Richardson solid in running the show

Richard Anderson photo

Wyoming sophomore guard Randi Richardson pushes the ball against Air Force on Saturday.

Wyoming-AFA stats

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Randi Richardson doesn’t have to score a lot, just enough to make the Cowgirls’ opponents aware threat she can be a threat.

At times this season, Richardson has let the opposition dictate that scenario. In recent games, including Saturday’s 65-34 win over Air Force in the Arena-Auditorium, she has proven otherwise.

Richardson was just 1-of-3 from the field against the Falcons, but her 3-pointer got the team going midway in the second half en route to a 13-point halftime lead. Her job as a defender and as the point guard then went easier.

“We have talked to Randi that she is a good shooter,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “ She has struggled some this season, like all of the young players have. She started deferring all of the time, not to shoot. She’s really taking a great deal of pride in defending. She got the assignment to guard Raimee Beck and she is 4-of-14, so that is a tribute to Randi.

“I just have to reign her in now and then because she just wants to make every play. I keep telling her that some of these plays are made for you, and she stepped up and knocked down a 3.”

Richardson also finished with eight assist and three steals in running the show. Legerski said that any time a player gets a chance to make a shot or two, it improves their all-around confidence. That is what is happening for Richardson, the redshirt sophomore transfer from Arlington, Wash.

“When you start believing what you are doing, then all of the sudden the defense becomes easier and assists become easier,” Legerski said. “When Randi shoots better, it becomes easier for Hillary Carlson, because then they can’t double down on her.”

Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey credited Richardson for getting the Cowgirls going on their 17-4 run and stabilizing the offense in the second half.

“Randi did a great job and she hit some great passes there,” McGuffey said. “She was pushing the ball at the opportune times. That was needed at that point of the game.”

After a seven-minute scoreless span in the first half, the Cowgirls closed on a 17-4 run for a 30-17 halftime lead. Wyoming put the game away early, scoring 13 of the first 14 points.

McGuffey finished with a game-high 24 points and freshman Kristen Scheffler also had a big game, with 22 points, including 6 3-pointers, while Carlson added 12.

Kim Kreke led the Falcons, 4-23, 0-14 in the Mountain West, with 10 points. Air Force shot just 25 percent from the field (13-of-52).

The Cowgirls, 15-12, 7-7, will close the regular season next week at BYU and New Mexico.

“We’ve won seven out of the last 10, 70 percent, which is tremendous," Legerski said. “We’ve found ways to win and our young kids have grown up. They are playing better and better.

“You take a look tonight at Kristen Scheffler, getting 22 points and shooting 50 percent from 3. Hillary Carlson is basically played half of the game, sharing minutes with Elisabeth Dissen. She gets 12 points and eight rebounds. That just shows you the dominating player that Hillary is becoming. I think this it the growth that you see in young teams. It doesn’t get any easier from here on our, but we’re going to enjoy it today.”

Timely timeout gets Cowgirls going; Scheffler makes Falcons pay

Wyoming freshman Kristen Scheffler

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Less than two minutes into the second half, it was time for a little attitude adjustment for the Wyoming Cowgirls.

Wyoming overcame a scoring drought midway through the first half with a late rush for a comfortable 13-point halftime lead against Air Force on Saturday. But a last-second bucket by the Air Force to close the opening half and five straight points to begin the second half got Wyoming coach Joe Legerski’s attention.

The Cowgirls responded with a 13-1 run and never looked back in routing the Falcons 65-34.

“We talked about coming ready to go at the start; I knew that Air Force has no quit in them, they'll compete for 40 minutes,” Legerski said.

Legerski called a quick timeout and although it was a full timeout, he kept his team on the floor. The Cowgirls responded with a steal and 3-pointer by freshman Kristen Scheffler and the Wyoming defense held the Falcons to just one point over an eight-minute span.

“There was no need to sit down, nobody was tired yet,” Legerski said. “We discussed what we wanted to get done as a team and where we are at as a team, and they are not doing what we asked. When I got that message across, we went right back out and Kristen Scheffler hit a 3 and we made another play. That is what I was hoping to see at the start at the half. It took a timeout to get that done.”

Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey said the Cowgirls couldn’t afford to give up any more points in that run.

“He (Legerski) had to just get up in our faces and get us going again," McGuffey said. “Sometimes we unfortunately have those lapses right after halftime. After he did that, the team came out and Kristen hit a couple of big shots there.”

For Scheffler, it was just a matter of taking what the defense gives you. The Falcons gave her open 3-point looks and she made them pay.

“Teams can make mistakes and you get freed up, so it is really important to make those shots when you get a chance,” Scheffler said.

Scheffler hit six 3-pointers and finished with 22 points in her best scoring night as a Cowgirl. She also had 21 points against Gonzaga and 21 in the first game against Air Force.

Legerski said that shooters shoot and that is exactly what the Lovell freshman did. Scheffler bhit four 3-pointers and scored 14 points in the second half.

“During a timeout, I said to Kristen, 'The basket must look about as big as this arena right now,’” he said. “She walks out there and knocks down the next 3 and I turned to Gerald (Mattinson), and said, ‘It may be as big as this state.’ When shooters get on a roll, the basket looks big to them.”

McGuffey closes on a special note

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey, left, gets a hug from teammate Hillary Carlson Saturday after being take out of her final home game.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Cowgirl basketball fans wouldn’t let one of their own -- Cheyenne native Megan McGuffey -- leave her final home game without an extra special memory.

After scoring 15 points in the first half and needing 23 to become the 17th Cowgirl to score 1,000 career points, McGuffey was silent offensively for much of the second half. She would get to the milestone in the 65-34 win, but not without a little help.

McGuffey scored her first points of the second half at the 3:25 mark and then hit another layup. Winning easily, the Cowgirl crowd wanted more. Four points away, McGuffey hit a pair of free throws. Two points away with just over a minute left, she then missed the first of two from the charity stripe.

“When she missed that first one, you felt the crowd, the air was taken out of them,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said.

McGuffey made the second free throw, but time appeared to be running out. Suddenly, freshman reserve guard Brenna Freeze stole the ball at midcourt and led McGuffey on the break. She got the ball to the Cowgirl senior and she was fouled once again.

This time, nothing but net.

Legerski called time out for PA announcer Geoff Mack to acknowledge the accomplishment and then took McGuffey out to a standing ovation after she made the second free throw.

“I sure didn’t want to end on 999,” McGuffey said. “Luckily, I got fouled again.”

McGuffey couldn’t help but know how close she was in the final minutes. She had a little help from the Cowgirl fans, the UW coaches and players.

“I kept hearing shout outs from the crowd, ‘Come on, eight more points to go...,’” McGuffey said with a laugh.

The announced crowd (3,816) was also there to honor fellow seniors Elisabeth Dissen and Rebecca Vanderjagt and see one more win on the home court. They got their wishes in both cases.

“It makes it nice that it was here and I got the response that I did,” McGuffey said. “But as far as the season goes, it didn’t really mean much for our team. More so, it was just getting another win. I think we’ve won seven out of our last games, so that is really positive for us right now.”

Legerski said it was a special moment for McGuffey.

“It is special that Megan could get it here, not only in front of her family, but in front of all of the Wyoming fans,” he said.

Averaging 10.3 points a game this season, McGuffey had scored just nine points in her last two games, hitting 2-of-19 from the field. On Saturday, she finished 8-of-16 from the field, including 3 of 8 3-pointers. The blue-collar McGuffey also grabbed nine rebounds, two blocks and three steals.

“I’m not averaging anything near 20 points, so going into the game, I didn’t expect to get it at all,” McGuffey said. “If I wouldn’t (have scored 15 in the first half), I probably wouldn’t have thought about it. Who knows?”

Freshman Kristen Scheffler, who otherwise would have been the story of the game with 22 points on six 3-pointers, was asked about the celebration for McGuffey and the rest of the UW seniors in the media room after the game.

The Lovell native said he couldn’t help but be in a little awe.

“It gives me something to look forward to, just the support here … the crowd, the team and everything,” Scheffler said.

The consummate team player, McGuffey and the rest of the Cowgirl seniors were asked this year to help transition this young team to the future. McGuffey closed her big night by deflecting the attention back to Scheffler.

“She’ll get 2,000 (points),” McGuffey said with a smile.

Cowgirl seniors revel in success and friendship on and off the court

Richard Anderson photos

From left, Wyoming seniors Elisabeth Dissen, Megan McGuffey and Rebecca Vanderjagt.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Success followed seniors Megan McGuffey, Elisabeth Dissen and Rebecca Vanderjagt around for their careers with the Wyoming Cowgirls. In their first three years with the program, the trio enjoyed a WNIT berth, WNIT title and then NCAA Tournament berth in that order.

It remains to be seen if they can close their Wyoming careers with postseason play. Regardless, it has been a ride they will never forget.

“It’s like one of the best times of my life here,” Vanderjagt said, as the Cowgirls and the three seniors will prepare for the final home game Saturday at 2 p.m. when they host Air Force. “It is something that I will never forget. Every experience that I have had here has exceeded any expectations that I had.”

Has it hit them yet? Yes and no.

“I’m excited, but I am trying to look at it like a normal game and just play normal and not get too amped up for it,” Dissen said.

McGuffey, a Wyoming girl all of the way around as a Cheyenne native, said it will be pretty emotional on Saturday.

“It is always sad to end your career, but we’ve had a great run here,” McGuffey said. “It’s just been an honor to play for this program.”

Added Vanderjagt: “It’s been great playing here for four years. Having the last game here hasn’t hit me yet, but I’m sure it will by the end of the game. It will be sad knowing that it was our last game here.”

Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said it has been a tremendous run for his three seniors, having an opportunity to play in postseason play for three years.

“Being able to get to the NCAA Tournament and winning the WNIT championship, it is just a tremendous run,” he said. “They had to change their roles this season. We’ve looked upon Megan and Elisabeth to be able to score more on the inside and that has been important. With Rebecca, her role has basically been the same whether she has coming in as a starter or coming off the bench just to provide some leadership out there. I’m excited about what has happened to the three of them. We still have a great deal of basketball to play and I think they want to go out playing very well at the end.”

Saturday’s game could be the final time the three jog down the ramp together in front of their fans unless a big run at the end of the season and in the Mountain West Conference Tournament lands them into more postseason play, specifically the WNIT.

The Cowgirls, 14-12, 6-7 in the Mountain West, still have a lot to play for.

“I don’t feel like it is the end of anything at all, we still have a lot of plays after this. I’m just excited to get to postseason and see what we can do,” Dissen said.

The Cowgirls have three of their last four and six of their last nine games. They want to keep that momentum as long a possible.

“We’ve been playing a lot better the second half of this conference season, so it has been a maturation process for this team,” McGuffey said. “I think things are looking up right now and knock on wood, hopefully we can get a win over Air Force and continue it through the next few games.”

A quick start on Saturday will make the final game go much easier.

“It will be nice to have a comfortable game for our last game,” Vanderjagt said.

Winning the WNIT title and advancing to the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament is a memory that will never be taken lightly.

“We’ve had a lot of great experiences, winning the WNIT and playing in the NCAA Tournament,” Dissen said. “I think we have done a lot of cool things while we have been here; it’s been really fun.”

McGuffey said that just making the NCAA tournament was pretty much the ultimate goal, especially for any college athlete at this level.

“It was pretty amazing. It was like a dream come true,” McGuffey said. “Not only that, the WNIT as well, playing in front of a sold-out crowd. Not too many women athletes can say that.”

When they all stepped onto the court for their first practice as freshmen, that was probably the WNIT and NCAA Tournament were likely the furthest things from their mind.

“I don’t think that as a freshman, I ever imagined the things that I would get to do, and it has been great,” Dissen said.

Vanderjagt came to Wyoming from Australia and said she had no idea what she was getting into.

“I wasn’t sure at first if I would last all four years,” she said. “I thought I would do it for a year and see if I would like it. But I really enjoyed it and stuck it out. I have no regrets.”

Talent certainly has been a springboard for their success. Chemistry and friendship has been what sprung them as players on and off the court.

“They are two of my best friends. We’ll be best friends for life. With them, it is more about friendships than anything,” Vanderjagt said.

Dissen and McGuffey echoed Vanderjagt‘s feelings.

“They are like my best friends, on the court and off the court. We get along so well and it has been good,” Dissen said.

“I’ve had so much fun this year. I love my teammates, I love the seniors I will be leaving with,” added McGuffey.

Cowgirls make the plays in the end

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming sophomore Hillary Carlson drives to the basket against Colorado State on Wednesday.

Wyoming-CSU stats

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

It was de ja vu all over again for the Wyoming Cowgirls … almost.

The Cowgirls almost gave up a 16-point second-half lead but closed strong on the free-throw line for a tough 71-62 win over Colorado State on Wednesday in the Arena-Auditorium.

Earlier in the season, the Cowgirls led CSU by 20 in the first half, before escaping with a three-point win.

On Wednesday, the lead got down to five with just under two minutes left. But Wyoming hit 8-of-8 from the free throw line in the final minute and earned its third win in its last four games.

“I don’t think we had as big of a lead on them this time than we had the last time, but I think, unlike the first game, we really have a lot of confidence in ourselves right now,” sophomore guard Randi Richardson said. “I don’t think we ever really doubted ourselves, that we weren’t going to win the game. We made it a little too close again, but that’s what happens in rivalry games … people bring their best game.”

Wyoming opened by missing nine of its first 10 shots from the field, but chipped away before going on a 11-0 run, highlighted by three straight 3-pointers, two by reserve Jade Kennedy and the other by Richardson. The Cowgirls led 35-22 at halftime.

Wyoming would go up by as much as 16 early in the second half, before CSU cut the lead to 61-56 on a 3-pointer by Kim Mestdagh with 1:17 left. The Cowgirls answered by hitting 8-of-8 from the free-throw line in the final minute.

“It feels good to win after the start that we had,” Wyoming sophomore Hillary Carlson, who finished with 16 points.

Sophomore Emma Langford led the way with 17 points, while Richardson and Kristen Scheffler added 12 each. Carlson also had nine rebounds and five blocked shots.

“Emma came on to get us 17 points and that was big,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “All of the sudden, we had four people in double digit in scoring with Hillary and Kristen coming through. Nothing was bigger than Hillary’s five blocks. She as really able to control the paint.”

The difference between the first game and Wednesday was on the line. Wyoming hit 28-of-33 from the free-throw line, to just 9-of-13 for CSU.

“A month ago, we ended up going 4-of-8 in the last minute,” Legerski said. “It was nice to see Emma step up there, Hillary step up and Randi step up. You have to win close games on the free-throw line.”

Knowing that the Rams would not call it a day after halftime, Legerski said that he told his team that the game is all about 40 minutes and they had to be stronger on the boards and on the free-throw line.

The Cowgirls were just that, out-rebounding CSU 41-34.

“When they started making their 3-pointers towards the end, it closed the game in a hurry," Legerski said. “We just asked everybody to just take a deep breath and do what we’d been doing for the previous 35 minutes.”

Bonnie Barbee, who hit two 3-pointers in the final minute, led the Rams, 9-18, 4-10, with 11 points, followed by Carine Reimink adding 10.

“Wyoming made some good adjustments from the first time that we played them,” CSU coach Kristen Holt said. “Their zone really hurt us. I thought we were tentative and couldn’t make shots. We couldn’t penetrate the zone enough and we just couldn’t handle it well.”

Legerski said the Cowgirls’ zone defense did what it needed to do and switching back to man-to-man also threw the Rams off, who hit just 35 percent shooting from the field.

“CSU started making some adjustments, attacking the zone, so the last eight minutes, we went back to our man defense,” he said. “Once again, I thought we played very well.”

The Cowgirls will close their home schedule on Saturday when they host Air Force, beginning at 2 p.m.

Richardson steps up for some scoring punch

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming sophomore Randi Richardson moves past some CSU players on Wednesday.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

It’s almost likes teams are daring Randi Richardson to shoot the ball. Maybe it’s even a double-dog dare.

On Wednesday, Richardson answered with a dare of her own: “Here it is, try to stop me.”

Richardson, along with sophomore reserve Jade Kennedy, hit five 3-pointers to kick-start the Wyoming offense in the 71-62 win over Colorado State in the Arena-Auditorium.

When the Cowgirls' big guns came out firing blanks to begin the game, Richardson (2.8 points a game) and Kennedy (4.0 ppg) were the Wyoming offense for the first 10 minutes of the opening half, scoring 12 of the team‘s first 16 points. The Cowgirl mainstays -- sophomore Hillary Carlson (16 points) and freshmen Emma Langford (17) and Kristen Scheffler (12) -- later picked it up with an improved final 30 minutes.

Wide open for much of the night, Richardson stepped up to the task.

“It’s now my job to step up and make that shot,” said Richardson, who finished with 12 points. “If I do, I can make it a little easier on my teammates.”

The Cowgirls, after struggling offensively in the 13-point loss to TCU on Saturday, came out and missed nine of their first 10 shots on Wednesday against the Rams. Fortunately, CSU didn’t shoot much better and only led 8-7 early. Kennedy came off the bench and hit two straight 3-pointers and Richardson added another in an 11-0 run and Wyoming led 35-22 at halftime.

Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said that Wednesday‘s game was about different players stepping up.

“They were doubling up Randi Richardson, creating some problems for Hillary at the block and Randi steps up and knocks down three 3-pointers,” Legerski said. “I thought that was big to get us going, because we couldn’t hit a shot early, couldn’t get something inside. They were leaving Randi open and it was important that she hits some shots, and she did.

“Jade came in a gave us a huge lift with her two 3s. Those are names we are not used to see scoring a great deal. I really believe that was a big part of our success tonight, was different players stepping up.”

Richardson went into the game hitting on just 6 of 40 3-pointers (15 percent). She was 3-of-5 on Wednesday.

“We work on our shot every day,” Richardson said. “It’s just about having the mindset to shoot the ball and actually looking for my shot and having confidence in it. I’ve just been preparing myself to shoot the ball.”

CSU coach Kristen Holt said their strategy of doubling up on Carlson backfired.

“Randi Richardson made us pay,” Holt said.

Cowgirls looking to finish strong down the stretch

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming coach Joe Legerski talks to his team earlier in the season.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

It’s been a long and winding road for the Wyoming Cowgirls this season and the home schedule is coming to a roundabout end with two final games in the A-A.

The Cowgirls host rival Colorado State on Wednesday at 7 p.m., before taking on Air Force in the Arena-Auditorium at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

For a program in transition, the next two weeks will be critical for what is considered a successful season.

“It’s important getting a little momentum going into the tournament,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “As we wind down., we have two very difficult road games next week with BYU and New Mexico. It will be nice to come out, play well, compete and play in front of our fans.”

The young Cowgirls, 5-7 in league play and 13-12 overall, have played well down the stretch, something that Legerski has been pleased with. So have the young Rams, 4-9, 9-17, who nearly pulled off a monumental upset two weeks ago, losing to San Diego State 62-61 in San Diego.

Legerski said CSU is a much improved program from the last couple of years.

“It is going to be a very hard-fought game, as it always is,” Legerski said. “We’re going to have to go out there and play very well for 40 minutes; we’re going to need to make some shots. That is always important for this group, that we go out and get started early, rather than constantly fighting from behind. We took a look at the TCU game and we had great opportunities to score early, unfortunately the ball didn’t go down.”

The last time the two teams met, they went down to the wire before the Cowgirls prevailed 64-61 in Moby Arena. Wyoming had a big first-half lead and almost gave it up before holding on at the end.

“The first time we played very well for 20 minutes and I thought CSU played very well the second 20 minutes," Legerski said. “It’s about making runs. We have to make sure that our runs are longer than the opponent’s runs are. We were hanging on at the end. That was something that we had not found a way to win and we were able to play a lot people close, so it was very important for us to pull a game out and get some confidence to a group that was lacking confidence at that point and time.”

The Cowgirls finished 2-1 on a recent three-game stretch, losing to TCU on Saturday, 60-47. A horrendous start shooting the ball proved to be the difference in the outcome.

Legerski said he was pleased with how they attacked the zone against TCU, but not with how they finished.

“We just missed several shots and missed several shots at what I call point-blank range," he said. “I tell the team that I am not asking you to make every 3-point shot, but we need to make every shot within three feet. We have Kristen (Scheffler), Megan (McGuffey) and Rebecca (Vanderjagt) go 3-of-29 and that is difficult when you have three starters who are shooting that poorly. Hopefully, that is only one game.”

Take away one tough shooting night and the Cowboys have made some positive strides. It’s all about finishing those strides in the next couple of weeks.

“It’s hard to believe that we are down to the end,” Legerski said. “I think we’re anxious to get out and play again.”

Cowgirls cold in loss to Lady Frogs

Wyoming-TCU stats

by Wyoming Sports.org

FORTH WORTH, Texas -- The Wyoming Cowgirls reverted to some previous offensive struggles and fell to TCU 60-47 on Saturday.

The Cowgirls, 13-12, 5-7 in the Mountain West, were cold from the field in the first half and trailed by 14 at halftime. While Wyoming did cut the TCU lead in half early in the second half, they couldn't complete the comeback.

“I think some nights you shoot the ball really well and others, it’s just average. Tonight, we had a very difficult time getting anything to fall,” UW coach Joe Legerski said. “The frustrating part was that we got the ball exactly where we wanted it, and for whatever reason things didn’t go down. Hillary (Carlson) having 18 points showed we got her the basketball, and Elisabeth Dissen did a good job scoring. We just have to do a better job shooting than we did.”

Carlson also had seven rebounds for the Cowgirls, with Emma Langford finishing with 11 points and five assists. Megan McGuffey tied her career high with 13 rebounds. The Cowgirls shot 16-of-57 (.281) from the field.

The Lady Frogs, 18-8, 10-3, were led by TK LaFleur with 17 points and five rebounds, with Helena Sverrrisdottir adding 15 points and five rebounds. TCU didn't shoot much better 18-of-55 (.327) from the field, but did 20 of 24 free throws.

The Cowgirls came out ice cold, going the first four minutes without scoring until a pair of free throws by senior Rebecca Vanderjagt ended the drought. TCU took advantage by opening with nine unanswered points and led 20-9. TCU ended the first half on a 9-3 run for a 34-20 halftime lead.

The Cowgirls stormed out to begin the second half with the first seven points but could get no closer. It was still just a nine-point game before the Lady Fongs went on a 10-2 run to end Wyoming's hopes.

The Cowgirls will close their home season next week, hosting Colorado State on Wednesday (7 p.m.) and air Force on Saturday (2 p.m.).

Cowgirls rally past Lady Rebels

by Wyoming Sports.org

LAS VEGAS -- The Wyoming Cowgirls didn't have to win with style points, but just win as they close the final month of the regular season.

Wyoming did just that on Wednesday, stopping UNLV 50-44 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The win was the second straight in league play and third in the last four games for the Cowgirls, 13-11, 5-6 in the Mountain West.

Wyoming seemed to be in control for much of the first half, leading by 10, before the Lady Rebels scrapped away, holding the Cowgirls scoreless in the final six minutes for a 27-23 halftime lead. Wyoming wouldn't score again until three minutes into the second half and they regained their momentum.

“We had a 10-point lead in the first half and everyone makes runs,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski. “We weren’t aggressive with trying to get to the basket, which we did a better job in the second half. We were driving to the basket and moving in our offense."

Two Cowgirls finished with double figures, led by sophomore Hillary Carlson with a team-high 18 points, along with eight rebounds. Senior Megan McGuffey recorded a double-double, with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The Cowgirls were 19-of-51 (.373) from the field, 9-of-15 (.600) from the free-throw line, while out rebounding UNLV 42-39.

"Megan McGuffey did a good job of getting to the open area, as she finished with a double-double and Hillary Carlson with 18 points and eight rebounds was a great effort by both players," Legerski said.

UNLV was led by Erica Helms with 14 points and Shamela Hampton with 12 points and 14 rebounds. The Lady Rebels were 17-of-57 (.298) from the field and 5-of-13 (.385) from the free-throw line.

It took the teams a couple of minutes to get anything going offensively until an Erica Helms basket made it 29-23. The Cowgirls would finally get back in the scoring column with McGuffey's-point field goal to end a nine minute scoring drought stemming back from the first half. That would start a 9-2 run for Wyoming to give them a one point lead, 32-31.

Wyoming used a 9-2 run for a seven-point lead and UNLV would get no closer than five the rest of the way.

The Cowgirls will stay on the road to face TCU on Saturday in Fort Worth, beginning at 4 p.m.

Young Cowgirls growing up

From left, Emma Langford, Hillary Carlson and Kristen Scheffler

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Eventually, young players have to grow up, despite their inexperience.

Wyoming fans are beginning to see the ongoing maturation process of three young players -- freshmen Kristen Scheffler and Emma Langford and sophomore Hillary Carlson.

All three, along with senior Megan McGuffey, are scoring in double figures. The average can be somewhat deceptive at times because as Wyoming coach Joe Legerski recently put it, “some games they get 20 points, the next game they get two, so they are averaging 11 points a game.”

On Sunday, Carlson, Scheffler and Langford showed -- whether they were scoring or not -- that their future as Cowgirls looks bright as Wyoming held off San Diego State 64-61.

Carlson, at 6-foot-3, led the way with 18 points and stepped outside twice to nail 3-pointers. Going into the game, she was 0-for-2 from beyond 3-point land.

“I was open, so I just let it fly,” Carlson said with a laugh.

It wasn’t as if Carlson was seeking to become a 3-pointer shooter all of the sudden. Her range came from the necessity of drawing San Diego State’s 6-4 Paris Johnson from the basket had a lot to do with it.

“Hillary Carlson really stepped up,” Legerski said. “Eighteen and nine and none were bigger than her two 3s. Hillary worked hard this summer to be able to shoot the basketball from 3. We haven’t stepped her outside much, but today we had to because Johnson was blocking everything we were taking to the basket. Hillary stepped out and made some plays.”

Legerski said that Carson has the ability to be a good long-range shooter. When the Cowgirls recruited her out of Cheyenne, the plan was to play her at the four sport.

“We wanted to put her on the outside. Her frame was slight and I didn’t want to have to sit her on the block all night long and take the physicalness of what the game requires,” he said. “Hillary has worked really hard to shoot the basketball, but she plays tremendous on the block. She can rebound, she can score on the inside and she shoots well from 12-15 feet.”

Scheffler is the best shooter on the team. Yet, not only she has been hot and cold at times this season, she has been reluctant to take some shots at crunch time. But when Scheffler brings the ball up the court and Legerski flashes the “three-game” sign, she becomes a different player.

“The three-game forces her to put the ball in her hands and make a play,” Legerski said. “I think if we stay with the motion, she is going to defer. A year ago, she is playing for Lovell, trying to make some plays. Now, she is playing against some of the best competition in the country, and that is hard for her. That’s why we ended up going to it. She has that ability to take over a game. We’re just trying to convince her that she has that ability.”

Langford looked early this season to be a lock in the MWC Newcomer of the Year voting, scoring nearly 20 points a game during one stretch.

In league play, it has been a different story, although Langford has shown signs recently of breaking out of a horrendous shooting slump. On Sunday, she struggled shooting (1-of-12 from the field), but the Australian native is now beginning to do other things when her shooting touch is off.

She grabbed eight rebounds against the Aztecs and none was bigger than the offensive board she took away on a Randi Richardson miss with about five seconds left and the Cowgirls protecting a two-point lead. She backed away and was fouled, hitting 1-of-2 free throws.

“I think that is the growth you are seeing in Emma,” Legerski said. “She started out tremendously and was just making shot after shot and she was believing it would be easy. I knew how difficult conference play was going to become. We talked to Emma that she is more than just a shooter or a scorer. You see that tonight with her line. She had more assists than turnovers, having a blocked shot, having a steal, having rebounds. We’re going to get her to shoot the ball better, but I like how she is starting to do other things for us.”

With two wins in their last three games, the Cowgirls are showing some signs of life. It won’t be easy this week as they return to the road at UNLV and TCU.

Legerski, however, likes the direction his young players are heading.

“I know there is going to be some hard days for us. I was asked the other day, ‘do you look at this group as no longer being freshmen because they have played 22-23 games?’” he said. “They are still freshmen; they don’t know what is still ahead. They have never experienced what it is like to finish out a season, like playing at people’s homes on Senior Night, go to the Mountain West Conference Tournament. I’m just happy with how we are continuing to grow as a group.”

Cowgirls crash the boards

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“We went into today’s game hoping that we could keep our turnovers under 20 and we were able to do that, but we knew that we had to do a better job on the offensive boards, to give us some second-chance opportunities." -- Wyoming coach Joe Legerski

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By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls spent enough time in the film room this week preparing for San Diego State.

What they learned -- not that it was hard to figure out -- was that the talented Aztecs dominated the boards in the seven-point SDSU win earlier in the season in San Diego.

Not always a dominating rebounding team, the Cowgirls didn't want that to happen again on Sunday in the Mountain West Conference rematch at the Arena-Auditorium.

This time out, the Cowgirls dominated the boards in the 64-61 win.

“We watched some film and about every clip, we saw they were out-rebounding us,” Wyoming sophomore post Hillary Carlson said. “It was in our minds that we didn’t want to give up a lot of offensive rebounds. We really picked it up.”

The Cowgirls more than picked it up, they dominated the Aztecs, who are led by 6-foot-4 sophomore Paris Johnson. Wyoming out-rebounded San Diego State 44-25, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds.

“We knew that we had to get on the boards in this game since they out-rebounded us the last time,” Wyoming freshman forward Emma Langford said.

Earlier in San Diego, the Aztecs had a 38-31 rebounding edge and SDSU grabbed an alarming 20 offensive rebounds, leading to 12 second-chance points.

“That was what got us in trouble when we played down in San Diego last time," Cowgirl senior forward Megan McGuffey said. “We stepped it up on the boards.”

Also in San Diego, the Cowgirls committed 23 turnovers. On Sunday, they gave up the ball 18 times. While it was probably more than they would have liked, it was an improvement as well.

“The first time we played San Diego State, we gave up roughly 20-22 offensive rebounds and we had roughly 23 turnovers. That’s a lot of opportunities that we ended up giving them and a lot of opportunities that we didn’t have for us,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “We went into today’s game hoping that we could keep our turnovers under 20 and we were able to do that, but we knew that we had to do a better job on the offensive boards, to give us some second-chance opportunities.

"I thought Rebecca Vanderjagt came out and really set the tempo early by grabbing a couple of offensive rebounds; then I thought that Hillary, Megan and Emma getting offensive rebounds were big for us too.”

No offensive boards were bigger than the final one, as Langford grabbed a Randi Richardson miss, peeled out and was fouled with 1.5 seconds left as the Cowgirls were protecting a two-point lead. Langford hit 1-of-2 free throws and the Aztecs couldn’t answer.

“The shot was off and I just knew I had to secure the ball to finish out the game,” Langford said.

After San Diego State missed a 3-pointer and the Cowgirls grabbed the defensive board, Legerski called time out and set up what he hoped would be the last play, even though there was still 34 seconds left in the game.

“I told them we were going to take a shot at the end of the shot clock and nothing quicker than that; just get the ball up the floor and get the ball on the glass however we can, so that would only give San Diego State four or five seconds to try to transition,” Legerski said. “Randi does a good job of getting it up on the glass and then Emma came up from the side to rebound it, showing a little composure as a freshman. She dribbled the ball out to get the clock running rather than try to make a play at the basket.”

The 19 offensive rebounds were second best mark this season to the Cowgirls 21 offensive boards in the win over Weber State. Ironically, it was a late put-back and free throw by Carlson that broke the tie for the win.

Cowgirls hold off Aztecs

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey drives past San Diego State's Paris Johnson on Sunday.


Wyoming-SDSU box score

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

After struggling for much of the season at home, the Wyoming Cowgirls are finding a little home-court magic.

After losing six of their first 10 games this season in the Arena-Auditorium, the Cowgirls won their second straight in the A-A with another nail-biter, edging San Diego State 64-61 on Sunday.

“We have two home wins in a row," Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey said. "We’re used to winning here, so hopefully we can continue that and finish up with two more wins. These have been two huge wins for us. They are two really great teams in our conference. Also, it has been fun to play here and get our crowd back into it, so it feels like the old Dome of Doom.”

While the Cowgirls are just fighting to get back up in the middle of the Mountain West Conference standings, the loss hurt San Diego State’s chances for the regular-season title, as the Aztecs, 17-6 overall, fell two games behind league-leading Utah at 8-3 in the MWC.

“There are a lot of smiling faces with Wyoming fans, our players and coaching staff,” Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski said. “We always talk about playing hard for 40 minutes, scrambling for the ball, and I think we’ve been doing that the last month. We demonstrated a great deal of effort to have 19 offensive rebounds, which was key in giving us second opportunities at the basket Hillary Carlson really stepped up with her 18 points, nine rebounds and her two 3-point shots. We just found a way to win at the end, which was important.”

In Wyoming's last home game, the Cowgirls hit a last-second shot to beat New Mexico 52-50. The Cowgirls are getting more of that feeling that saw them lose just five times at home in the previous three years.

“That’s an excellent team that we played today,” Legerski said. “The crowd got into it – 3,500 fans here – I keep telling our players that they have to keep believing, because our fans do, they keep showing up. They kept coming even when we had a tough January. To be able to get this victory, it really shows a great magnitude with our fans leading this group. This young group just keeps learning.”

The Aztecs came into Sunday's game just one game behind the Utes, after handing Utah its first league loss earlier in the week. that makes the win extra special, McGuffey said.

"This was just a great win for us," McGuffey said. "We're sitting, kind of in the back of the pack now and we feel that we could have won some games early on that we lost. We're just excited that we are starting to pull out these league wins."

Trailing 32-29 at halftime, the Cowgirls were still down by four with 6:22 left, but used a layup by freshman Kristen Scheffler, two free throws by freshman Emma Langford and a layup by McGuffey to regain the lead at 62-60 with two minutes remaining. The Cowgirls never trailed again, but the game came down to the final possessions.

With Wyoming leading 63-61, San Diego State’s Jene Morris missed a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left. After the rebound, the Cowgirls worked the shot clock and Randi Richardson missed a running floater in the lane, but Langford grabbed the offensive rebound with 1.5 seconds left. She was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws to close the scoring. The Aztecs’ Quenese Davis badly missed an off-balanced 40-foot 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Carlson led the Cowgirls with 18 points, with Scheffler adding 11 points for Wyoming, 12-11, 4-6. The Cowgirls stayed in the game despite turning the ball over 18 times and shooting just 34 percent from the field. Wyoming out-rebounded San Diego State 44-25 and grabbed 19 offensive rebounds for 11 second-chance points.

Paris Johnson led San Diego State with 15 points, followed by Jene Morris with 13 and Coco Davis with 10.

"Without question, the tougher and more competitive team won," San Diego State coach Beth Burns said. "Our defense was the reason Wyoming made a run in the second half."

Wyoming returns to the road, as they face UNLV Wednesday in Las Vegas and TCU Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.

Cowgirls looking for consistency against Aztecs

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Consistency and a young team often go hand-in-hand and that is certainly the case for the Wyoming Cowgirls this season.

Wyoming has also struggled at times at home. The Cowgirls will look to take a bite out of that discrepancy when they host San Diego State Sunday, with a 2 p.m. tip-off at the Arena-Auditorium.

Although the Cowgirls won their last home game over New Mexico, they are just 5-6 at home this season, after losing just five times in the A-A in the previous three years.

With just three home games remaining this season, Wyoming coach Joe Legerski would like to see his team play with a little more consistency. Unfortunately for the Cowgirls, they have to go up against a very good San Diego State team (8-2 in MWC, 17-5 overall).

“We’ve had a tough time at home this year and a great deal of that is due to the youth of this team, as well as we haven’t had players step up when we needed them to step up,” Legerski said. “It will be an interesting game for us on Sunday and a very difficult opponent to try to stat working towards getting our home court advantage back.”

Even with that, the Cowgirls (11-11, 3-6) showed some positive signs with the win over the Lobos and a good performance in the loss to Utah last Sunday in Salt Lake City.

“One of the things that we are doing, is we are moving in the direction of becoming a better team,” Legerski said. “One of the concerns that I have is we’re having players step up and playing extremely well one night and not another night. The example is how Hillary (Carlson) started out in conference play. Now teams are starting to double her. What we are lacking is a little consistency.

“When you take a look at it and Hillary and Kristen Scheffler are leading the team in scoring and both of them have difficult nights against Utah and Megan (McGuffey) and Emma (Langford) really stepped forward. We need everybody, each and every night, to step up for us to have a chance to win.”

The Aztecs have been nothing but consistent this season, dating back to their strong run in last year’s MWC tournament. San Diego State beat Wyoming 49-42 earlier in the season in San Diego.

“They are a great defensive team and they make it very difficult to get open shots,” Legerski said. “What they really excel at is turning defense into offense, so you have to limit the amount of turnovers. We have to do a better job on the glass -- we gave up way too many offensive rebounds. But that is a very difficult task because they have great size. You can see why they are playing so well and that is why they are one of the top teams in our league.”
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Wyoming Cowgirls (11-11 overall, 3-6 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
10 Rebecca Vanderjagt F 6-3 Sr. 3L Townsville, Australia 2.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.0 bpg
12 Kristen Scheffl er G 5-11 Fr. HS Lovell, Wyo. 10.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.6 aspg
24 Megan McGuffey G 5-11 Sr. 3L Cheyenne, Wyo. 10.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.6 aspg
41 Hillary Carlson F 6-3 So. 1L Cheyenne, Wyo. 10.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.7 bpg
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 2.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg
14 Jade Kennedy F 6-1 So. 1L Cairns, Australia 4.0 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
21 Emma Langford F 6-2 Fr. HS Arthurton, Australia 10.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.7 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, Katie Kern (New Mexico, ‘99), Third Year
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San Diego State (17-5 overall, 8-2 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
2 Coco Davis G 5-9 So. 1L Sacramento, Calif. 4.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg
3 Quenese Davis G 5-9 Jr. 2L Sacramento, Calif. 11.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg
5 Jené Morris G 5-9 Jr. 1L San Francisco, Calif. 13.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg
24 Jennifer Layton-Bailes F 6-1 Sr. 1L Sacramento, Calif. 8.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg
32 Paris Johnson C 6-4 So. 1L San Diego, Calif. 15.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg
Off The Bench
4 Kim Spinardi G 5-8 Jr. 2L Merced, Calif. 1.1 ppg, 0.9 rpg
15 Lindsay Leo F 6-2 Fr. HS San Jose, Calif. 1.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg
20 Adrienne Vita F 6-0 Fr. HS Marin County, Calif. Has played in fi ve games
21 Jerica Williams G 5-8 So. RS San Diego, Calif. 5.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg
22 Gabrielle Clark F 6-1 Fr. HS Los Angeles, Calif. 1.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg
23 LaSandra Dixon G 5-7 Sr. 3L Azusa, Calif. 2.2 ppg, 1.0 rpg
40 Candace Chambers F 6-1 Fr. HS Seattle, Wash. 1.3 ppg,1.3 rpg
55 Kalena Tutt C 6-2 Fr. HS Long Beach, Calif. 1.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg
Head Coach: Beth Burns (Ohio Wesleyan, '79), 12th Year
Assistant Coaches: Jualeah Woods (USC, '94), Shanele Stires (Kansas State, '95)
Fred Chmiel
Dir. of Operations: Tammy Stephens (CS Fullerton, '81)

Cowgirls get a needed breather

Richard Anderson photo

Wyoming freshman Kristen Scheffler looks over the court earlier against BYU.

By Richard Anderson

Wyoming Sports.org

This time of the year can often be like running against the Wyoming wind; sometimes you feel like you are fighting an uphill battle.

For the young Wyoming Cowgirls, this week has come at a good time. The Cowgirls have just one game -- on Sunday when they host San Diego State (2 p.m.) in the Arena-Auditorium.

With that, Wyoming coach Joe Legerski gave his team Monday and Tuesday off before getting back to work on Wednesday in preparation for the Aztecs.

“It is important to get some rest this time of the year, especially with seven days off between games and then we are going to have three games in seven days next week,” Legerski said. “It’s a different week, not having two games in a week. It’s been such a routine, but the rest is much needed.”

For the Wyoming freshmen, they have already played more games this year than they did during each high school regular season.

“The year gets long and when you start playing as many young kids that we have played, they are not ready for the kind of season that they have to go through, or for the intensity of a season that you have to go through,” Legerski said.

The long season doesn’t just wear on the players physically, but mentally as well. Legerski said the mental aspect is difficult.

“We’ve been going basically since September and that is longer than they have ever had to put on a pair of basketball shoes, get in a gym and play at a high level,” Legerski said. “We keep bringing them along and that is why the rest at times is more beneficial for us than stepping out on the court.”

The Cowgirls, 3-6 in Mountain West play and 11-11 overall, are coming off of two decent efforts, albeit one win and one loss. Last week, the Cowgirls rallied to edge New Mexico 52-50 in Laramie, before playing well but falling to unbeaten Utah 64-57 Sunday in Salt Lake City.

With seven games remaining in regular-season play, Legerski said the biggest thing they have to do is get a little more consistency. “We roughly have four players -- Hillary (Carlson), Kristen (Scheffler), Megan (McGuffey) and Emma (Langford) -- who are right around double figures,” he said. “The problem is, they may get 20 one night and two the next, and that is why they are in double figures at 11 points a game. We need to get consistency where we can count on at least three of the four players getting in double figures every night. If we can get that, we can gets some wins over the next three weeks.”

As a team, Legerski would like to see some more consistency as well, as the Cowboys close with three home game and four more on the road. Wyoming is just 5-6 at home this season after losing just five times in the A-A in the previous three seasons. Utah and San Diego State lead the way in the MWC this season at 9-0 and 7-2 respectively, and the two teams meet for what could be the title on Wednesday in San Diego.

“Everybody is scrambling within positioning in the conference, the top teams are looking for a postseason bid; the teams in the bottom half of the league are still trying to find where they are at, maybe pull an upset or two, so it really creates great basketball over the last three weeks,” Legerski said.

Cowgirls stay close, but fall to Utah

From left, Emma Langford and Megan McGuffey

Wyoming-Utah stats

By Wyoming Sports.org

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Wyoming Cowgirls gave league-leading Utah a battle, but came up short in the final minutes as the Utes held on for a 64-57 win on Sunday.

Utah, 9-0 in the Mountain West, 16-6 overall, had its way against the Cowgirls the first time these two teams met in Laramie. Not this time. Wyoming stayed close and led on a few occasions in the first half and early in the second half before the Utes used an 8-0 to recapture the momentum. Utah was up by as much 11 before the Cowgirls made one final push.

The loss dropped Wyoming to 3-6 and 11-11.

“We are really pleased with the effort from the team,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski. “I thought the whole second half we played from behind. We played well and kept the game close, but most of the time we were down.”

Freshman Emma Langford continued to show flashes of her early-season self, as she led the Cowgirls with 20 points and four rebounds off of the bench. Senior Megan McGuffey finished with 14 points.

“Emma Langford and Megan McGuffey played extremely well and made plays for us,” Legerski said. “It was a possession here or there that made a difference.”

It was another strong performance from Utah’s Morgan Warburton and Kalee Whipple, who combined to score 50 of the team’s 64 points (77 percent). In the 70-52 win in Laramie, the two finished with 53 points. On Sunday, Warburton scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Whipple added 22 points and six rebounds.

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"That was one of those games with injuries and foul trouble, we really didn't have five on the floor," Utah coach Elaine Elliott said. "We had a makeshift lineup in the first half and we couldn't run anything with that lineup. But we survived when everything certainly didn't go our way."

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It was a struggle for both teams offensively through the first four minutes of this nationally-televised game on CBS College Sports, as they combined for just one basket each. The Utes would come out of the timeout and go on an 8-0 run to regain the lead, 10-2. An Elisabeth Dissen field goal would end an almost five minute scoring drought for Wyoming and the Cowgirls chipped away for their first lead of the game at 17-16. The two teams traded leads before 3-pointers by Wyoming’s Kristen Scheffler and Utah’s Josi McDermott would lock it up at 28-each at halftime.

Again, both teams struggled out of the gate in the second half. McGuffey’s 3-pointer put the Cowgirls up 31-30 by the first media timeout. It proved to be the final Wyoming lead, as Utah would score eight unanswered points and never look back.

The Cowgirls came back and cut the lead to five on Langford’s 3-pointer, but Utah scored five of the next seven points to end the threat. Wyoming did get back within six, but could get no closer .

"I was pleased with the effort today, this is a very difficult place to play," Legerski said. "I think in 36 years of basketball, Wyoming has won here twice. So going in, the odds are stacked against you and Utah has a tremendous winning streak going, they play extremely well at home. I thought Warburton and Whipple once again really stepped up and it was a huge difference in the ball game."

The Cowgirls return to action next Sunday when they host San Diego state at 2 p.m.

Cowgirls back on the road at Utah

Richard Anderson photo
Utah coach Elaine Elliott has won 551 games in her 26 years with the Utes.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Momentum can often be short-lived. The Wyoming Cowgirls didn’t get a ton of time to really enjoy Wednesday’s thrilling come-from behind win over New Mexico.

Especially when you have to go back out on the road to face Mountain West Conference-leading Utah in the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

The Cowgirls will face the red-hot Utes Sunday at 3 p.m. in a game that will be nationally televised on CBS College Sports (channel 27 on Bresnan Cable in Laramie, 613 on DirecTV).

The Cowgirls finished 3-5 in the first half of league play (11-10 overall), thanks to a big 52-50 win over Utah on a last-second shot by sophomore Hillary Carlson.

At the midpoint part of the conference season, Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said the first eight in the league have been extremely difficult for his young team.

“The Mountain West Conference is one of the top leagues in the country," Legerski said. “We’re a team that was picked in the bottom half of the league, we’re in the bottom half of the league. Every night out is where we have to be at our best to be able to compete. It doesn’t get any easier with Utah and San Diego State, with us turning this thing right back around.”

With that said, Wednesday’s win over the talented Lobos was a nice shot in the arm for a team that had been struggling at home this season.

“Over the last three years, we only lost one league game at home,“ Legerski said. “We get into this conference season and we drop four at home. We have to try to get that back. The home court advantages in the Mountain West Conference are huge. With us going on the road for five of eight, we have our work cut out for us, there is no doubt about that.”

The Utes come in to the game with a 15-6 record overall and 8-0 mark in the MWC this season, riding an eight-game winning streak. Morgan Warburton leads the way, averaging 18.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while Kalee Whipple is adding 16.7 points and 6.5 boards.

The Utes beat the Cowgirls 70-52 earlier this season in Laramie.

Four Cowgirls are scoring in double-figures, led by Carlson, who is averaging 11 points and 4.5 rebounds a game. Freshman guard Kristen Scheffler is close behind with 10.9 points per game, while senior Megan McGuffey and Frshman Emma Langford follow with 10.6 and 10.1 points per game respectively. McGuffey also leads the way with six rebounds per contest.
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Wyoming Cowgirls (11-10 overall, 3-5 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, 2.6 aspg
10 Rebecca Vanderjagt F 6-3 Sr. 3L Townsville, Australia 2.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.1 aspg
12 Kristen Scheffl er G 5-11 Fr. HS Lovell, Wyo. 10.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 aspg
24 Megan McGuffey G 5-11 Sr. 3L Cheyenne, Wyo. 10.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.7 aspg
41 Hillary Carlson F 6-3 So. 1L Cheyenne, Wyo. 11.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.8 bpg
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 2.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg
14 Jade Kennedy F 6-1 So. 1L Cairns, Australia 4.2 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
21 Emma Langford F 6-2 Fr. HS Arthurton, Australia 10.1 ppg, 4.4 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. 7.3 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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Utah Utes (15-6 overall, 8-0 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
2 Kalee Whipple F 6-0 Jr. 2L Hiko, Nev. 16.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg
5 Hannah Stephens G 5-8 Fr. HS San Mateo, Calif. 3.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg
15 Morgan Warburton G 5-11 Sr. 3L Helper, Utah 18.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg
22 Halie Sawyer F 6-1 Jr. 2L Panguitch, Utah 8.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg
31 Katie King F 6-1 Sr. 1L Layton, Utah 11.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg
Off The Bench
1 Janita Badon G 5-6 Fr. HS Portland, Ore. 3.4 ppg, 2.2 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 seven games
12 Cydney Knight G/F 6-1 So. 1L Pasco, Wash. 1.8 ppg, 0.9 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 played in two games
23 Deanne Stevenson C 6-3 Sr. 2L Draper, Utah Has played in four games
42 Mandy Munns C 6-3 Fr. HS Brigham City, Utah 1.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Head Coach: Elaine Elliott (Boise State, '77), 26th Year
Assistant Coaches: Matt Legerski, Anthony Levrets, Lana Sitterud
Dir. of BB Operations: Sarah Levrets