Offensive woes continue against BYU

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming sophomore Hillary Carlson tries to get past a BYU player on Saturday.

Wyoming-BYU statistics

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

It seems to be a danger each time the Wyoming Cowgirls step out on the court: Ice-cold shooting.

The Cowgirls couldn’t buy a bucket at times on Saturday and that proved to be costly, as Brigham Young rolled to a 58-45 win Saturday in the Arena-Auditorium.

The Cowgirls shot just 26 percent from the field (13-of-49) and were especially chilly in the first half, hitting on just 5 of 26 attempts (19 percent).

“We just have a difficult time scoring,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “This is not the first night out that this has happened to us; this happens on a regular basis. It is about being confident enough to shoot the basketball. It is also about being confident that you can make a play. When you take a look at three of our top four scorers, they are a sophomore and two freshmen. It is really tough in this league to be that young and expect your youth to step up every night out.”

An aggressive BYU defense seemed to bully the Cowgirls around a bit. Sophomore Hillary Carlson was just 2-for-11 from the field, freshman Kristen Scheffler was 1-for-8 and senior Megan McGuffey was 0-for-3.

Senior reserve Elisabeth Dissen led the Cowgirls with nine points.

“We went 3-for-22 from our leading scorers,” Legerski said. “You don’t have much of a chance because everybody else just starts standing around. It just did not seem that anybody really wanted to shoot the basketball tonight and be committed to make a play.”

It was an especially tough night for Carlson, who had been averaging 17.3 points a game in the previous six league contests. Carlson picked up three fouls in a manner of 14 seconds early in the second half, sending her to the bench at the 18:02 mark. She did not return until a little over six minutes left and then fouled out two minutes later.

“Hillary had been through a tremendous stretch here where she had scored in double figures, she has had double-doubles in the last month,” Legerski said. “She has become the focus of teams trying to stop us. I think some frustration set in for her to night. That is a growing situation for her to learn. When we played Air Force, they doubled her every time she caught the ball and that is something new for Hillary to understand.”

When push came to shove, the Cowgirls didn’t push back.

“When you play a team like that, you have to grit your teeth and do the same thing back,” McGuffey said. “I think a times we really needed to do that and we were unable to do so.”

BYU took the Cowgirls out of their rhythm offensively and Wyoming hit on just 3 of 16 3-pointers.

“We struggled from the outside,“ McGuffey said. “We got good production from the inside, but at times we depended on that too much, throwing the ball into Hillary and Diss (Dissen) and not moving around them too much. We just have to get our motion offense back on track and get our legs under us.”

Even with the Cowgirl struggles in the first half, they only trailed 23-20 at the break.

“I was happy at halftime,” Legerski said. “You shoot 19 percent and you are down three. The problem is, we came out with very little energy to start the second half and BYU came out with a great deal of energy and jumped on us.”

The Cowgirls also struggled taking care of the basketball, turning it over 13 times in the second half, after just six miscues in the first.

“We had been taking care of the basketball some, and at times, we looked like a tired team out there,” Legerski said. “I think BYU had a great deal to do with that.”

BYU forward Keilani Moeki was the lone player to score in double figures, with 13. The Cougars shot 42 percent from the field (22-of-53) and held a 40-32 rebound edge.

“We seemed to have a lot more energy in the second half,” BYU coach Jeff Judkins said. “I subbed a lot early, but we have a deep bench, so I was able to do that.”

The Cowgirls will host New Mexico on Wednesday.

Cowgirls' home struggles continue

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming freshman Emma Langford battles BYU's Kristen Riley on Saturday.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Once upon a time, the Wyoming Cowgirls were nearly automatic at home. That was then, this is now.

In the previous three seasons, the Cowgirls were 42-5 in the Arena-auditorium, including the WNIT.

After Saturday’s 58-45 loss to Brigham Young, the young Cowgirls are now just 4-6 in the A-A this season.

“We’ve gotten used to winning here and being comfortable playing here,” Wyoming senior post Elisabeth Dissen said. “We’re kind of having difficulties winning here this year, so it’s frustrating.”

Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski said their lack of home court advantage is frustrating for all involved -- the coaches, the players and the fans.

“We don’t play well at home and that has been a struggle because they (fans) have been used to over the last three years, seeing Wyoming win at home,” Legerski said.

Legerski has preached patience all season for the above mentioned and with such a young team, he needed every bit of that patience on Saturday against the Cougars.

While a more veteran team learns to move on after a tough play or game, Legerski admitted that this team has problems doing that. He said they have a bad habit of reacting to every possession.

“You talk to them about trying to move on and they have a difficult time moving on," he said. “There were times we drew things up on a timeout and we would go out on the floor and do something entirely different than what we drew up. That is young players not being focused at times; it is older players not being focused at times. We’ll take a day off and we’ll get back at it, but it just doesn’t get any easier.”

BYU head coach Jeff Judkins knows the feeling. His young team struggled at 13-16 last season.
“I think Joe is going through what I went through last year,” Judkins said. “He has a lot of young players. The nice ting is our team is young, too, but our players have played more minutes and are more seasoned and the Wyoming players will go through that too.”

The Cowgirls, 2-5 in the Mountain West and 10-10 overall, picked up their two league wins last week on the road against Colorado State and Air Force. Returning home for a pair against BYU and next Wednesday versus New Mexico, it was a good chance to maintain some momentum.

Maintaining momentum, game-to-game or within the game, is a battle for the Cowgirls this season. On Saturday, even after shooting just 19 percent from the field in the first half, the Cowgirls were down by just three. But BYU scored the first six points of the second half and used an 11-2 start to basically put the game away.

Even last week in the wins, the Cowgirls struggled with their momentum in the final minutes. CSU came back from 21 points down to cut the lead to one and Air Force cut a double-digit advantage to give before Wyoming responded.

“That seems to be a reoccurring theme this year for us, which isn’t good,” Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey said. “We just got caught on our heels in the second half. We were only down by three points and it felt like we could have been down a lot more. That really took the air out of us right away. We have to stop doing that and we have to start attacking more.”

It doesn’t get any easier for the Cowgirls, as New Mexico is also one of the top teams in the league.

“This is just a group that has to fight its way through it and that’s what we are trying to do now,” Legerski said.

Cowgirls back home to host BYU

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls had to go out on the road to find themselves. For the most part, they did just that, winning both games. Now, Wyoming returns home for a chance to build on that momentum.

The Cowgirls, 2-4 in the Mountain West, 10-9 overall, host Brigham Young Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium.

Wyoming’s wins over Colorado State and Air Force mark the first time it has won consecutive games since Dec. 30 and Jan. 2 against Adams State and San Francisco State respectively.

Granted,the two wins were against two teams in the lower end of the conference, yet the victories were critical for a young team that had opened with four straight losses in league play.

“We were trying to find a way just to get our first victory; it didn’t start easy for us with Utah, San Diego State,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “We just had to just get over the hurdle of really knowing that we could win.”

It won’t be easy for the Cowgirls on Saturday against a much improved BYU team that is 3-3 in league play and 13-5 overall. Last year, the Cougars were 7-9, 13-16, losing by 34 points to Wyoming in the A-A.

Legerski doesn’t expect that type of game on Saturday.

“Once again, it will be a very difficult task for us as this group,” Legerski said. “BYU is probably where we were at a year ago. They were young, they did not have a point guard and now all of the sudden, they gotten through that and they are having a tremendous season.”

Mindy Nielson leads the way with 11.4 points and 4.1 rebounds a game, while Shawnee Slade is adding 10.6 points and 4.4 rebounds.

“BYU is playing extremely well,” Legerski said. “They are coming in with a very good backcourt … they have always been strong up front. They’re just having a tremendous season.”

The Cowgirls have struggled at times offensively in league play, but have shown the ability to find players to step up in critical times in the wins over CSU and Air Force.

Against CSU, sophomore Hillary Carlson (17 points) and freshman Emma Langford (18 points) led the way. In the 52-41 win over Air Force, freshman Kristen Scheffler scored a career-tying 21 points and Carlson added 13.

Senior Megan McGuffey leads the way at 11.3 points per game this season, followed by Scheffler at 11.2, Carlson at 10.9 and Langford at 10.2.

It was a good learning experience on the road for the Cowgirls, now it is a chance to re-find their home court advantage. Wyoming also faces New Mexico at home on Wednesday.

“Anytime you get chance to play at home, it is a great time for the fans, regardless of the opponent,” Legerski said. “I know we enjoy playing in front of our crowd. We average over 3,000 fans a game, which is just a tremendous tribute to what our fans are doing.”

Carnival set
The Wyoming athletics department is hosting the ninth annual Take a Kid to the Game carnival Saturday in conjunction with the NCAA in the War Memorial Fieldhouse. The event starts at noon and runs until 1:30 p.m. and will include a special appearance by the official mascot of NCAA Basketball, JJ Jumper, plus games and prizes for everyone.

The admission is a game ticket to the Wyoming-BYU game ($10 for adults and $6 for children 18 and under). The first 250 kids will receive free admission to the game and carnival courtesy of Pepsi Kids Day. Tickets can be picked up anytime prior to the game at the main UW Ticket Office in the Arena Auditorium or at the Fieldhouse entrance, while supplies last. For ticket information, call the UW Ticket Office at (307) 766-4850 or 1-800-922-9461.
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Wyoming Cowgirls (10-9 overall, 2-4 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
3 Randi Richardson G 5-7 RSo. TR Arlington, Wash. 2.7 ppg, 2.7 aspg
10 Rebecca Vanderjagt F 6-3 Sr. 3L Townsville, Australia 2.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.1 aspg
12 Kristen Scheffl er G 5-11 Fr. HS Lovell, Wyo. 11.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 aspg
24 Megan McGuffey G 5-11 Sr. 3L Cheyenne, Wyo. 11.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.8 aspg
41 Hillary Carlson F 6-3 So. 1L Cheyenne, Wyo. 10.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Off The Bench
4 Gemma Koehler F 6-1 Jr. 1L Geelong, Australia Has played in one game
13 Ashley Sickles F 6-1 Fr. HS Cresco, Iowa 2.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg
14 Jade Kennedy F 6-1 So. 1L Cairns, Australia 4.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg
15 Leah Fitzgerald C 6-2 Fr. HS Colorado Springs, Colo. Has played in three games
20 Aubrey Vandiver G 5-11 Jr. 2L Laramie, Wyo. Has not played this season
21 Emma Langford F 6-2 Fr. HS Arthurton, Australia 10.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.8 aspg
22 Brenna Freeze G 5-11 Fr. HS Albuquerque, N.M. 1.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg
33 Elisabeth Dissen C 6-1 Sr. 3L Hillsboro, Ore. 7.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg
45 Mallory Cline C 6-4 Jr. 2L McClave, Colo. Has played in two games
Head Coach: Joe Legerski (Wyoming, ‘79), Sixth Year
Associate Head Coach: Gerald Mattinson (Weber State, '81), Sixth Year
Assistant Coaches: Kristin Becker (Vanderbilt, ‘90), Third Year and Katie Kern (New Mexico, ‘99), Third Year
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BYU Cougars (13-5 overall, 3-3 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
3 Jazmine Foreman G 5-5 So. 1L Vancouver, Wash. 7.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg
22 Mindy Nielson G 5-10 So. 1L Centennial, Colo. 11.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg
32 Shawnee Slade G/F 5-11 Sr. 3L Taylorsville, Utah 10.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg
45 Keilani Moeaki F 6-2 So. 1L Warrenville, Ill. 6.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg
54 Cassie King C 6-3 Sr. 3L Provo, Utah 7.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg
Off The Bench
1 Jenteal Jackson G 5-7 Fr. HS Salt Lake City, Utah 0.9 ppg, 0.6 rpg
13 Jaime Judkins G 5-6 Jr. 2L Salt Lake City, Utah 0.9 ppg, 0.2 rpg
14 Sarah Red-Hostetter G/F 5-11 Sr. 3L Provo, Utah 2.7 ppg, 0.9 rpg
21 Stephanie Buhler F 6-0 Fr. HS Oregon City, Ore. 1.5 ppg, 0.1 rpg
23 Coriann Wood F 6-1 So. 1L Basin City, Wash. 7.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg
24 Dani Peterson F 6-1 Fr. HS Salt Lake City, Utah 1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg
35 Kristen Riley F 6-3 Fr. HS San Clemente, Calif. 3.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg
55 Megan Marks F 6-2 So. 1L South Jordan, Utah 1.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg
Head Coach: Jeff Judkins
Assistant Coaches: Alli Bills, Jonas Chatterton, Stacy Jensen
Dir. of Operations: Dan Nielson

Cowgirls win second straight

Wyoming-Air Force box score

By Wyoming Sports.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Freshman Kristen Scheffler scored a career-high 21 points to lead the Wyoming Cowgirls to a 52-41 win over Air force on Wednesday.

The win was the second straight in Mountain West Conference play for Wyoming, which moved to 2-4 and 10-9. The Falcons fell to 0-6, 4-15.

“We knew that it would be a difficult game tonight,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “Air Force plays hard for 40 minutes, and if you allow them to shoot the basketball, they will make shots."

The Cowgirls didn’t let the Falcons get too many open looks as Air Force hit on just 22 percent of its field goal attempts. While Wyoming didn’t shoot much better in the first half, the Cowgirls hit some big field goals in the second half to pull away.

“I thought tonight we did a great job defensively, holding them to shooting 22 percent and more importantly the job that Randi Richardson was able to do on their leading scorer,” Legerski said. “Offensively, Kristen Scheffler carried us in the first half especially with her 3-point shooting, plus with her shooting from the free-throw line. We also got some play off the bench tonight. Jade Kennedy did a good job and Hillary Carlson got going at the end.”

Scheffler hit 5 of 8 3-pointers and 6 of 7 free throws. Carlson added 13 points and six rebounds.

The Falcons were led by Brooke Cultra with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Kim Kreke added nine points and 10 boards.

In a back-and-forth first half, the Cowgirls used a 12-8 run for a 22-16 lead at halftime.

It was low scoring through the first four minutes of the second half as the two teams combined for just five points. With the score 24-19 in favor of the Cowgirls, they would score six of the next eight to get the lead to double-figures, 31-21. Leading 38-28, the Cowgirls never let Air Force get any closer than eight the rest of the way and were up by as much as 13.

The Cowgirls will return home Saturday when they host BYU at 2 p.m.

Cowgirls looking for two-in-a-row

Richard Anderson photo
The Cowgirls celebrate earlier in the season.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls learned that no lead was safe last week in picking up their first Mountain West Conference victory of the season Saturday against Colorado State.

The Cowgirls led by as much as 21 points before holding on for a three-point win. Wyoming returns to the road Wednesday night (7 p.m.) against the ultimate never-say-die program with Air Force at the Academy.

The young Wyoming team (1-4, 9-9) has had to adjust this season to life without four starters from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, and their leading returning scorer in junior Aubrey Vandiver, who is out for the season with mononucleosis.

At times the Cowgirls as looked impressive, at other times they’ve looked like a team made up of mostly freshmen and sophomores. The end result was three opening losses in Mountain West Conference play, including two close losses to San Diego State and TCU.

On Saturday, that all changed with the win over the Rams.

“I think what was important was to experience a win. That was something that had eluded this group in conference play" Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “There are so many times you can keep asking them to step up to the plate and it is going to happen for you. This reinforced all of the work that they are putting in, how we are moving in the right direction with such a young group. The biggest thing was that we found a way to win. That is important for a young team.”

Now, Legerski said, they have to build upon that success with Air Force.

“Once again, we’re out on the road, playing in a different environment,” Legerski said. “The players from the Academy will compete for 40 minutes, so we have to go out and give it our best again.”

The Cowgirls might have played as well as they have all season for much of the first half. The second half … well, it was just a matter of hanging on as Wyoming struggled to put CSU away, hitting on just 12 of 24 free throws in the final 20 minutes.

At CSU, we played well for the first 10-15 minutes, then we kind of hung on for the second half,“ Legerski said. “We look forward to maybe extend that a as long as we can, for 30-40 minutes.”

The Falcons, 0-5 in the MWC and 4-14 on the season, are led by sophomore guard Raimee Beck at 12.9 points a game and senior guard Brooke Cultra at 12.3 points a game. Senior center Kim Kreke is scoring 9.4 points and grabbing 9.9 rebounds a contest.

“They’ll create some mis-match problems, they don’t have quite the size that we have, yet we will have to figure out how to be able to attack against their match-up zone and we’re going to have to be able to shoot the basketball well again,” Legerski said.

In each of the Cowgirls last three games, the score has basically been tied around the two-minute mark. At CSU, they found a way to win that time of game. It was a good learning experience, Legerski said.

“I just believe that once you start experiencing some success in closing out games, it leads to more opportunities to be able to do that,” he said.

Wyoming returns home Saturday to host BYU.
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Wyoming Cowgirls (9-9 overall, 1-4 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
3 Randi Richardson G 5-7 RSo. TR Arlington, Wash. 2.8 ppg, 2.7 aspg
10 Rebecca Vanderjagt F 6-3 Sr. 3L Townsville, Australia 2.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.2 aspg
12 Kristen Scheffl er G 5-11 Fr. HS Lovell, Wyo. 10.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.6 aspg
24 Megan McGuffey G 5-11 Sr. 3L Cheyenne, Wyo. 11.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.8 aspg
41 Hillary Carlson F 6-3 So. 1L Cheyenne, Wyo. 10.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Off The Bench
4 Gemma Koehler F 6-1 Jr. 1L Geelong, Australia Has played in one game
13 Ashley Sickles F 6-1 Fr. HS Cresco, Iowa 2.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg
14 Jade Kennedy F 6-1 So. 1L Cairns, Australia 4.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg
15 Leah Fitzgerald C 6-2 Fr. HS Colorado Springs, Colo. Has played in three games
20 Aubrey Vandiver G 5-11 Jr. 2L Laramie, Wyo. Has not played this season
21 Emma Langford F 6-2 Fr. HS Arthurton, Australia 10.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.9 aspg
22 Brenna Freeze G 5-11 Fr. HS Albuquerque, N.M. 1.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg
33 Elisabeth Dissen C 6-1 Sr. 3L Hillsboro, Ore. 7.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg
45 Mallory Cline C 6-4 Jr. 2L McClave, Colo. Has played in two games
Head Coach: Joe Legerski (Wyoming, ‘79), Sixth Year
Associate Head Coach: Gerald Mattinson (Weber State, '81), Sixth Year
Assistant Coaches: Kristin Becker (Vanderbilt, ‘90), Third Year and Katie Kern (New Mexico, ‘99), Third Year
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Air Force Falcons (4-14 overall, 0-5 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
4 Anna Gault G 5-5 Fr. HS Aurora, Ill. 2.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg
22 Raimee Beck G 5-8 So. 1V Blackfoot, Idaho 12.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg
34 Brooke Cultra G 5-11 Sr. 3V Onarga, Ill. 12.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg
43 Kim Kreke C 6-4 Sr. 3V Salem, Ill. 9.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg
54 Liz Dunsworth C 6-2 So. 1V Rock Island, Ill. 3.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Off The Bench
10 Stevie Puentes G 5-7 So. 1V Rio Rancho, N.M. 3.2 ppg, 0.9 rpg
11 Jennifer Bandi F 6-2 So. 1V Winchester, Ma. 1.0 ppg, 0.5 rpg
20 Ariane Brown G 5-8 Fr. HS Colorado Springs, Colo. Has not played this season
30 Jamela Satterfi eld G 5-9 Fr. HS Sacramento, Calif. 1.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg
31 Kira Gonzalez G 5-8 Fr. HS Olathe, Kan. Has not played this season
33 Kathleen Schjodt F 6-0 Jr. 2V Hot Springs, S.D. 5.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg
35 Dana Loveless F 6-0 Sr. 3V St. Louis, Mo. Has played in one game
40 Amber Wilmore F 6-1 Fr. HS Colorado Springs, Colo. 0.5 ppg, 0.4 rpg
44 Candice Chase F 5-11 So. 1V Lakewood, Colo. Has not played this season
Head Coach: Ardie McInelly (Boise State, '82), Eighth Year
Associate Head Coach: Lisa Robinson (Illinois, 83)
Assistant Coaches: Holly Togiai (Idaho State, '99), Kirk Crawford (Western State, '78),
Cassie Bro (Idaho State, '06), 1st Lt. Jennifer Roesch (USAFA, '05)

Cowgirls hold on to beat Rams

Wyoming-CSU stats

By Wyoming Sports.org

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- With the way things have gone this season for the young Wyoming Cowgirls, any win is important.

Saturday’s 64-61 triumph over Colorado State qualifies in the “any win” category.

The Cowgirls, now 1-4 in Mountain West Conference play (9-9 overall), led by as much as 21 points in the first half and still by 13 with about six minutes left, had to hang on for dear life in the final moments before celebrating that first conference win.

It wasn’t easy, as the Cowgirls struggled to put the Rams away, hitting on just 12 of 24 free throws in the second half.

“To get our first conference victory was as difficult as we could make it,” said Wyoming coach Joe Legerski. “To shoot 50 percent from free throw-line in second half, really showed we lost our focus, but we hung in their and found a way to win.”

Three Cowgirls finished the game in double-figures and two players with double-doubles. Hillary Carlson recorded her second straight double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. She was followed by Emma Langford with 18 points, while Jade Kennedy added 11 points and a career high 11 rebounds. Wyoming shot 20-of-53 (.377) from the field, 7-of-22 (.318) from beyond the arc and 17-of-32 (.531) from the free-throw line.

For Langford, it was her best game in over a month, as the last time she scored in double figures was on Dec. 3 against North Dakota.

“The play of Emma and Jade off the bench was instrumental in the win,” Legerski said. “Even though her stat line will show no points, Randi (Richardson) play on defensively was a huge key as well.”

Colorado State was led by Juanise Cornell, who finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Britney Minor had 21 points, while Amaka Uzomah had a game-high 16 rebounds. The Rams were 21-of-71 (.296) from the field, while out-rebounding Wyoming 54-42.

Holding the Rams over six minutes without a field goal, the Cowgirls built a 38-17 lead before leading 38-25 at halftime.

Wyoming still appeared to be in control, but the Rams, 2-4, 7-12, chipped away and cut the lead to one with seconds remaining, before Langford hit 2 of 4 free throws to end the scoring.

Wyoming will remain on the road and face Air Force on Wednesday.

Cowgirls seek first league win at CSU

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming sophomore Hillary Carlson is averaging 18.5 points a game in league play.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

A couple of subtle changes were made to the Wyoming Cowgirls lineup on Wednesday against TCU and the future was evident at times.

The future is now for the Cowgirls and that again will be on display Saturday when Wyoming travels to Fort Collins to face rival Colorado State, beginning at noon at Moby Arena.

Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski inserted sophomore Hillary Carlson in the starting lineup and she responded with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Legerski also gave freshman wing Ashley Sickles some more court time and she had a career night as well with eight points.

“There were times that we had three freshmen and a sophomore on the floor for extended minutes,” Legerski said after the Cowgirls tough three-point loss to the Lady Frogs. “Once again, that is the biggest thing that we are trying to do is learn. It is disappointing to get another loss, but we just have to keep getting better and believe that we can find victories together.”

Carlson has been the team’s best offensive player in the last month and she was dominating at times in her first career start. She is now third on the team ins coring at 10.4 points a game. She is leading the team in scoring in conference play at 18.5 points a game.

“As I told her when we mentioned that we were going to put her in the lineup, don’t try to do anything more than what she was doing,” Legerski said. “I just need her to get points early in the game, rather than the middle section of the game. The biggest thing that she does is give us a presence underneath the basket. To be able to throw it in and know that she can get a basket, get to the free-throw line and she can also kick the ball out for an assist. That’s where it starts right now.”

On Monday during his radio coaches show, Legerski mentioned that Sickles was going to get more of an opportunity on Wednesday. He was right and she responded with eight first-half points.

“She has great length, she has some bounce to her and she can shoot the basketball,” he said. “I thought Ashley gave us a huge lift in the first half. It was nice to get some minutes out there. Not only to get her some minutes, but for her to get productive points for us.”

Sickles said she was pleased with her performance … for the most part.

“I could have done better on defense and got back a little quicker,” Sickles said. “But I was happy with it.”

The Cowgirls, 0-4, 8-9, face an improving CSU team that is 2-3 in league play and 7-11 overall. The Rams were winless in league play last year, but have made some strides under new head coach Kristen Holt.

“I think CSU is greatly improved,” Legerski said. “ They get up and down the floor and they shoot the basketball. They are 2-3 in league play and we’re searching for a victory and some days we’re searching for an identity. If we come with the intensity that we did (Wednesday night), it is going to be a tremendous ballgame.”

Kandie Beemer leads the way with 8.5 points and 2.2 rebounds, while Amaka Uzomah is the leading rebounder with 6.9 boards.

“Colorado state is playing with a great deal of energy and a determination" Legerski said. “With a new head coach, they are excited to get out there. They are going to create some problems for us.”

Seeking their first league win, and the fact that it is against CSU, should give the Cowgirls plenty of incentive.

“It’s a rivalry game, so going into those types of games, it is like both teams are 0-0 and you never know what it going to happen,” Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey said. “We want to beat CSU, but if we were playing any other team, we would want to beat them too. We just need that first win in conference.”
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Wyoming Cowgirls (8-9 overall, 0-4 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
3 Randi Richardson G 5-7 RSo. TR Arlington, Wash. 3.0 ppg, 2.6 aspg
10 Rebecca Vanderjagt F 6-3 Sr. 3L Townsville, Australia 2.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.2 aspg
12 Kristen Scheffl er G 5-11 Fr. HS Lovell, Wyo. 10.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.4 aspg
24 Megan McGuffey G 5-11 Sr. 3L Cheyenne, Wyo. 11.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.9 aspg
41 Hillary Carlson F 6-3 So. 1L Cheyenne, Wyo. 10.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg
Off The Bench
4 Gemma Koehler F 6-1 Jr. 1L Geelong, Australia Has played in one game
13 Ashley Sickles F 6-1 Fr. HS Cresco, Iowa 2.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg
14 Jade Kennedy F 6-1 So. 1L Cairns, Australia 4.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg
15 Leah Fitzgerald C 6-2 Fr. HS Colorado Springs, Colo. Has played in three games
20 Aubrey Vandiver G 5-11 Jr. 2L Laramie, Wyo. Has not played this season
21 Emma Langford F 6-2 Fr. HS Arthurton, Australia 10.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.1 aspg
22 Brenna Freeze G 5-11 Fr. HS Albuquerque, N.M. 1.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg
33 Elisabeth Dissen C 6-1 Sr. 3L Hillsboro, Ore. 7.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg
45 Mallory Cline C 6-4 Jr. 2L McClave, Colo. Has played in two games
Head Coach: Joe Legerski (Wyoming, ‘79), Sixth Year
Associate Head Coach: Gerald Mattinson (Weber State, '81), Sixth Year
Assistant Coaches: Kristin Becker (Vanderbilt, ‘90), Third Year and Katie Kern (New Mexico, ‘99), Third Year
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Colorado State Rams (7-11 overall, 2-3 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
3 Amaka Uzomah F 6-0 Sr. 1L Houston, Texas 3.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg
13 Britney Minor F 5-10 Sr. 1L Navasota, Texas 6.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg
15 Kandy Beemer G 5-5 Sr. 1L Bedford, Iowa 8.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg
21 Alison Cheney G 5-8 Jr. JC Kersey, Colo. 1.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg
35 Juanise Cornell F 5-10 Jr. 2L Azusa, Calif. 6.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg
Off The Bench
1 Chatilla van Grinsven F 6-2 Fr. HS Helmond Netherlands 4.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg
2 Bonnie Barbee G 5-8 So. 1L Mesa, Ariz. 6.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg
5 Kim Mestdagh G/F 5-10 Fr. HS Ieper, Belgium 7.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg
10 Natalie van den Adel G 6-1 Fr. HS Barendrecht, Netherlands Has not played this season
11 Meghan Heimstra F 6-2 Fr. HS Longmont, Colo. 3.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg
20 Morgan Ackley G 5-6 Fr. HS Fort Collins, Colo. Has played in three games
23 Zoi Simmons G 5-6 So. 1L Fontana, Calif. 4.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg
32 Carine Reimink F 6-1 Sr. 1L Reedy Creek, Australia 4.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg
34 Devran Tanacan C 6-4 Jr. RS Istanbul, Turkey 2.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg
Head Coach: Kristen Holt (Ohio, '93), First Year
Assistant Coaches: Dick Lien (Moorhead State, '65), Jenn Bradley (Santa Clara, '03),
Tia Davis (Toledo, '03)
Dir. of Operations: Matt Klein (Colorado State, '07)

Cowgirls improve, but still fall to TCU

Richard Anderson photo

Wyoming freshman Ashley Sickles looks to make a move against TCU on Wednesday.

Wyoming-TCU stats

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Better game or best game yet? In the long run, it doesn’t really matter for the Wyoming Cowgirls, as they dropped their fourth Mountain West Conference game in four tries, falling to TCU 81-78 Wednesday night in the Arena-Auditorium.

The Cowgirls showed marked improvement from their loss Saturday to an average UNLV team, taking a good TCU squad down to the wire. The Lady Frogs, 4-1 and 12-6, made the plays down the stretch to eek out the road victory.

“The game of basketball gets interesting to me at times,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “You can be happy when you win; you can be upset when you win. Tonight was a game where I thought we played extremely well. I’m disappointed in the loss, but very pleased with the effort.”

The difference between Saturday and Wednesday? Shooting the basketball. On Saturday, the Cowgirls missed their first 11 shots. On Wednesday, they shot over 50 percent for much of the first half and led by six at halftime.

Those shots didn’t fall as frequently in the final 20 minutes for the Cowgirls, but Wyoming still had a chance in the end.

“What a remarkable game a Wyoming team to play that has struggling trying to find the basket,” Legerski said. “To be able to come out here tonight -- we shoot 48 percent in the first half -- and this team knew exactly that they would face a big zone from TCU, a very talented team in TCU that has two wins over Top 5 programs in the country. To see where we started out tonight, it makes you believe that we are making progress and we have to continue to keep striving in that direction.”

There is still some frustration for a program that won 24 games last season and went to its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament, to be 0-4 and 8-9 this season.

The losses have been a little tough on the Cowgirls, said Wyoming sophomore center Hillary Carlson, who scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

“It does get pretty frustrating, especially with this making it our fourth loss,” Carlson said. “We just have to get the next one.”

The Cowgirls led by six in the first half, only to see TCU come out of the locker room with a little more fire on a 17-2 run for a nine-point edge. The Cowgirls did come back, though and led 76-75 on six straight points by Carlson.

But Helen Sverrisdottir hit six straight free throws in the final minute and a half to enable the Lady Frogs to hold on to the win. The Cowgirls did have a chance at the end for a tie, but McGuffey’s desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer was well-defended and didn’t draw iron.

“Credit TCU, they really came out and were running. It took us a little later than we wanted to get back in the game,” McGuffey said.

Wyoming freshman Kristen Scheffler finished with 15 points and McGuffey added 11, while TK Lafleur scored 15 points and Micah Garoutte added 14 for TCU.McGuffey said that while they are close, they need to figure out how to put the little pieces together to get and stay on top.

“Unfortunately, the ball is not falling our way,” McGuffey said. “If we just keep plugging away at it, good things are going to happen for us.”

While Legerski said the program is moving in the right direction, the Cowgirls need a win now to reinforce some of the things that are happening to them.

“I’m disappointed that we dropped another game, especially at home,” he said. “But I am also really pleased with the effort that we showed tonight. If we can continue to play with that intensity, we’re going to win some games.”

The Cowgirls will look for that elusive conference victory on Saturday when they face rival Colorado State at Moby Arena, beginning at noon.

Cowgirls to host talented TCU

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls have seen a little of everything so far in Mountain West Conference play.

They’ve played good teams close and they’ve struggled. What they haven’t done yet in league play is win. It won’t get any easier as Wyoming hosts another strong team in TCU Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium.

It has been exasperating for the Cowgirls, the coaches and their fans, Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said.

“Over the last three years we have made a great run. You get used to winning,” Legerski said. “I think there is some frustration with our coaching staff because we know what level we want to play at. Unfortunately, we’re not at that level. It is going to take some time to get there.”

While the Cowgirls (0-3, 8-8) have struggled as of late, Legerski said that all he and his team can do is roll up their sleeves and get back to work.

“We don’t know when that first conference victory is going to come,” he said. “It may be this week or it may no be for another month. But we’re going to go to work every day.”

The Cowgirls have also had a tough time on their home court, splitting the eight games they have played in the A-A, losing three of their last four at home.

“One of the things that I have always talked about that we needed to build here at Wyoming was to defend our home court,” Legerski said. “That is something that we have not been able to do this season. When I look at the games that we have lost here, against Gonzaga, what I consider a Top 25 team, having Utah come in here, which is a very tough team, we need to find wins. We have to get back to doing that now. Playing TCU is not an easy task. They have had great wins over Maryland and California (both rated in the Top 5 at the time). They play at an extremely high level. We just have to make sure that once again we’re looking at Wyoming improving and the focus that we have for us.”

TCU, 3-1 and 11-6, is led by TK LaFleur at 15.4 points and 5.8 rebounds, while Helena Sverrisdottir is adding 15.1 points and 6.7 boards.

The Lady Frogs are the top scoring team in the conference this season (72.8 ppg) and Legerski said they will have to make sure they get back defensively and also recognize the TCU shooters.

“Once again, we’re facing one of the teams that is very much picked to be in the mix of things in the Mountain West Conference and we know the challenges that are ahead for us,“ he said. “We’re just trying to place this in order where we are as a team and where we are moving in that direction.”

The Cowgirls also need to shoot the ball a little better and get out of the gates a little quicker. In Saturday’s loss to UNLV, Wyoming missed its first 11 shots from the field.

“We have to have a good start and that would go a long way to build some confidence with this group,” Legerski said.

After Saturday’s loss, Legerski said that he is going to have to change some things around, as he can’t play both of his point guards -- freshman Kristen Scheffler and sophomore Randi Richardson -- 40 minutes each.

One change he might make is put struggling freshman Emma Langford back at the two guard and giving little-used freshman Brenna Freeze some minutes.

“We just cannot expect Kristen and Randi to play 40 minutes every night,” he said. “They are not ready for that physically or mentally. So what happens is they have to take breaks throughout the game. When you take a break, that may be the basket that we need or we don’t get on the other end, so it is very important to be able t find time to put them on the bench.”

Three Cowgirls are scoring in double figures, led by senior Megan McGuffey with 11.9 points per game. Scheffler follows with 10.8 points, while Langford is adding 10.3 points per game. Langford, however, had made just 6-of-60 field goal attempts in her last seven games.

“We have to find a way to get Emma going again and we need Kristen Scheffler to shoot the ball a little better,” Legerski said.
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Wyoming Cowgirls (8-8 overall, 0-3 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
3 Randi Richardson G 5-7 RSo. TR Arlington, Wash. 2.8 ppg, 2.7 aspg
12 Kristen Scheffl er G 5-11 Fr. HS Lovell, Wyo. 10.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.4 aspg
24 Megan McGuffey G 5-11 Sr. 3L Cheyenne, Wyo. 11.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.8 aspg
33 Elisabeth Dissen C 6-1 Sr. 3L Hillsboro, Ore. 8.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg
21 Emma Langford F 6-2 Fr. HS Arthurton, Australia 10.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.9 aspg
Off The Bench
4 Gemma Koehler F 6-1 Jr. 1L Geelong, Australia Has played in one game
10 Rebecca Vanderjagt F 6-3 Sr. 3L Townsville, Australia 2.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.1 aspg
13 Ashley Sickles F 6-1 Fr. HS Cresco, Iowa 2.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg
14 Jade Kennedy F 6-1 So. 1L Cairns, Australia 4.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg
15 Leah Fitzgerald C 6-2 Fr. HS Colorado Springs, Colo. Has played in three games
20 Aubrey Vandiver G 5-11 Jr. 2L Laramie, Wyo. Has not played this season
22 Brenna Freeze G 5-11 Fr. HS Albuquerque, N.M. 1.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg
41 Hillary Carlson F 6-3 So. 1L Cheyenne, Wyo. 9.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg
45 Mallory Cline C 6-4 Jr. 2L McClave, Colo. Has played in two games
Head Coach: Joe Legerski (Wyoming, ‘79), Sixth Year
Associate Head Coach: Gerald Mattinson (Weber State, '81), Sixth Year
Assistant Coaches: Kristin Becker (Vanderbilt, ‘90), Third Year; Katie Kern (New Mexico, ‘99), Third Year
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TCU Lady Frogs (11-6 overall, 3-1 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
4 Helena Sverrisdottir G/F 6-1 So. 1L Hafnarfjordur, Iceland 15.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg
12 TK LaFleur G 5-8 Jr. RS Houston, Texas 15.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg
15 Emily Carter G 6-1 So. 1L Bossier City, La. 10.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg
41 Rachel Rentschler F 6-2 So. TR Fort Worth, Texas 9.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg
42 Micah Garoutte F 6-2 So. 1L Plano, Texas 6.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Off The Bench
1 Antoinette Thompson G 5-7 Fr. HS Fort Worth, Texas 1.2 ppg, 0.5 rpg
3 Amanda Sims G 5-10 Fr. HS Fullerton, Calif. Has played in fi ve games
21 Shayla Moore G 5-6 Jr. 2L Denison, Texas 5.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg
22 Tolu Omotola F 6-3 Fr. HS Sugar Land, Texas 2.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg
24 Eboni Mangum G 5-8 Jr. RS Houston, Texas 6.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg
44 Chantelle John F 6-2 Jr. RS Scarborough, Ont. 3.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg
55 Micaela Younger C 6-3 Sr. 3L Dover, Del. 1.2 pg, 1.1 rpg
Head Coach: Jeff Mittie (Missouri Western, ’89), Tenth Year
Associate Head Coach: Brian Ostermann (Wisconsin La Crosse, ’88),
Assistant Coaches: Tonya Benton (Baylor, ’99), Tricia Payne (TCU, ’02)

Cowgirls fall to Rebels

Richard Anderson photo

Wyoming freshman guard Kristen Scheffler moves the ball down the court Saturday against UNLV.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The large enthusiastic crowds are still there; the rims are the same and the lighting is what they are used to. But the home court advantage has not been kind as of late for the young Wyoming Cowgirls.

Wyoming has now dropped two straight games in the friendly confines of the Arena-Auditorium and four of eight on the season. The latest came on Saturday, as previously struggling UNLV pulled away for a 71-64 win.

“It’s difficult because we cannot defend our home court right now," Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “That is confidence and confidence is instilled. Yet, you have to have success somewhere to improve in confidence.”

The Cowgirls (0-3 MWC, 8-8) had every chance in the world to use its home court to its advantage after falling behind by 11 with 12 minutes to play. Wyoming scored 13 straight points, including nine from senior Megan McGuffey, and led by two. That momentum, however, was fleeting, as the Rebels (1-3, 8-9) had the last push.

Shannon Oberg broke a 60-60 tie with a 3-pointer at the 3-minute mark and the Rebels never looked back. UNLV outscored Wyoming 8-4 to pick up the win.

Just when the momentum seemed to be on their side, the Cowgirls gave it back.

“There are major swings that go back and forth throughout a game,” Legerski said. “One of the things is, you have to have a couple of players who are defensive stoppers. They have to be able to make a play when we need a play. They have to pull a rebound when we need a rebound. That has been one of the things that has been difficult, and that is why you see the swings in games.”

Much of Wyoming’s problems this season have also been offensively, with several stretches of poor shooting. Not only are the Cowgirls cold at times, they are missing close-range attempts.
That was evident early and then late at crunch time.

“We felt like we spotted them seven points,” Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey said. “We felt like we had some good looks at the basket, we were just missing those close layups. I don’t know if it is a focus thing or what, but we have to start hitting those easy shots.”

Legerski said that at crunch time should be their time in the A-A.

“When we got to the final four minutes and you are on your home court, you should be able to step up,” Legerski said. “We made a mistake and gave up a 3. They answered it and we couldn’t respond. That was as big of a shot as any.”

UNLV coach Kathy Oliver said her team was able to stay patient after the Cowgirls made their run.

“I thought we kept our poise and did a good job,” Oliver said.

UNLV’s Erica Helms led all scorers with 23 points, hitting 8-of-10 from the field and 4 of 6 3-pointers. Her running 40-footer at the halftime buzzer gave the Rebels a 33-30 lead. Hunt scored 15 points in the second half and hit two straight 3-pointers to help UNLV gain the momentum.

“I thought Helms changed her game with her 3s,” Legerski said. “She hit two of them that we were just huge. The biggest one may have been at the end of the first half. It is something that we have addressed and we have talked about. Maybe it is a little bit lack of experience. You don’t let somebody just dribble up and have a good look at the basket -- and we did that. That is some of the growing that we have to learn. As to how many more times that happens tells me how quickly we pick things up.”

Sophomore center Hillary Carlson came off the bench and led the Cowgirls with 20 points, followed by McGuffey with 18 and freshman Kristen Scheffler with 15.

Shamela Hampton and Dominique Harris scored 11 and 10 respectively for the Rebels, who fell to Colorado State on their home court on Wednesday.

The Cowgirls will stay home on Wednesday when they host TCU.

Cowgirls to host Rebels

by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls will look to earn their first conference victory as they return home to host UNLV on Saturday.

The game is set to tip off at 1:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on The Mountain Sports Network.

The Cowgirls, 0-2 in Mountain West Conference and 8-7 overall, battled back but fell to a strong San Diego State team on Wednesday, 49-42.

UNLV comes into the game with a 7-9 record overall and 0-3 in conference play this season, falling at home on Wednesday to Colorado State 70-69.

Shamela Hampton leads the Rebels with 14.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, while Erica Helms is adding 11.1 points and 2.3 boards.

UNLV is coached by Kathy Oliver, who is in her first season with the program.

“Right now UNLV has a new head coach, a very successful head coach at UCLA,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “Once again, they have a great inside presence. Defensively, that is where you have to stat your scout at, understanding where the basketball is going and how you can help your post kids out, or do you need to help your post kids out?"

Three Cowgirls are scoring in double-figures so far this season, led by senior Megan McGuffey at 11.5 points per game. Freshman Emma Langford is averaging 10.8 points, while Kristen Scheffler is adding 10.4 points per game. McGuffey also leads the way with 6.4 rebounds per contest.

McGuffey ranks 11th in rebounding and 14th in scoring in the league. Langford, who currently leads the team in assists and steals, ranks in the Top 15 in each of those categories in the Mountain West Conference, while Scheffler leads the league in 3-point field goals made (2.53 tpfgm), while being ranked 20th in scoring.

"It will be nice to be back at home," Legerski said. "The thing that we like is being able to once a week know we’re going to be home, so it is nice to get our fans back out.”
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Wyoming Cowgirls (8-7 overall, 0-2 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
3 Randi Richardson G 5-7 RSo. TR Arlington, Wash. 2.9 ppg, 2.5 aspg
12 Kristen Scheffl er G 5-11 Fr. HS Lovell, Wyo. 10.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.4 aspg
24 Megan McGuffey G 5-11 Sr. 3L Cheyenne, Wyo. 11.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.7 aspg
33 Elisabeth Dissen C 6-1 Sr. 3L Hillsboro, Ore. 8.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg
21 Emma Langford F 6-2 Fr. HS Arthurton, Australia 10.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.0 aspg
Off The Bench
4 Gemma Koehler F 6-1 Jr. 1L Geelong, Australia Has played in one game
10 Rebecca Vanderjagt F 6-3 Sr. 3L Townsville, Australia 2.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.1 aspg
13 Ashley Sickles F 6-1 Fr. HS Cresco, Iowa 2.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg
14 Jade Kennedy F 6-1 So. 1L Cairns, Australia 4.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg
15 Leah Fitzgerald C 6-2 Fr. HS Colorado Springs, Colo. Has played in three games
20 Aubrey Vandiver G 5-11 Jr. 2L Laramie, Wyo. Has not played this season
22 Brenna Freeze G 5-11 Fr. HS Albuquerque, N.M. 2.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg
41 Hillary Carlson F 6-3 So. 1L Cheyenne, Wyo. 8.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg
45 Mallory Cline C 6-4 Jr. 2L McClave, Colo. Has played in two games
Head Coach: Joe Legerski (Wyoming, ‘79), Sixth Year
Assoc. Head Coach: Gerald Mattinson (Weber State, '81), Sixth Year
Assistant Coaches: Kristin Becker (Vanderbilt, ‘90), Third Year, Katie Kern (New Mexico, ‘99), Third Year
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UNLV Lady Rebels (7-9 overall, 0-3 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
5 Brittany Halberg G 5-7 Sr. 3L Lake Oswego, Ore. 8.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg
11 Jamie Smith G/F 6-0 Fr. HS Kailua, Hawaii 11.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg
15 Erica Helms G 5-7 So. 1L Antioch, Calif. 11.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg
24 Shamela Hampton C 6-3 Sr. 3L Colorado Springs, Colo. 14.4 ppg, 9.3 rpg
32 India Chaney G 5-10 So. 1L New Orleans, La. 8.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg
Off The Bench
1 Dominique Harris G 5-10 Sr. 1L Los Angeles, Calif. 5.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg
10 Allison Holiday G 5-6 Jr. 2L Kayenta, Ariz. 1.9 ppg, 0.6 rpg
20 Kalie Scanlon G 5-9 So. 1L Salem, Ore. 0.8 ppg, 1.0 rpg
23 Latoya Hunt C 6-3 RJr. 2L Fresno, Calif. 1.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg
25 Raquel Jupiter F 6-1 Sr. 1L Los Angeles, Calif. 3.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg
33 Shannon Oberg F 6-0 Sr. 1L Islip, N.Y. 2.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg
42 Karla Gergelová F 6-1 So. 1L Zlin, Czech Republic 0.5 ppg, 0.7 rpg
Head Coach: Kathy Olivier (UNLV ‘82), First Year
Assistant Coaches: Caitlin Collier (UC Davis ’93), Kari Duperron (Cal Poly ’03),
Nikki Blue (UCLA ’06)
Dir. of BB Operations: Elizabeth Linkous

Cowgirls fall to Aztecs

Wyoming-San Diego State boxscore

By Wyoming Sports.org

SAN DIEGO -- The Wyoming Cowgirls battled back to make a game of it, but came up a bit short, falling to San Diego State 49-42 in Mountain West Conference action Wednesday night.

The Cowgirls trailed by 11 at halftime and by as much as 14 in the second half before rallying to cut the Aztecs lead in half in the final minutes. But seven was as close as Wyoming would get.

The loss dropped the Cowgirls to 0-2 in league play and 8-7 overall, while San Diego State moved to 2-1 and 11-4.

Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said he was pleased with how his team battled against a very good San Diego State squad.

“Our goal tonight was to compete for 40 minutes,” Legerski said. “Kristen Scheffler, Elisabeth Dissen and Hillary Carlson really stepped up and gave us a big lift. It was really important for this group to play well, and I think we grew up a little bit tonight. Whether or not we can maintain that with young players, it will be the challenge. My hat also goes off to Randi Richardson, who played the 40 minutes under constant pressure.”

Two Cowgirls finished the night in double figures, led by Scheffler. The Lovell freshman finished with 12 points on 5-of-9 from the field. She was followed by Dissen with 10 points and Megan McGuffey with nine. Carlson was the leading rebounder with seven. As a team, the Cowgirls shot 40 percent from the field (16-of-40), but turned the ball over 23 times.

Paris Johnson was the leading scorer for the Aztecs with 14 points and six rebounds, while Jennifer Layton-Bailes added 11 points. San Diego State shot 20-of-62 (.323) from the field and out-rebounded Wyoming 38-31.

The 49 npoints by the Aztecs proved to be a season-low. Defense, however, won the game, SDSU coach Beth Burns said.

"We have really struggled inside in back-to-back games," Burns said, "We didn't get much (offensive production) up at Utah and again today, especially against (Wyoming's) the zone defense. I liked that we kept attacking and kept shooting. That's why we say, 'defense wins,' because we kept Wyoming to only 14 points at halftime and we felt like we would break out of (the shooting slump)."

The Cowgirls stayed close early, trailing just 12-11, but the Aztecs scored 11 straight and kept that advantage at halftime, leading 25-14.

The Cowgirls really struggled in the first half offensively once again, connecting on 5-of-17 from the field and committing 13 turnovers. In the 70-52 loss against Utah last week, the Cowgirls shot 16 percent from the field in the first half.

Wyoming tried to chip into the lead out of the halftime break as they went on a 10-4 run to pull within five, 29-24, behind eight points from Scheffler. The Aztecs stormed back with seven straight points to extend the lead back to double figures and then lead 46-32. Wyoming battled back but could get no closer than seven.

Wyoming will return home this weekend as the Cowgirls host UNLV on Saturday, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Young Cowgirls have tough task at SDSU

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming senior Rebecca Vanderjagt goes up for a shot against Utah.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

It’s pick your poison for Wyoming women’s basketball coach Joe Legerski when trying to come up with a plan to defend San Diego State.

The Cowgirls will hit the road to San Diego for Wednesday’s matchup (8 p.m.) with the talented Aztecs knowing one thing: San Diego State is loaded.

“San Diego State is a complete team,” Legerski said. “Morris (Jené) is as good of a two-guard that there is out there, Davis (Quenese ) is now in her third year of being a starter at the point and Johnson (Paris), you have to account for her each and every time down the floor. When you look at it, they are very strong at the perimeter with a great inside presence. That creates some problems for some teams.”

The Aztecs, 1-1 in Mountain West Conference play and 10-4 overall, may be coming off a loss (58-52) at Utah on Sunday, but the Aztecs are generally playing as well as anybody in the league. Wednesday’s 51-point win overAair Force just shows what type of game they can play on their home court.

“They are a great defensive team and being a great defensive team, you sometimes create some offense through your defense,” Legerski said. “If you allow them to get into transition, up and down the floor, create turnovers, it is going to be a long night. (Against Air Force), it was a situation where they created turnovers. Against Utah, they forced 22 turnovers, but they just were not able to take those turnovers and convert them quickly into baskets.”

For the young Cowgirls, 0-1, 8-6, Legerski said they absolutely cannot turn the ball over at an alarming rate against the quicker Aztecs.

“We may turn it over at times, but we just cannot turn it over with our guard line. If we turn it over there, it is going to result in easy layups,” he said.

The Aztecs are led by Morris, who is averaging 15.3 points a game and the 6-foot-4 Johnson, who is averaging 15.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest. Davis is at 11.1 points a game, followed by Jennifer Layton-Bailes at 8.1 points per game.

Veteran head coach Beth Burns returned to the Aztecs four years ago and has quickly turned the once down-ridden program into title contenders. They began to make their move last year, especially during the MWC Tournament where they turned some heads and won their way into the title game before falling to New Mexico.

In fact, SDSU thumped the Cowgirls, who went on to its first ever NCAA Tournament, with a 66-54 win.

It’s a difficult beginning in league play for the Cowgirls, as they opened last Wednesday against Utah, falling to the Utes 70-52. Now they have to turn around and face a very good San Diego State team on the road.

Legerski said it was an eye opener for his young players -- the difference between non-conference and conference action.

“The intensity level in conference play picks up; the level of play is just tremendous,” Legerski said. “We’re going to have another one against San Diego State. It’s unfortunately where our team sits right now, playing young guards. That’s never a good situation in basketball.”

Legerski is going with a starting lineup of two freshmen (Emma Langford and Kristen Scheffler) and a sophomore (Randi Richardson), with two seniors (Megan McGuffey and Elisabeth Dissen).

The Cowgirls have been inconsistent, at best, with the play from their young players.

“One of the big things is I have more confidence in the players than usually they have in themselves,” Legerski said. “They are very critical in themselves; they want to succeed each and every trip down the floor. Trying to get them to match the confidence I have in them is sometimes very difficult.”

Wyoming comes back home on Saturday when it hosts UNLV.
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Wyoming Cowgirls (8-6 overall, 0-1 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
3 Randi Richardson G 5-7 RSo. TR Arlington, Wash. 3.1 ppg, 2.4 aspg
12 Kristen Scheffl er G 5-11 Fr. HS Lovell, Wyo. 10.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.4 aspg
24 Megan McGuffey G 5-11 Sr. 3L Cheyenne, Wyo. 11.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.7 aspg
33 Elisabeth Dissen C 6-1 Sr. 3L Hillsboro, Ore. 8.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg
21 Emma Langford F 6-2 Fr. HS Arthurton, Australia 11.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.2 aspg
Off The Bench
4 Gemma Koehler F 6-1 Jr. 1L Geelong, Australia Has played in one game
10 Rebecca Vanderjagt F 6-3 Sr. 3L Townsville, Australia 2.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.2 aspg
13 Ashley Sickles F 6-1 Fr. HS Cresco, Iowa 2.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg
14 Jade Kennedy F 6-1 So. 1L Cairns, Australia 4.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg
15 Leah Fitzgerald C 6-2 Fr. HS Colorado Springs, Colo. Has played in three games
20 Aubrey Vandiver G 5-11 Jr. 2L Laramie, Wyo. Has not played this season
22 Brenna Freeze G 5-11 Fr. HS Albuquerque, N.M. 2.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg
41 Hillary Carlson F 6-3 So. 1L Cheyenne, Wyo. 8.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg
45 Mallory Cline C 6-4 Jr. 2L McClave, Colo. Has played in two games
Head Coach: Joe Legerski (Wyoming, ‘79), Sixth Year
Assoc. Head Coach: Gerald Mattinson (Weber State, '81), Sixth Year
Assistant Coaches: Kristin Becker (Vanderbilt, ‘90), Third Year; Katie Kern (New Mexico, ‘99), Third Year
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San Diego State (10-4 overall, 1-1 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
2 Coco Davis G 5-9 So. 1L Sacramento, Calif. 3.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg
3 Quenese Davis G 5-9 Jr. 2L Sacramento, Calif. 11.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg
5 Jené Morris G 5-9 Jr. 1L San Francisco, Calif. 15.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg
24 Jennifer Layton-Bailes F 6-1 Sr. 1L Sacramento, Calif. 8.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg
32 Paris Johnson C 6-4 So. 1L San Diego, Calif. 15.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg
Off The Bench
4 Kim Spinardi G 5-8 Jr. 2L Merced, Calif. 1.1 ppg, 1.0 rpg
15 Lindsay Leo F 6-2 Fr. HS San Jose, Calif. 1.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg
20 Adrienne Vita F 6-0 Fr. HS Marin County, Calif. Has played in four games
21 Jerica Williams G 5-8 So. RS San Diego, Calif. 7.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg
22 Gabrielle Clark F 6-1 Fr. HS Los Angeles, Calif. 2.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg
23 LaSandra Dixon G 5-7 Sr. 3L Azusa, Calif. 2.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg
34 Allison Duffy F 6-2 So. 1L Lakeside, Calif. Has played in one game
40 Candace Chambers F 6-1 Fr. HS Seattle, Wash. 1.0 ppg,1.6 rpg
55 Kalena Tutt C 6-2 Fr. HS Long Beach, Calif. 1.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg
Head Coach: Beth Burns (Ohio Wesleyan, '79), 4th/12th season at SDSU; 17th overall
Assistant Coaches: Jualeah Woods (USC, '94), Shanele Stires (Kansas State, '95), Fred Chmiel
Dir. of Operations: Tammy Stephens (CS Fullerton, '81)

Cowgirls struggle despite another strong effort from Carlson

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming sophomore Hillary Carlson has scored 41 points in her last two games.

Cowgirls-Utes boxscore

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The night looked promising: Senior Megan McGuffey basically steps out of the hospital bed to the basketball court and nails a 3-pointer on the first possession against Utah in the Cowgirls Mountain West Conference season opener.

It basically went south from there in the 70-52 loss to the Utes Wednesday night in the Arena-Auditorium.

The Cowgirls had a slight reprieve offensively last Saturday in the win over San Francisco. Their shooting woes returned not too long after McGuffey’s opening 3-pointer on Wednesday.

Wyoming shot just 22 percent from the field (7-of-31) in the first half and just 4-of-22 from behind the 3-point arc in the game.

With Utah’s dynamic duo of Kalee Whipple and Morgan Warburton taking over the game (55 points), the Wyoming offense couldn’t keep up.

Take away another outstanding effort from 6-foot-3 sophomore Hillary Carlson off the bench and it would have been much worse. Carlson was 7-of-12 from the field and scored a team-high 19 points, 14 in the second half.

Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said they got a "big-time effort" out of Carlson and not much else.

“Utah adjusted to start sending so many people at her and that’s when you have to step up and make a shot on the perimeter,” Legerski said. “I take a look at these numbers and see that we are 4-of-22 from 3. We didn’t step up tonight and help Hillary. That is something that we have to address. When you take a look at the numbers, basically everyone had an opportunity to shoot a 3. We just didn’t have anybody answer.”

Carlson has now scored 41 points in her last two games and I closing in on averaging double-figures for the season.

Now, if the Cowgirls can just put an all-around game offensively together.

“Hillary is a tremendous talent. We talked about getting the ball inside and started the second half by getting the ball to Elisabeth (Dissen) and we score, then we take two perimeter shots,” Legerski said. “That is something we have to grow as a group. When it is time to go inside, we have to take advantage of that.

“When they were doubling Hillary, she was able to find ways to score. She is going to continue to grow. Hillary is a sophomore and we’re excited about her development. In the last two games, she has had 22 and 19 points. That’s stepping up big-time for this team.”

Freshman guard Kristen Scheffler, who added 11 points, said struggling like they are at times offensively can be frustrating, but they can’t keep their heads down or those struggles will continue.

“You have to keep your head up and keep shooting,” Scheffler said. “Hopefully, it will turn around.”

With the way Carlson and at times Dissen are scoring inside, and with the way the Cowgirls can struggle from the outside, Wyoming is turning into a post-dominated team.

While that can be good, it also could come back to haunt them of the outside shooting isn’t there, Legerski said.

“People are going to scout us and they are going to try to take away our inside game. Then it is up to our perimeter kids to step up and be able to knock down some shots,” Legerski said.

Wyoming did improve offensively in the second half, shooting about 45 percent from the field. That wasn’t enough to catch the high-flying Utes, though.

“I think at halftime, we just decided that maybe our shots weren’t falling like we wanted to. We were going to push it inside and be aggressive,” Carlson said.

Wyoming did lead early in the game, but Whipple and Warburton took over and ran off an 18-7 run to close the half for a 31-18 lead. Utah put the game away early in the second half on an 11-0 run and led by as much as 22 in the game.

“I thought it was a good game for us,” Utah head coach Elaine Elliott said. “I thought we did more good than not. When we turn it over early in the game, it is such a pattern. The good news is, except for a couple of times down the stretch when it got kind of ugly, we took care of the ball the rest of the game. And that is critical for us. We need to keep the turnovers down.”

Turnovers have been a problem for the young Cowgirls this season, but that wasn’t the case on Wednesday, as Wyoming lost the basketball just nine times. They just couldn’t get the shot to fall. Much of that can be attributed to nerves and inexperience, Legerski said.

“It’s stepping out on the floor where all of the sudden everything counts,” he said. “I always talk about, that it is always a situation where it was very difficult to play; it‘s very easy to sit on the bench. When you are out playing, you have to be held accountable for making some plays. Not only do you have to shoot the basketball, you have to make your share of shots. We’re not doing that right now and I think it gets a little contagious.”

McGuffey battles despite illness
Despite her illness, McGuffey did play 20 minutes and score six points. As could be expected, she did wear down in the second half, playing just six minutes. It was a valiant effort, Legerski said.

“I had to get Megan out of the game,” he said. “I think at times she gave us everything she had. She’s a young woman who was in the hospital, dehydrated, didn’t practice for two days … she tried to give us everything.”

Down, but not out
Legerski said there is no shame in losing to a team like Utah, led by veteran head coach Elaine Elliott. It’s just one conference game and he said there is plenty of time to improve.

And improve is what the Wyoming coach expects his young Cowgirls to do.

“We just have to keep growing. We’re going to get back to where we are in the top half of this league. But right now, the hill is pretty steep,” he said. “Utah is very good defensively. We knew going in that it was going to be a challenge. With this group, we’re going to have more nights when we are challenged. I’ve been telling people that in the last couple of years here at Wyoming, we were able to carry the banner at the top of the league. We’re rebuilding, there is no doubt.”

Carlson said the Cowgirls can learn from these type of losses.

“We can definitely learn from this all around -- defensively and offensively,” Carlson said.

Next up
The Cowgirls will return to action next Wednesday on the road against an equally tough San Diego State team.

Utah duo too much for Cowgirls

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

In a battle of go-to players, it was no contest. Utah’s combination of Kalee Whipple and Morgan Warburton were too much for the Cowgirls, as Utah opened Mountain West Conference play with a convincing 70-52 win over Wyoming Wednesday at the Arena-Auditorium.

With senior Megan McGuffey gutting out a tough night while suffering from the effects of the flu, it was up to Cowgirl freshmen Emma Langford and Kristen Scheffler to go up against arguably the best one-two punch in the league.

Whipple and Warburton were money, as they combined for 75 percent of the team’s points. Whipple scored a career-high 32 points and Warburton, the MWC Preseason Player of the Year, added 21.

After an early Wyoming lead, the Cowgirls had no answer.

“I think tonight what we witnessed was a team with two experienced, veteran, talented players,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “We knew going in tonight that we had to slow Whipple and Warburton down. That’s real easy to talk about; it’s very difficult to accomplish. I thought Kristen Scheffler did as good of a job as any freshman could do with Warburton. I was very proud of her effort. We just did not have an answer defensively for Whipple. She shot the ball from 3, she took it to the basket, she was able to make a lot of plays.”

Whipple, who also grabbed 10 rebounds, was 12-of-19 from the field, including 5 of 7 3-pointers. She has scored 82 points in her last three games, including 31 last week in the win over USC.

“Kalee Whipple and Morgan Warburton are obviously very good and I think that as good as Emma Langford and Kristen Scheffler are going to be, those are very tough matchups for young kids, and I think that showed more than anything in experience.”

Wyoming sophomore Hillary Carlson, who led the Cowgirls with 19 points off of the bench, said they knew what they had to do defensively in the game, but it just didn’t happen.

“We tried to scout them and we knew we had to take those two away, but they are good players,” Carlson said.

Scheffler, who scored nine of her 11 points in the second half, said it was a tough night defensively as well.

“For me, my assignment was Warburton and you can’t take a break,” Scheffler said. “It was real frustrating. You get tired and you want to give up, but you can’t. We have to play 40 minutes. It’s tough, but it is something we are going to have to do the rest of the conference games.”

Offensively, other than a few good moments early and Carlson’s presence in the second half, it was also a tough night for the Cowgirls. Wyoming shot just 32 percent in the game and 22 percent in the first half. Wyoming hit just 4 of 22 3-pointers.

Playing defense when the shots don’t fall was the only way the Cowgirls would be able to stay in the game. At least, that was the plan … again.

“For me, my shot wasn’t falling, so I worked hard on defense so I could help the team out that way,” Scheffler said.

Cowgirls open with Utes

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

At this time last year, the Wyoming Cowgirls were riding high off of the WNIT title the previous year and recent big road wins over Wisconsin and Iowa.

They would go on to a 24-7 overall record (12-4 in Mountain West Conference play) and advance to the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament.

What’s in store regains to be seen, but it is a much different look for the Cowgirls this season as they begin MWC play, hosting Utah Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium. The game will be broadcast on The Mtn. Sports Network (Channel 412 in Laramie, 616 on DirecTV).

Gone are four seniors who helped build the Cowgirl program under head coach Joe Legerski, and also gone is their top returner, junior Aubrey Vandiver, who is out for the season with mononucleosis.

Instead, a new and very young Cowgirl team will be looking to make its mark.

“We open with Utah and San Diego State, the two teams that have been picked to win the conference,” Legerski said. “Utah had some big wins this past week over Oregon and USC -- the Oregon team that beat us. San Diego State beats No. 5 Texas. That really shows what the Mountain West Conference is all about and how good this league is.

“We were the team last year that did all that and got off to a great start, got ranked in the Top 20 in the country. We were the team that could carry the banner. This year we have some other teams that are going to carry that banner while we’re trying to improve and get some of these young kids to grow up.”

With wins over Adams State and San Francisco, the Cowgirls head into conference play with an 8-5 mark. If you would have asked Legerski at the start of the season if he would be happy with that record, he would have emphatically said yes.

“Anytime in a preseason, you take a look and there are some games that you let slip away. But there are always some games where you snuck in a win that maybe you shouldn’t have won,” he said. “To sit here and be 8-5 and have some positive momentum going … we got the win against Adams State, but I don’t know how happy the coaching staff or the team was with the effort.

“Now, we have a lot of happy members of the coaching staff and players. That’s a part of what we are trying to get done. But now, 8-5 and knowing that Aubrey is not going to be around, it is a great accomplishment for this group. Now, we have to find as many conference wins as we can. Believe me, it doesn’t escape me to where we have been picked with how strong this league is. We have to find some ways to get some victories. That will be a big challenge.”

On Saturday in the 82-60 win over San Francisco, senior Megan McGuffey scored a season-high 22 points, with sophomore center Hillary Carlson adding a career-high 22 points. With no Hanna Zavecz or Justyna Podziemska to turn to offensively this season, Legerski was pleased with season two players step up in that role. He said that has to continue in league play for them to be successful.

“I have asked (seniors) Megan, Elisabeth (Dissen) and Rebecca (Vanderjagt) to step up and be leaders on and off the court,“ Legerski said. “Sometimes that is easier for me to ask than to actually have accomplished. One of the things I thought Megan showed us was she can go out and get us that big game -- 22 points -- that is huge for us and we’ve been looking for that from somebody, to take over and do that from an upperclassman.”

McGuffey, however, is suffering from the flu and is a game-time decision.

The Utes come in to the game with a 7-6 record while riding a three-game winning streak. Morgan Warburton leads the way averaging 19.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, while Kalee Whipple is adding 17 points and 6.3 boards.

They return three starters and nine letterwinners to a team that went 27-5 overall and 16-0 in the Mountain West Conference a year ago. This is the 64th meeting between the two teams. Utah leads the series 55-8, and has a current two game winning streak.

“Utah is exceptional,” said Legerski, a longtime former assistant under head coach Elaine Elliott.
The Cowgirls will return to action next Wednesday at San Diego State.

Legerski said he is pleased to get on the semi-regular conference schedule for the rest of the year.

“Now we will get on a Wednesday Saturday schedule and that makes life a lot easier on us as we go about practicing and preparing for games,” Legerski said.
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Wyoming Cowgirls (8-5 overall, 0-0 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
3 Randi Richardson G 5-7 RSo. TR Arlington, Wash. 3.0 ppg, 2.3 aspg
12 Kristen Scheffl er G 5-11 Fr. HS Lovell, Wyo. 10.3 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.3 aspg
24 Megan McGuffey G 5-11 Sr. 3L Cheyenne, Wyo. 12.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.8 aspg
33 Elisabeth Dissen C 6-1 Sr. 3L Hillsboro, Ore. 8.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg
21 Emma Langford F 6-2 Fr. HS Arthurton, Australia 12.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.3 aspg
Off The Bench
4 Gemma Koehler F 6-1 Jr. 1L Geelong, Australia Has played in one game
10 Rebecca Vanderjagt F 6-3 Sr. 3L Townsville, Australia 2.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.2 aspg
13 Ashley Sickles F 6-1 Fr. HS Cresco, Iowa 2.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg
14 Jade Kennedy F 6-1 So. 1L Cairns, Australia 4.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg
15 Leah Fitzgerald C 6-2 Fr. HS Colorado Springs, Colo. Has played in three games
20 Aubrey Vandiver G 5-11 Jr. 2L Laramie, Wyo. Has not played this season
22 Brenna Freeze G 5-11 Fr. HS Albuquerque, N.M. 2.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg
41 Hillary Carlson F 6-3 So. 1L Cheyenne, Wyo. 7.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg
45 Mallory Cline C 6-4 Jr. 2L McClave, Colo. Has played in two games
Head Coach: Joe Legerski (Wyoming, ‘79), Sixth Year
Assoc. Head Coach: Gerald Mattinson (Weber State, '81), Sixth Year
Assistant Coaches: Kristin Becker (Vanderbilt, ‘90), Third Year; Katie Kern (New Mexico, ‘99), Third Year
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Utah Utes (7-6 overall, 0-0 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
2 Kalee Whipple F 6-0 Jr. 2L Hiko, Nev. 17.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg
5 Hannah Stephens G 5-8 Fr. HS San Mateo, Calif. 3.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg
15 Morgan Warburton G 5-11 Sr. 3L Helper, Utah 19.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg
22 Halie Sawyer F 6-1 Jr. 2L Panguitch, Utah 8.6 ppg, 8.2 rpg
31 Katie King F 6-1 Sr. 1L Layton, Utah 10.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg
Off The Bench
1 Janita Badon G 5-6 Fr. HS Portland, Ore. 2.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg
3 Iwalani Rodrigues G 5-9 Fr. HS Ewa Beach, Hawaii Has not played this season
10 Josi McDermott G 6-0 Fr. RS Ashland, Ore. Has played in one game
12 Cydney Knight G/F 6-1 So. 1L Pasco, Wash. 2.1 ppg, 1.0 rpg
14 Hennasea Tokumura G 5-4 Jr. 2L Honolulu, Hawaii Has not played this season
20 Sasha McKinnon G 6-0 Jr. 2L Langley, B.C. Has not played this season
23 Deanne Stevenson C 6-3 Sr. 2L Draper, Utah Has played in one game
42 Mandy Munns C 6-3 Fr. HS Brigham City, Utah 1.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Head Coach: Elaine Elliott (Boise State, '77), 26th Year
Assistant Coaches: Matt Legerski, Anthony Levrets, Lana Sitterud
Dir. of BB Operations: Sarah Levrets

Cowgirls get a confidence boost

Wyoming-San Francisco boxscore

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

It seemed like just yesterday that the Wyoming Cowgirls were searching for some answers.

Actually, it’s been just a week or so since the young Cowgirls went through a tough stretch offensively, falling to Saint Louis by 15 and to Gonzaga by 29 points. Even in Tuesday’s 10-point win over Division II Adams State, the Cowgirls seemed a little out of sync.

Saturday’s 82-60 win over San Francisco, however, perked things up for Wyoming, which now embarks on Mountain West Conference play on Wednesday when the Cowgirls host Utah in the A-A.

“It’s a great win to go into conference season,” Wyoming senior forward Megan McGuffey said. “The past few games, we felt like we hadn’t been playing to our potential, so we couldn’t have asked for a better game going into our game against Utah.”

The Cowgirls found their scoring punch for the first time in a while, especially underneath the basket where Wyoming held a 42-16 edge over the Dons inside the paint.

McGuffey and sophomore Hillary Carlson led the way with 22 points each, with senior post Elisabeth Dissen and freshman guard Kristen Scheffler adding 12 points each. Wyoming shot 55 percent from the field (28-of-52), with much of it coming up close. The Cowgirls hit on just 4 of 13 3-point attempts.

Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski said that McGuffey and Carlson set the pace in game, especially when the Dons went to a full-court press.

“We had it drawn up to get the ball to Megan,” he said. “We talked about finishing and attacking pressure, don’t just break the press. Megan did it twice. I thought we had great success there.”

McGuffey hit 8-of-15 from the field for her season high in points.“For both Hillary and Megan to step up … 22 points apiece, it came in a variety of ways,” Legerski said. “Megan was driving to the basket, she was posting up, she was hitting the short jumper. Hillary was able to get to the basket and finish over the tops of people. They gave us a great lift.”

San Francisco’s few leads were very early and Wyoming took a 15-point advantage into the locker room at halftime.

“It is always more difficult to play when you are trailing in a game. For some reason, when you have a lead, more shots fall. Today, that was just the case,” McGuffey said.

Not only did the Cowgirls play well to build the first-half lead, they never let the Dons get back in the game with second-half runs. San Francisco could get no closer than 17 in the final 15 minutes.

“We talked about being up 15, but we also talked about the team that wins the second half, wins the game,” Legerski said. “We wanted to go out in the first four minutes and make sure they could not cut into our lead. For whatever reason, we anticipated better, we moved better, we attacked the basket. We played a little freer. When shots start going down, it gets everybody confidence on he floor.”

Wyoming will now focus on its MWC opener against Utah. All-in-all, the Cowgirls feel much better about things than they did even a couple of days ago. A solid all-around victory will do that for you.

“Along the way in this pre-season, we felt like we could have picked up a few games here and there, but I think being 8-5 and confident right now, we’re ready to get the conference season going,” McGuffey said.

Vandiver to redshirt
Legerski officially announced after the game on Saturday that junior guard Aubrey Vandiver would redshirt this season, as she has not completely won her battle with mononucleosis. Last season, Vandiver averaged 11 points a game.

“It came down to a choice to try to decide if we could play Aubrey in the conference season,” Legerski said. “Aubrey didn’t feel like she could make the whole season. I wasn’t going to use her for four or five games and burn her for a whole year.”

Freeze getting court time
Cowgirl freshman guard Brenna Freeze, with Vandiver now officially out, has been getting some added minutes in the last couple of games. On Saturday, she scored two points and dished out a pair of assists in 11 minutes. She scored four points against Adams State. Before Tuesday, she had played just two other times in the regular season.

Legerski said that Breeze is being worked into the lineup to give Scheffler and sophomore Randi Richardson a spell or two.

“One of the things that we have been trying to do is go with two guards. That’s been an adjustment that we have made over the last two games -- Randi starts at the point and Kristen move over to the two. Sometimes we’ll flop them,” Legerski said. “We just decided to put Emma (Langford) in a natural position at the four. It allows Brenna minutes on the floor and Brenna has been working hard. We’ve called on her the last couple of games to give Randi and Kristen a break at times, and I think it has worked out for us. It creates a long jam at the three and our spot, but that is something for me to work on.”

Langford still struggling
Although Langford still leads the team in scoring (12.3 ppg), as well as other categories, the true freshman has struggled as of late. She played just nine minutes on Saturday, scoring two points. She has scored just 22 points in her last four games.

Legerski said that Langford is also struggling with a sore back. She didn’t practice the last two games.

“We’ve had Emma out and we have to try to get Emma back healthy,” he said. “I think she is starting to think too much when she is out there playing, she is trying to press a little. We have to get Emma back to playing the way she can play.”

Carlson, Dissen lead inside charge for Cowgirls

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls fought fire with fire on Saturday.

Going into the game, Wyoming coach Joe Legerski was a little concerned with San Francisco’s inside presence, particularly from 6-foot senior Necolia Simmons.

So Legerski and the Cowgirls took it to San Francisco, pounding the Dons 82-60 to close their non-conference season with a big plus.

Leading the way for the Cowgirls inside were 6-3 sophomore Hillary Carlson and 6-1 senior Elisabeth Dissen.

Carlson scored a career-high 22 points, while grabbing six rebounds, while Dissen added 12 points and three rebounds.

Carlson, who was 7-of-9 from the field in the game and 8-of-8 from the free-throw line, came off the bench in the first half and scored 11 points to spark Wyoming on a 24-12 run for a 14-point advantage.

“It feels good to have a good game,” Carlson said. “I’m trying to be more aggressive and play stronger than I have been.”

The Cowgirls had a big advantage underneath, outscoring San Francisco 42-16 inside the paint.

“I thought we did a great job of getting the ball inside. None more importantly than seeing Hillary getting five offensive rebounds. When Hillary gets the offensive rebound, you can count the basket,” Legerski said. “She is playing stronger all of the time.”

Add their numbers up and Carlson and Dissen combined to score 34 points and grab nine rebounds. Dissen played 17 minutes and Carlson 20 from the five position.

“Our game is becoming more well-rounded,” Dissen said. “I think it is something that we have worked really hard on. Coach told me and Hill at the beginning of the season that he wanted us to combine for a double-double in the five position. I think it is something that we have worked really hard on between the two us, getting the rebounds and getting the points.”

Wyoming senior forward Megan McGuffey, who had plenty of good moves to the basket to give her a season high 22 points, said the Cowgirls showed a strong all-around game.

“I think with our inside game, it opens up the perimeter so much more and we have open shots,” McGuffey said. “We don’t go into the halftime leading much, importunately this season,. It feels great to have that lead at halftime; we’re real comfortable out there. With Hillary and Elisabeth down low, we have confidence there.”

Legerski said the game was decided on the inside.

Both Elisabeth and Hillary played against Simmons, a very talented post player," he said. “They were able to try to limit what she was able to do and yet they scored on the inside for us. Take a look at post kids -- 34 points and nine rebounds just a tremendous effort from Elisabeth and Hillary.”