 82-54 win over Regis. They return three starters and six letterwinners to a team that went 16-15 overall and 10-8 in the SunBelt Conference a year ago. This is the 17th meeting between the two schools. Wyoming leads the series 13-3. The last time the two teams met was November 14, 2008 as the Cowgirls downed the Pioneers, 61-54, in Denver. Denver is coached by Erik Johnson who is in his second season with the program.
Montana went 1-0 in exhibition play and will take on Colorado State before playing the Cowgirls. The Lady Griz return two starters and eight letterwinners to a team that went 28-5 overall and 15-1 in the Big Sky Conference a year ago. This is the 34th meeting between the two teams. Montana leads the series 26-7. The last time the two teams met was Nov. 16, 2008, as the Lady Griz defeated the Cowgirls 71-64 in Missoula. Montana is coached by Robin Selvig who is in his 32nd season with the program.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Cowgirls pull away for win over CSU-Pueblo
Richard Anderson photosAt left, Wyoming sophomore Emma Langford drives on a Colorado State-Pueblo player Friday night in an exhibition at the Arena-Auditorium. At bottom, junior Jade Kennedy takes the ball to the basket. Langford finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Kennedy added 16 points and nine rebounds in the Cowgirls 76-53 win.
UW-CSU Pueblo box
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
The bad news earlier on Friday came when Wyoming women’s basketball coach Joe Legerski learned that sophomore forward Ashley Sickles would be lost for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.
The potential good news later that night came when the Cowgirls beat Colorado State-Pueblo 76-53 in an exhibition, with junior Jade Kennedy and sophomore Emma Langford more than picking up the slack.
“Just with one less big now, it allows everyone else to step up and I think Jade and all of the other bigs did a good job of that tonight,” Langford said.
Sickles played in 18 games during her freshman campaign and averaged 1.9 points and one rebound in 7.9 minutes per game, but was expected to contribute in the rotation this season and had a strong preseason camp. She was injured late in Monday’s exhibition win over Adams State.
Kennedy picked it up on Friday, scoring 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting, grabbing nine rebounds. Langford, who had an up and down freshman campaign offensively last season, led all scorers with 19 points, along with eight rebounds.
“It’s very difficult losing Ashley Sickles,” Legerski said. “At 6-foot-2 with perimeter skills, who can shoot the basketball and has great length, she gives us somebody who can go in and play at the four at times and guard a five. Losing her for the season now creates a situation where somebody else has to step up and maybe get more minutes, and I thought Jade did that tonight and really played well.”
Kennedy averaged 4.0 points and 4.9 rebounds a game last season off of the bench, had just three points and five rebounds against Adams State on Monday.
Those dreaded first-game nerves are over now and Kennedy said she felt much better offensively on Friday.
“The last game it was a bit nervous because it was the first game, I guess I just relaxed and it just came,” Kennedy said.
Langford, who struggled offensively with her bad back in the second half of last season and was just 1 of 10 shooting on Monday, looked more like the player who showed an offensive spark early in her career.
“It was good to get that first game under our belt and the second game was a lot more relaxing and it was good to get to ourselves and get to our offense,” Langford said.
The Cowgirls started slow on Friday, trailing 8-1 and only leading by four at halftime. Still up by only three, Wyoming shifted into second gear defensively, blanking the Division II Thunderwolves for nearly 10 minutes and scoring 22 unanswered points to run away.
“We needed to pick it on defense in the second half and we did that,” Langford said. “We didn’t want them to get as many open shots … they were shooting well from the 3-point line which made it hard for us to keep extending that lead. In the second half, we were more focused on the 3-point shooters and not let them shoot it as much. We picked it up on defense and the offense came together.”
Legerski said that offensively, Friday wasn’t as smooth as Monday, but he thought CSU-Pueblo had a little to do with that as their zone and trapping created some problems for them. He said that once Wyoming started moving the basketball and attacking the spots, it opened up for them.
“Really, I was very pleased with how we played defensively. We only gave up 12 points in the second half to the four minute mark, which is a tremendous effort,” he said. “Even though sometimes we weren’t playing as well on the offensive side, defensively we were solid especially in the second half.
The Cowgirls open the regular season next Friday in Denver against the Denver Pioneers.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Vandiver enjoys her return
UW photo/Junior Aubrey Vandiver scored 14 points against Adams State Monday night.Wyoming-Adams State boxscore
by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
The toughest part for Aubrey Vandiver on Monday were the hours leading to the Cowgirls exhibition opener against Adams State.
The game, as usual, is somewhat of a breeze for the talented Laramie athlete.
Vandiver, in her first game since the 2007 NCAA tournament against Pittsburgh, scored 14 points and played 28 minutes in leading Wyoming to an easy 72-36 victory in the Arena-Auditorium.
"The first minutes were a lot more relaxing than the minutes before that going up to the game, I was really nervous," Vandiver said. "Once I got out there, it was an amazing feeling to be back out on the court playing with my teammates and having the support of the fans."
Vandiver, a third-team all-conference performer her sophomore season, sat out last year with a bad case of mononucleosis.
Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski said that he wanted to make sure that Vandiver got some quality court time Monday night because she had been so inactive while battling the illness.
"She needs to get as many minutes as possible and we were able to do that," Legerski said.
Despite the long layoff, if there was a little rust, it didn't really look like it as Vandiver hit a pair of 3-pointers early as the Cowgirls ran out to a 10-0 lead.
"That got my confidence going and it made me feel like I hadn't missed a year," Vandiver said.
One of the more athletic and physical players in the Mountain West Conference, Vandiver also mixed it up down low, which brought not only a sweet to her forehead, but a smile on her face.
"I like the physical aspect and it was nice to get some tough rebounds. It was a great feeling," she said. "I think our team overall was physical."
It's been an eventful preseason for Vandiver, who has shown bits of rust and picking up where she left off her sophomore season.
"There are something that after playing for two years that I understand, but I am just trying to get back into the rhythm and getting used to playing with Hill (Hillary Carlson), Emma (Langford) and Kristen (Scheffler)."
Up until this season, the last time Vandiver stepped out on the court, she was a sophomore on a senior-laden team. Her role has changed dramatically, on and off the court.
"I think I'm ready for it and I am comfortable with it," she said. "Even through we had the seniors then, I feel like there were times I had to step up. Even though we don't have any seniors on this team, there are people who can step up, so I don't feel like I necessarily have to take it on myself. If I need to be counted upon, I feel like I can step up and help out."
Legerski liked the composure that Vandiver showed, even in a preseason game.
"At times I think that is what a young group needs. We needed it last season," Legerski said. "We got out there and all of the sudden, she knocks down two 3s and gets us off to a great start. Aubrey is probably the hardest worker that we have. She is always in the gym getting some extra shooting. It is just nice to have her back out on the floor. When you look at her numbers: 14 points, six rebounds, four steals. That's a great night for 28 minutes."
While sitting out last year was tough on Vandiver, she said there were some benefits: her teammates got more experience and she was able to see the game at a different angle.
"When you are playing, you see how the motion works as a player and when you see it as an observer, you see some of the things that you can take advantage of," Vandiver said. "Defensively, you can see how other things work."
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Cowgirl basketball ready to go
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
Cowgirls basketball coach Joe Legerski is having a hard time believing the season is just about ready to begin.
It’s not like he is a rookie, he is beginning his seventh year at the helm. But Monday night’s exhibition opener against Adams State (7 p.m., Arena-Auditorium), like any opener, always seems to have a way to sneak up on a coach, albeit not so much for the players.
Legerski said that after about two weeks of practice, the team has progressed fairly well.
“Some of the veterans, when you look at Hillary (Carlson), Emma (Langford) and Aubrey (Vandiver), they have really picked up the pace and demonstrated that they are going to be the leaders for this program, and for this team,” Legerski said. “So, we are excited to get out and have a contest.”
With the return of Vandiver, who sat out last season with mononucleosis, Legerski has a few more lineup options than in the past.
“Aubrey is going to allow us to play her at the one and at the three,” Legerski said. “Because of that, I think you’re going to see some different combinations on the floor. You’ll get a chance to see (freshman) Rebecca Campigli at the point guard position, (sophomore) Kristen Scheffler at the two guard and Aubrey at the three. That is something that will be different for our fans to see. (Junior) Randi Richardson will have the opportunity to play the one and two as well.
“The one thing that is nice is our bigs are interchangeable, they can play the four or the five. I have quit a few combinations that we will see what works best for Wyoming in early November.”
As could be expected, the exhibition season is all about Wyoming and not about the opponent. It is also all about getting some court time for all of the players, especially the younger athletes.
The Cowgirls will play their second exhibition game of the week on Friday when they host CSU-Pueblo.
“We try to separate them to simulate a little about how the season is played out,” Legerski said. “You usually play a couple of games a week, if not three. So, we wanted to make sure we had some practice time between exhibition games, and more importantly that they were not 10 days apart. You want to come right back and get another game in before you get started for real.”
Legerski said the players would rather play games than practice, but as coaches, they would rather practice every day. By doing that, he said they see the glaring weaknesses that they have and how much work they need.”
“There are times you really realize how young we are, even in some of the scrimmages we’ve had and the mistakes, based upon inexperience,” he said. “With five people on the floor, and going as deep as eight or nine players, we run into a bit of inexperience factor that shows its ugly head at the wrong times in scrimmages, and that’s something we need to correct.”
Legerski expects all but sophomore Leah Fitzgerald to play on Monday. Fitzgerald suffered a concussion early in the preseason and hasn’t practiced for a while.
“Leah is just getting back to practicing with us, but we will hold her out on Monday just from a safety standpoint and conditioning from being able to be on the floor and practice with the team,“ he said. “With it being early in the season, we don’t need to rush anything.”
Wyoming Sports.org
Cowgirls basketball coach Joe Legerski is having a hard time believing the season is just about ready to begin.
It’s not like he is a rookie, he is beginning his seventh year at the helm. But Monday night’s exhibition opener against Adams State (7 p.m., Arena-Auditorium), like any opener, always seems to have a way to sneak up on a coach, albeit not so much for the players.
Legerski said that after about two weeks of practice, the team has progressed fairly well.
“Some of the veterans, when you look at Hillary (Carlson), Emma (Langford) and Aubrey (Vandiver), they have really picked up the pace and demonstrated that they are going to be the leaders for this program, and for this team,” Legerski said. “So, we are excited to get out and have a contest.”
With the return of Vandiver, who sat out last season with mononucleosis, Legerski has a few more lineup options than in the past.
“Aubrey is going to allow us to play her at the one and at the three,” Legerski said. “Because of that, I think you’re going to see some different combinations on the floor. You’ll get a chance to see (freshman) Rebecca Campigli at the point guard position, (sophomore) Kristen Scheffler at the two guard and Aubrey at the three. That is something that will be different for our fans to see. (Junior) Randi Richardson will have the opportunity to play the one and two as well.
“The one thing that is nice is our bigs are interchangeable, they can play the four or the five. I have quit a few combinations that we will see what works best for Wyoming in early November.”
As could be expected, the exhibition season is all about Wyoming and not about the opponent. It is also all about getting some court time for all of the players, especially the younger athletes.
The Cowgirls will play their second exhibition game of the week on Friday when they host CSU-Pueblo.
“We try to separate them to simulate a little about how the season is played out,” Legerski said. “You usually play a couple of games a week, if not three. So, we wanted to make sure we had some practice time between exhibition games, and more importantly that they were not 10 days apart. You want to come right back and get another game in before you get started for real.”
Legerski said the players would rather play games than practice, but as coaches, they would rather practice every day. By doing that, he said they see the glaring weaknesses that they have and how much work they need.”
“There are times you really realize how young we are, even in some of the scrimmages we’ve had and the mistakes, based upon inexperience,” he said. “With five people on the floor, and going as deep as eight or nine players, we run into a bit of inexperience factor that shows its ugly head at the wrong times in scrimmages, and that’s something we need to correct.”
Legerski expects all but sophomore Leah Fitzgerald to play on Monday. Fitzgerald suffered a concussion early in the preseason and hasn’t practiced for a while.
“Leah is just getting back to practicing with us, but we will hold her out on Monday just from a safety standpoint and conditioning from being able to be on the floor and practice with the team,“ he said. “With it being early in the season, we don’t need to rush anything.”
Friday, October 16, 2009
Cowgirls to begin practice on Saturday
Seventh year head coach Joe Legerski and the University of Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team will practice for the first time Saturday at 9 a.m., in the Arena Auditorium. Practice is open to the public.
Legerski returns three starters and nine letterwinners from last season’s squad, including Second Team All-MWC selection Hillary Carlson, Sixth Player of the Year honoree Emma Langford, plus Kristen Scheffler and Aubrey Vandiver. Wyoming was recently picked fifth in the MWC Pre-Season Poll.
The Cowgirls will continue on Sunday at the same time while Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the following week practice will be from 1:30-4 p.m.
Wyoming will play two exhibition games on Nov. 2 and Nov. 6 before opening the regular season against the Denver Pioneers on Nov. 13, in Denver. Their home opener will be on Nov. 15 against the Montana Lady Griz. Wyoming will begin MWC play on the road Jan. 5 against the Colorado State Rams in a televised game on The Mountain Sports Network. Their first home conference game will be on Jan. 13, against the TCU Lady Frogs. In all, the Cowgirls will be featured four times on The Mtn. Sports Network.
Wyoming will hold their annual media day next Tuesday in the Arena Auditorium beginning at 1 p.m. Cowgirl players and coaches will be available.
Legerski returns three starters and nine letterwinners from last season’s squad, including Second Team All-MWC selection Hillary Carlson, Sixth Player of the Year honoree Emma Langford, plus Kristen Scheffler and Aubrey Vandiver. Wyoming was recently picked fifth in the MWC Pre-Season Poll.
The Cowgirls will continue on Sunday at the same time while Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the following week practice will be from 1:30-4 p.m.
Wyoming will play two exhibition games on Nov. 2 and Nov. 6 before opening the regular season against the Denver Pioneers on Nov. 13, in Denver. Their home opener will be on Nov. 15 against the Montana Lady Griz. Wyoming will begin MWC play on the road Jan. 5 against the Colorado State Rams in a televised game on The Mountain Sports Network. Their first home conference game will be on Jan. 13, against the TCU Lady Frogs. In all, the Cowgirls will be featured four times on The Mtn. Sports Network.
Wyoming will hold their annual media day next Tuesday in the Arena Auditorium beginning at 1 p.m. Cowgirl players and coaches will be available.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Less of a transition expected for Cowgirls
Wyoming coach Joe LegerskiBy Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls turned a difficult transition into another successful basketball season. Knock on wood, this year’s transition looks to be much easier.
Last season, Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski began without some of the top players in the program history due to graduation. Then he lost who was expected to be the team leader – sophomore Aubrey Vandiver – because of illness.
Yet, despite a slow start, the Cowgirls finished 8-8 in Mountain West Conference play and 16-14 overall.
To say the least, last season was a big challenge for Legerski and the Cowgirls.
“You talk about the group we ended up losing, with Hanna Zavecz, Justyna Podziemska, Jodi Bolerjack and Dominique Sisk,” said Legerski on The Mtn.’s live streaming Wednesday as part of the MWC Basketball Media Days in Denver. “That was a tremendous blow to our program, but everybody goes through graduation. What you don’t count on is having an Aubrey Vandiver not being able to participate.
“I thought that was a bigger challenge because Aubrey was our leader, she was third team all conference as a sophomore. She was going to be the stability needed to make the transition. When I take a look at it now, it was a very satisfying year with a winning season… our fifth consecutive winning season for Wyoming. I’m proud of that and I’m proud of what the players on last year’s team were able to accomplish.”
With that said, the Cowgirls also had to overcome a slow start in league play, losing their first four contests. Several adjustments and just the maturation of a very young team turned things around.
“The Mountain West Conference is an extremely difficult conference to play in. We started 0-4 and that was a shock to our fan base. They were used to seeing us win and win at a very high level,” Legerski said. “We made some adjustments as a team. We started playing a little more zone, which you do not see from a Wyoming team very often. We started finding some victories down the line and were playing pretty well down the stretch. We had a .500 record within the league.”
Look for more adjustments this season, and yes, more zone defense.
“I think you’re going to see a little more from Wyoming in terms of a zone,” Legerski added. “I was happy with the way we were able to play it. You’re going to be able to see some different looks from this Wyoming team. Once again, it still comes down to playing the basics and we’ll get back to some of that.”
This season, Legerski has three starters returning, not including a healthy Vandiver, 10 letterwinners and another talented newcomer class. That has Legerski, always an optimist, excited about the possibilities this season.
“We’ve gained a great deal of experience. Kristen Scheffler and Emma Langford were two freshmen who we threw in the mix, maybe when they weren’t ready at times. We’re anxious for them to be able to participate and how they are going to play,” he said. “Then you take a look at having Aubrey back, and then in the post, having (junior) Hilary Carlson, a second-team all-conference player. She played extremely well for us and she gives us an inside presence. We are excited about what this season holds. We’re still young. We’re going to start two juniors, possibly three juniors, a couple sophomores and look out, we might have a freshman or two who see the court.”
Beginning his seventh year at the helm, Legerski has never had any problem playing freshmen. That won’t be any different this season with three promising talents in this year’s fold.
“We have Rebecca Campigli, who is a true point guard who we expect great things. Chaundra Sewell comes here from Broomfield, Colo. All Chaundra does is win. I think her high school record was 106-4 with three state championships. You put yourself around winners and they continue to win," he said. "Sara Wilson, from Nebraska, shoots the ball very well. I’m excited about this freshmen group.”
That excitement will turn into reality when the Cowgirls hit the courts officially for the first time on Oct. 16.
Aztecs voted first; Cowgirls fifth
DENVER, Colo. - As expected, San Diego State was the easy choice in the Mountain West Conference coaches and media poll released on Wednesday. Wyoming was tabbed fifth in the preseason voting.
The Aztecs, after sharing the 2008-09 MWC regular-season title and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, received 25 first-place votes and 240 total points. TCU collected three first-place votes and finished second with 216 points, followed by Utah with 185 points. New Mexico (168 points) placed fourth, followed by Wyoming (121 points), BYU (109 points), UNLV (97 points), Colorado State (57 points) and Air Force (31 points).
Last year's all-MWC first-team member, San Diego State senior guard Jené Morris, earned Preseason Player of the Year honors, while teammate Jessika Bradley was named Preseason Newcomer of the Year. Utah's Taryn Wicijowski was tabbed Preseason Freshman of the Year.
Four of the nine MWC teams were represented on the all-conference team, including three seniors and two juniors. Morris is a two-time all-MWC selection and earned WBCA State Farm Honorable Mention All-American accolades last season. She is joined on the preseason all-MWC team by teammate Paris Johnson, New Mexico's Amy Beggin, TCU's Helena Sverrisdottir and Utah's Kalee Whipple.
The Aztecs, after sharing the 2008-09 MWC regular-season title and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, received 25 first-place votes and 240 total points. TCU collected three first-place votes and finished second with 216 points, followed by Utah with 185 points. New Mexico (168 points) placed fourth, followed by Wyoming (121 points), BYU (109 points), UNLV (97 points), Colorado State (57 points) and Air Force (31 points).
Last year's all-MWC first-team member, San Diego State senior guard Jené Morris, earned Preseason Player of the Year honors, while teammate Jessika Bradley was named Preseason Newcomer of the Year. Utah's Taryn Wicijowski was tabbed Preseason Freshman of the Year.
Four of the nine MWC teams were represented on the all-conference team, including three seniors and two juniors. Morris is a two-time all-MWC selection and earned WBCA State Farm Honorable Mention All-American accolades last season. She is joined on the preseason all-MWC team by teammate Paris Johnson, New Mexico's Amy Beggin, TCU's Helena Sverrisdottir and Utah's Kalee Whipple.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Cowgirls release basketball schedule
Five teams that competed in post-season play will be featured on the 2009-10 Wyoming Cowgirl basketball schedule, announced on Wednesday. Montana, San Diego State, TCU and Utah all competed in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, while New Mexico was a participant in the WNIT.
The Cowgirls open the regular season with three out of their first four games on the road. They will start it off against the Denver Pioneers on Nov. 13, before returning home for a one-game showdown with the Montana Lady Griz on Nov. 15. They head back out for a two-game road stretch against North Dakota, Nov. 18, and North Dakota State, Nov. 20.
UW will return home to the friendly confines of the Double A, as they host Black Hills State prior to Thanksgiving on Nov. 24, and then resume play against the Idaho State Bengals on Nov. 30. It will be back out on the road for a three-game stretch beginning with Idaho on Dec. 3, Washington State, Dec. 5, and Dakota State, Dec. 12, at the Wyoming Shootout in Casper. The Cowgirls will close out play before the Christmas break by hosting Weber State, on Dec. 18 and the Oregon Ducks on Dec. 20.
Wyoming will finish out the non-conference schedule with one final game on the road before the MWC begins with a match-up against the Boise State Broncos on Dec. 31 in Boise, Idaho.
“Once again, we have put together a tremendous schedule for our young team,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “Our non-conference schedule will be challenging with the first several games on the road, but it should help prepare us for the MWC. The conference will be as difficult as ever with our first five of eight games on the road. Overall, we are excited about our home schedule and the quality teams we are bringing into Laramie. It should be exciting for our fans.”
Mountain West Conference women’s games will be played primarily on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with one Sunday and three Tuesday games added in to the schedule. Wyoming will begin MWC play on the road Jan. 5 against the Colorado State Rams in a televised game on The Mtn. Sports Network. Their home opener will come on Jan. 13, as they welcome the TCU Horned Frogs. Other MWC televised games for the Cowgirls will be Jan. 19 against the BYU Cougars, UNLV on Feb. 2, and the Utah Utes on Feb. 28. The BYU and Utah games will be featured on The Mtn. in Laramie, while the UNLV game is set to be played in Las Vegas.
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2009-10 Wyoming Cowgirl Basketball Schedule
November
Mon., Nov. 2 -- Adams State (Exh.), 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 6 -- CSU-Pueblo (Exh.), 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 13 -- at Denver, 5:30 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 15 -- Montana, 2 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 18 -- at North Dakota (Grand Forks, N.D.), 6 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 20 -- at North Dakota State (Fargo, N.D.), 5 p.m.
Tues., Nov. 24 -- Black Hills State, 7 p.m.
Mon., Nov. 30 -- Idaho State Laramie, 7 p.m.
December
Thurs., Dec. 3 -- at Idaho (Moscow, Idaho), tba
Sun., Dec. 20 -- Oregon, 2 p.m.
Thurs., Dec. 31 -- at Boise State (Boise, Idaho), 2 p.m.
January
Tues., Jan. 5 -- at Colorado State* (Ft. Collins, Colo.), 6 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Sat., Jan. 9 -- at San Diego State* (San Diego, Calif.), TBA
Wed., Jan. 13 -- TCU* 7 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 16 -- at New Mexico* (Albuquerque, N.M.), 2 p.m.
Tues., Jan. 19 -- BYU*, 6 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Wed., Jan. 27 -- at Utah* (Salt Lake City, Utah), 7 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 30 -- Air Force*, 2 p.m.
February
Tues., Feb. 2 -- at UNLV (Las Vegas, Nev.), 9 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Sat., Feb. 6 -- Colorado State*, 2 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 10 -- San Diego State*, 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 13 -- at TCU* (Ft. Worth, Texas), tba.
Wed., Feb. 17 -- New Mexico*, 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 20 -- at BYU* (Provo, Utah), TBA
Sun., Feb. 28 -- Utah, 2 p.m. (The Mtn.)
March
Wed., March 3 -- at Air Force* (Colorado Springs, Colo.), tba
Sat., March 6 -- UNLV, 2:00 p.m.
MWC Tournament (Las Vegas, Nev.)
March 9-13 -- tba
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*Mountain West Conference Games
#game played in Casper, Wyo. (Wyoming Shoot-Out)
All games and times are subject to change
All times listed are Mountain Time
The Cowgirls open the regular season with three out of their first four games on the road. They will start it off against the Denver Pioneers on Nov. 13, before returning home for a one-game showdown with the Montana Lady Griz on Nov. 15. They head back out for a two-game road stretch against North Dakota, Nov. 18, and North Dakota State, Nov. 20.
UW will return home to the friendly confines of the Double A, as they host Black Hills State prior to Thanksgiving on Nov. 24, and then resume play against the Idaho State Bengals on Nov. 30. It will be back out on the road for a three-game stretch beginning with Idaho on Dec. 3, Washington State, Dec. 5, and Dakota State, Dec. 12, at the Wyoming Shootout in Casper. The Cowgirls will close out play before the Christmas break by hosting Weber State, on Dec. 18 and the Oregon Ducks on Dec. 20.
Wyoming will finish out the non-conference schedule with one final game on the road before the MWC begins with a match-up against the Boise State Broncos on Dec. 31 in Boise, Idaho.
“Once again, we have put together a tremendous schedule for our young team,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “Our non-conference schedule will be challenging with the first several games on the road, but it should help prepare us for the MWC. The conference will be as difficult as ever with our first five of eight games on the road. Overall, we are excited about our home schedule and the quality teams we are bringing into Laramie. It should be exciting for our fans.”
Mountain West Conference women’s games will be played primarily on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with one Sunday and three Tuesday games added in to the schedule. Wyoming will begin MWC play on the road Jan. 5 against the Colorado State Rams in a televised game on The Mtn. Sports Network. Their home opener will come on Jan. 13, as they welcome the TCU Horned Frogs. Other MWC televised games for the Cowgirls will be Jan. 19 against the BYU Cougars, UNLV on Feb. 2, and the Utah Utes on Feb. 28. The BYU and Utah games will be featured on The Mtn. in Laramie, while the UNLV game is set to be played in Las Vegas.
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2009-10 Wyoming Cowgirl Basketball Schedule
November
Mon., Nov. 2 -- Adams State (Exh.), 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 6 -- CSU-Pueblo (Exh.), 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 13 -- at Denver, 5:30 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 15 -- Montana, 2 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 18 -- at North Dakota (Grand Forks, N.D.), 6 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 20 -- at North Dakota State (Fargo, N.D.), 5 p.m.
Tues., Nov. 24 -- Black Hills State, 7 p.m.
Mon., Nov. 30 -- Idaho State Laramie, 7 p.m.
December
Thurs., Dec. 3 -- at Idaho (Moscow, Idaho), tba
Sat., Dec. 5 -- at Washington State (Pullman, Wash. ), 3 p.m.
BlueCross/BlueShield of Wyoming Shootout (Casper)
Sat., Dec. 12 -- Dakota State#, 1 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 18 -- Weber State, 7 p.m.BlueCross/BlueShield of Wyoming Shootout (Casper)
Sat., Dec. 12 -- Dakota State#, 1 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 20 -- Oregon, 2 p.m.
Thurs., Dec. 31 -- at Boise State (Boise, Idaho), 2 p.m.
January
Tues., Jan. 5 -- at Colorado State* (Ft. Collins, Colo.), 6 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Sat., Jan. 9 -- at San Diego State* (San Diego, Calif.), TBA
Wed., Jan. 13 -- TCU* 7 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 16 -- at New Mexico* (Albuquerque, N.M.), 2 p.m.
Tues., Jan. 19 -- BYU*, 6 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Wed., Jan. 27 -- at Utah* (Salt Lake City, Utah), 7 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 30 -- Air Force*, 2 p.m.
February
Tues., Feb. 2 -- at UNLV (Las Vegas, Nev.), 9 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Sat., Feb. 6 -- Colorado State*, 2 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 10 -- San Diego State*, 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 13 -- at TCU* (Ft. Worth, Texas), tba.
Wed., Feb. 17 -- New Mexico*, 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 20 -- at BYU* (Provo, Utah), TBA
Sun., Feb. 28 -- Utah, 2 p.m. (The Mtn.)
March
Wed., March 3 -- at Air Force* (Colorado Springs, Colo.), tba
Sat., March 6 -- UNLV, 2:00 p.m.
MWC Tournament (Las Vegas, Nev.)
March 9-13 -- tba
---
*Mountain West Conference Games
#game played in Casper, Wyo. (Wyoming Shoot-Out)
All games and times are subject to change
All times listed are Mountain Time
Monday, April 20, 2009
Legerski signs another Australian
Courtesy photoNew Wyoming recruit Rebecca Campigli, playing with Victoria.
The Wyoming Cowgirls stayed on their Australian pipeline, signing Melbourne point guard Rebecca Campigli to a letter of intent for the fall of 2009.
“Rebecca Campigli is the first true point guard that we’ve had at Wyoming,” Cowgirls head coach Joe Legerski said. “She likes to distribute the basketball and push the ball in transition, while being an outside shooting threat. She completes this recruiting class as she joins Chaundra Sewell and Sara Wilson as future Cowgirls.”
Campigli, at 5-foot-10, is a two-time member of the U20 Victorian team that won an Australian National Gold and Silver medal and the U18 and U16 Victorian Metropolitan team. For two years, she was a development player for the Dandenong Rangers with the WNBL and a member of the Australian Schoolgirls team. During her time at Wesley College, she was selected Girls First Team (2006-08) and a two-time captain, while being named MVP for the McDonalds Cup Tournament (2007) and the Wesley Team (2007-08). Campigli was also a juniors player with the Nunawading Spectres and helped them to four gold medals and one bronze medal at the National Junior Classic.
She has been coached by Lori Chizik. Campigli is the daughter of Peter and Vicki Campigli. She has two siblings, Sarah and Todd.
Campigli is the third student-athlete to sign a letter of intent with the Cowgirls, as they inked two during the early signing period. The other signees include Sewell (6-1, forward, Broomfield, Colo.) and Wilson (5-9, guard, Grant, Neb.).
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Rams surprise Cowgirls in tourney opener
Cowgirls-Rams stats
By Wyoming Sports.org
LAS VEGAS -- The third time was a charm for the Colorado State Rams on Tuesday in the first round of the Mountain West Conference women’s basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Once again, tournament play for the Wyoming Cowgirls was a major disappointment.
Colorado State jumped out to a 20-point first half lead and never really looked back, thumping the Cowgirls 64-56. It was the first win over Wyoming in three games and it also broke a nine-game skid to the Cowgirls dating back to the 2004-2005 season.
Wyoming, meanwhile, fell in the first round for the second straight year and is now 2-19 in combined play of the MWC and Western Athletic Conference tournaments.
“I think in general today, Colorado State came out with a great deal of energy early,“ Legerski said. “I thought they really attacked the basket. They were quicker in transition. We just had to respond from that.”
When the Cowgirls, 16-14, struggle, they usually do some offensively and fall behind early. That was the case against the Rams.
“It's very difficult to continually battle from behind,” Legerski said. “I thought that as far as Wyoming is concerned, we left too many plays out there on the floor today that in tournament play you need to make - none bigger than about 1 minute 40 to go. I believe we're down six and we don't come up with a rebound off a missed free throw, then we don't foul again and come up with the second one.
“Those are plays that you have to make to be in basketball games. But I thought the theme today was CSU's energy and how much they attacked the basket.”
For the Rams, 10-21 and the No. 8 seed, it was the second straight year that they struggled in the regular season, but opened the tourney with a bang. Last year, after a winless MWC regular season, Colorado State won its first two games, including a shocking win over No. 1 seed Utah.
CSU basically dominated all aspects of the game. Amaka Uzomah, Bonnie Barbee and Zoi Simmon all finished with 11 points for the Rams while Uzomah also led the way with nine rebounds. The Rams were 23-of-56 (.411) from the field, 14-of-21 (.667) from the free-throw line and out-rebounded the Cowgirls 39-29.
"I'm extremely proud of my team,” first-year CSU coach Kristen Holt said. “Going into this game, we talked a lot about dictating the tempo. I felt like the first two times we played Wyoming, they dictated the tempo of the game. Our tempo is to try to pick it up and run as much as we can. We pressed a little bit, obviously, today.
“So that's what we wanted to do. We felt that that would play to our advantage. I think it did. So I really liked the start that we had. My team was as focused as they've been in any game this year. It's a good time to be focused. We had good practices leading up to today's game. Zoi took care of the ball very well. I thought she did a great job in the press. Amaka was huge on the boards and made some shots that sometimes I don't let her shoot."
Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey said the Rams were the aggressor the entire game.
“It’s hard to play on your heels when they're playing on their toes the whole game,” McGuffey said. “Yeah, unfortunately, we couldn't come back.”
Three Cowgirls finished the game in double figures, led by sophomore Hillary Carlson, who had 17 points and four rebounds. Freshman Emma Langford followed with 16, while McGuffey added 13 in her final game as a Cowgirl. Freshman Kristen Scheffler had a team high six rebounds.
Wyoming shot 19-of-54 (.352) from the field, 1 of 14 3-pointers (.071) and 17-23 (.739) from the free-throw line.
“You take a look at the last two games, we're 1-of-29 from 3-point range,” Legerski said. “You're not going to win very many games, if any, shooting 1 of 29 from 3. You have to be able to use that. I think, you know, we get players in position to make plays. I came into this game knowing that Colorado State had more tournament experience than we did on the floor with their victories last season. We're out there with a couple of freshmen -- Emma and Kristen -- that I thought did a great job. This is Hillary's first time to step out on tournament play. Those are some challenges for those kids.”
By Wyoming Sports.org
LAS VEGAS -- The third time was a charm for the Colorado State Rams on Tuesday in the first round of the Mountain West Conference women’s basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Once again, tournament play for the Wyoming Cowgirls was a major disappointment.
Colorado State jumped out to a 20-point first half lead and never really looked back, thumping the Cowgirls 64-56. It was the first win over Wyoming in three games and it also broke a nine-game skid to the Cowgirls dating back to the 2004-2005 season.
Wyoming, meanwhile, fell in the first round for the second straight year and is now 2-19 in combined play of the MWC and Western Athletic Conference tournaments.
“I think in general today, Colorado State came out with a great deal of energy early,“ Legerski said. “I thought they really attacked the basket. They were quicker in transition. We just had to respond from that.”
When the Cowgirls, 16-14, struggle, they usually do some offensively and fall behind early. That was the case against the Rams.
“It's very difficult to continually battle from behind,” Legerski said. “I thought that as far as Wyoming is concerned, we left too many plays out there on the floor today that in tournament play you need to make - none bigger than about 1 minute 40 to go. I believe we're down six and we don't come up with a rebound off a missed free throw, then we don't foul again and come up with the second one.
“Those are plays that you have to make to be in basketball games. But I thought the theme today was CSU's energy and how much they attacked the basket.”
For the Rams, 10-21 and the No. 8 seed, it was the second straight year that they struggled in the regular season, but opened the tourney with a bang. Last year, after a winless MWC regular season, Colorado State won its first two games, including a shocking win over No. 1 seed Utah.
CSU basically dominated all aspects of the game. Amaka Uzomah, Bonnie Barbee and Zoi Simmon all finished with 11 points for the Rams while Uzomah also led the way with nine rebounds. The Rams were 23-of-56 (.411) from the field, 14-of-21 (.667) from the free-throw line and out-rebounded the Cowgirls 39-29.
"I'm extremely proud of my team,” first-year CSU coach Kristen Holt said. “Going into this game, we talked a lot about dictating the tempo. I felt like the first two times we played Wyoming, they dictated the tempo of the game. Our tempo is to try to pick it up and run as much as we can. We pressed a little bit, obviously, today.
“So that's what we wanted to do. We felt that that would play to our advantage. I think it did. So I really liked the start that we had. My team was as focused as they've been in any game this year. It's a good time to be focused. We had good practices leading up to today's game. Zoi took care of the ball very well. I thought she did a great job in the press. Amaka was huge on the boards and made some shots that sometimes I don't let her shoot."
Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey said the Rams were the aggressor the entire game.
“It’s hard to play on your heels when they're playing on their toes the whole game,” McGuffey said. “Yeah, unfortunately, we couldn't come back.”
Three Cowgirls finished the game in double figures, led by sophomore Hillary Carlson, who had 17 points and four rebounds. Freshman Emma Langford followed with 16, while McGuffey added 13 in her final game as a Cowgirl. Freshman Kristen Scheffler had a team high six rebounds.
Wyoming shot 19-of-54 (.352) from the field, 1 of 14 3-pointers (.071) and 17-23 (.739) from the free-throw line.
“You take a look at the last two games, we're 1-of-29 from 3-point range,” Legerski said. “You're not going to win very many games, if any, shooting 1 of 29 from 3. You have to be able to use that. I think, you know, we get players in position to make plays. I came into this game knowing that Colorado State had more tournament experience than we did on the floor with their victories last season. We're out there with a couple of freshmen -- Emma and Kristen -- that I thought did a great job. This is Hillary's first time to step out on tournament play. Those are some challenges for those kids.”
Monday, March 9, 2009
Cowgirls open tourney with CSU
Richard Anderson photo
Hillary Carlson drives to the basket past a CSU player earlier in the season.
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
For a team that has been on the road more times than not in the last few weeks, the new format of the Mountain West Conference women’s basketball tournament doesn’t do the Wyoming Cowgirls too many favors.
For Utah, San Diego State and TCU, that’s a different story.
The Cowgirls, 16-13, 8-8 in MWC and the fifth seed, will open the tournament on Tuesdays by facing rival Colorado State, 9-20, 4-12 and the eighth seed. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
To win the tournament, the Cowgirls will have to win four games in five days.
For Utah and San Diego State, which tied for first in the regular season, both teams don’t even play until Friday’s semifinals.
The new format has the top two teams receive byes until the semifinals, and the No. 3 seed, TCU, earning first-round bye. Wyoming, like CSU, New Mexico, BYU, Colorado State and UNLV, are in it for the long haul.
The Cowgirls are also coming off of two road games last week where they played at BYU, came back to Laramie, traveled to New Mexico, then came home again, before leaving Monday for Las Vegas.
“One of the biggest concerns that I have right now is how tired we may be,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “We’ve traveled five of the last seven days, and that is always a concern, whether we are going to have fresh legs.”
CSU, meanwhile, played its last two games at home.
Even with the odds stacked against them, Legerski said that the new format protects the teams that are the best teams in the league. It came about after last year’s top seed, Utah, was upset in the opening round and didn’t get a favorable draw for the NCAA Tournament.
“They (Utah, SDSU, TCU) have proven over time that they are the best teams,” Legerski said. “The rest of us have some challenges ahead of us, to be able to play for four days. But we had some challenges ahead of us as it was. CSU would have opened up with an 8-9 game, then faced No. 1. We would have faced No. 4. Those were tough challenges in the old format. The challenges have just changed. It will still be very difficult if you are in the bottom half of the league.”
When asked if his Cowgirls would have the legs to play four games in a week, Legerski said he was just worried about having enough legs to play on Tuesday.
“That will be something that we have to wait and see on,” Legerski said. “That is one of the biggest challenges for anybody who starts play on Tuesday.”
The Cowgirls will look for their third win over CSU this season, although both victories were far from easy. Wyoming beat the Rams 64-61 in Fort Collins and topped them again 71-62 in Laramie.
“I look at CSU as a team that ended up winning two games last year in the tournament, and they have a high percentage of those players back who experienced some success,“ Legerski said. “The two previous games were just games played throughout the league. We played well at times and CSU played well at times. I think what it is going to come down to is maybe a longer run together. When the new format, the first round games have really tightened up a bit where you have 5 vs. 8, 6 vs. 7, teams I always figured to be very comparable. It should be a close game.”
The Rams are led by Britney Minor, who is averaging 7.8 points along with 4.2 rebounds. Senior Kandy Beemer is adding 7.6 points, while Amaka Uzomah is leading the way with 6.6 rebounds per game.
Four Cowgirls are scoring in double figures this season, led by sophomore Hillary Carlson, who is averaging 11.6 points, while senior Megan McGuffey is adding 10.6 points. Freshmen Kristen Scheffler and Emma Langford follow closely with 10.4 and 10.3 points respectively.
Legerski said his biggest worry is just winning in the MWC Tournament, something the Cowgirls haven’t had much luck at. In his tenure, Wyoming is just 2-6 in the tourney, and 2-18 overall in the MWC and WAC tournaments combined.
“We have to show up and get a tournament victory. At this time of the year, either you win or you go home,” Legerski said.
Four Cowgirls honored by MWC
Wyoming sophomore Hillary Carlson was one of four Cowgirls to be honored Monday by the Mountain West Conference.
Carlson was named to the MWC second team to lead the way, with senior Megan McGuffey named to the third team, freshman Kristen Scheffler named to the honorable mention team and freshman Emma Langford was selected as the Sixth Player of the Year.
Carlson led the Cowgirls in scoring at 11.6 points a game and ranked fourth in the league in field goal percentage. In conference games, Carlson finished fourth in scoring (14.6 ppg), fifth in field goal percentage (78-of-159, .491) and ninth in rebounding.
McGuffey finished at 10.6 points a game and was eighth in the league in rebounding at 8.0 per game.
Scheffler and Langford finished at 10.4 and 10.3 points a game respectively. Scheffler was second in the league in 3-point field goals made at 2.38 per game.
Utah’s Morgan Warburton was selected as the Player of the Year, with Defensive Player of the Year honors going to San Diego State’s Jené Morris, while UNLV’s Jamie Smith was chosen as the Freshman of the Year. TK LaFleur earned Newcomer of the Year honors and San Diego State’s Beth Burns, who guided the Aztecs to their first MWC regular-season title, earned her first MWC Coach of the Year honor.
Warburton, a senior guard, helped the Utes to a 13-3 conference record and their seventh MWC regular-season title. She led the league in points (18.1 ppg), and was first in free-throw percentage (.890) and fifth in assists (3.56 apg) during the conference slate.
Five seniors, five juniors and five sophomores make up this year’s all-MWC team. Five all-conference picks were repeat selections from 2007-08.
Three different institutions were honored on this year’s first team. Joining Warburton on the all-MWC first-team were teammate Kalee Whipple of Utah and Helena Sverrisdottir of TCU.
Whipple made her third consecutive all-conference appearance, being named to the third team her freshman year and second team last season. San Diego State had two first-team honorees in Paris Johnson and Jené Morris. Warburton was named a first-team all-conference member for the third consecutive year, while the others are first-time selections to the first team.
New Mexico’s Amy Beggin is the only returning all-conference performer from 2007-08 on the second team. This year, six players were named to the second team, due to a tie for the fifth spot. Underclassmen Emily Carter of TCU and Carlson made the list, while TCU’s TK LaFleur earned second-team honors in her first year competing in the MWC. San Diego State’s Quenese Davis earned her second all-conference honors, after being named to the third team her freshman year, while Utah’s Katie King was also honored.
UNLV’s Shamela Hampton earned her third straight third-team honor. BYU’s Mindy Nielson, New Mexico’s Angela Hartill and McGuffey each made their first appearance on the all-conference list.
---
First Team All-Mountain West Conference
#**Morgan Warburton, Utah, Sr., 5-11, G
#**Kalee Whipple, Utah, Jr., 6-0, F
#Helena Sverrisdottir, TCU, So., 6-2, G
Paris Johnson, San Diego State, So., 6-4, C
*Jené Morris, San Diego State, Jr., 5-9, G
Second Team All-Mountain West Conference
*Amy Beggin, New Mexico, Jr., 5-6, G
*Quenese Davis, San Diego State, Jr., 5-9, G
TK LaFleur, TCU, Jr., 5-8, G
Hillary Carlson, Wyoming, So., 6-3, F
Emily Carter, TCU, So., 6-1, G
Katie King, Utah, Sr., 6-1, F
Third Team All-Mountain West Conference
**Shamela Hampton, UNLV, Sr., 6-3, C
Angela Hartill, New Mexico, Sr., 6-3, C
Mindy Nielson, BYU, So., 5-10, G
Megan McGuffey, Wyoming, Sr., 5-11, F
Honorable Mention All-Mountain West Conference
Jamie Smith, UNLV, Fr., 6-0, G/F
Raimee Beck, Air Force, Jr., 5-8, G
Cassie King, BYU, Sr., 6-3, C
Shawnee Slade, BYU, Sr., 5-11, G/F
Kristen Scheffler, Wyoming, Fr., 5-11, G
All-Defensive Team
Jené Morris, San Diego State, Jr., 5-9, G
Paris Johnson, San Diego State, So., 6-4, C
Mindy Nielson, BYU, So., 5-10, G
Quenese Davis, San Diego State, Jr., 5-9, G
Amy Beggin, New Mexico, Jr., 5-6, G
Player of the Year: Morgan Warburton, Utah
Newcomer of the Year: TK LaFleur, TCU
Freshman of the Year: Jamie Smith, UNLV
Defensive Player of the Year:
Jené Morris, San Diego State
6th Player of the Year: Emma Langford, Wyoming
Coach of the Year: Beth Burns, San Diego State
* notes repeat all-conference selection
** notes three-time all-conference selection
# notes unanimous first-team selection
Carlson was named to the MWC second team to lead the way, with senior Megan McGuffey named to the third team, freshman Kristen Scheffler named to the honorable mention team and freshman Emma Langford was selected as the Sixth Player of the Year.
Carlson led the Cowgirls in scoring at 11.6 points a game and ranked fourth in the league in field goal percentage. In conference games, Carlson finished fourth in scoring (14.6 ppg), fifth in field goal percentage (78-of-159, .491) and ninth in rebounding.
McGuffey finished at 10.6 points a game and was eighth in the league in rebounding at 8.0 per game.
Scheffler and Langford finished at 10.4 and 10.3 points a game respectively. Scheffler was second in the league in 3-point field goals made at 2.38 per game.
Utah’s Morgan Warburton was selected as the Player of the Year, with Defensive Player of the Year honors going to San Diego State’s Jené Morris, while UNLV’s Jamie Smith was chosen as the Freshman of the Year. TK LaFleur earned Newcomer of the Year honors and San Diego State’s Beth Burns, who guided the Aztecs to their first MWC regular-season title, earned her first MWC Coach of the Year honor.
Warburton, a senior guard, helped the Utes to a 13-3 conference record and their seventh MWC regular-season title. She led the league in points (18.1 ppg), and was first in free-throw percentage (.890) and fifth in assists (3.56 apg) during the conference slate.
Five seniors, five juniors and five sophomores make up this year’s all-MWC team. Five all-conference picks were repeat selections from 2007-08.
Three different institutions were honored on this year’s first team. Joining Warburton on the all-MWC first-team were teammate Kalee Whipple of Utah and Helena Sverrisdottir of TCU.
Whipple made her third consecutive all-conference appearance, being named to the third team her freshman year and second team last season. San Diego State had two first-team honorees in Paris Johnson and Jené Morris. Warburton was named a first-team all-conference member for the third consecutive year, while the others are first-time selections to the first team.
New Mexico’s Amy Beggin is the only returning all-conference performer from 2007-08 on the second team. This year, six players were named to the second team, due to a tie for the fifth spot. Underclassmen Emily Carter of TCU and Carlson made the list, while TCU’s TK LaFleur earned second-team honors in her first year competing in the MWC. San Diego State’s Quenese Davis earned her second all-conference honors, after being named to the third team her freshman year, while Utah’s Katie King was also honored.
UNLV’s Shamela Hampton earned her third straight third-team honor. BYU’s Mindy Nielson, New Mexico’s Angela Hartill and McGuffey each made their first appearance on the all-conference list.
---
First Team All-Mountain West Conference
#**Morgan Warburton, Utah, Sr., 5-11, G
#**Kalee Whipple, Utah, Jr., 6-0, F
#Helena Sverrisdottir, TCU, So., 6-2, G
Paris Johnson, San Diego State, So., 6-4, C
*Jené Morris, San Diego State, Jr., 5-9, G
Second Team All-Mountain West Conference
*Amy Beggin, New Mexico, Jr., 5-6, G
*Quenese Davis, San Diego State, Jr., 5-9, G
TK LaFleur, TCU, Jr., 5-8, G
Hillary Carlson, Wyoming, So., 6-3, F
Emily Carter, TCU, So., 6-1, G
Katie King, Utah, Sr., 6-1, F
Third Team All-Mountain West Conference
**Shamela Hampton, UNLV, Sr., 6-3, C
Angela Hartill, New Mexico, Sr., 6-3, C
Mindy Nielson, BYU, So., 5-10, G
Megan McGuffey, Wyoming, Sr., 5-11, F
Honorable Mention All-Mountain West Conference
Jamie Smith, UNLV, Fr., 6-0, G/F
Raimee Beck, Air Force, Jr., 5-8, G
Cassie King, BYU, Sr., 6-3, C
Shawnee Slade, BYU, Sr., 5-11, G/F
Kristen Scheffler, Wyoming, Fr., 5-11, G
All-Defensive Team
Jené Morris, San Diego State, Jr., 5-9, G
Paris Johnson, San Diego State, So., 6-4, C
Mindy Nielson, BYU, So., 5-10, G
Quenese Davis, San Diego State, Jr., 5-9, G
Amy Beggin, New Mexico, Jr., 5-6, G
Player of the Year: Morgan Warburton, Utah
Newcomer of the Year: TK LaFleur, TCU
Freshman of the Year: Jamie Smith, UNLV
Defensive Player of the Year:
Jené Morris, San Diego State
6th Player of the Year: Emma Langford, Wyoming
Coach of the Year: Beth Burns, San Diego State
* notes repeat all-conference selection
** notes three-time all-conference selection
# notes unanimous first-team selection
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