Cowgirls roll over Bengals

Photo by John McKnight/Wyoming sophomore Leah Fitzgerald goes up for a shot Monday night against Idaho State.

UW-Idaho State boxscore

by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls opened the game on a 17-2 run and cruised past the Idaho State Bengals for a convincing 76-40 win at the Arena-Auditorium Monday night.

Wyoming is now 6-0 for the second time in the last three seasons, while Idaho State drops to 1-5.

The Cowgirls led 34-18 at the break behind 12 points from Hillary Carlson and 10 points chipped in by Aubrey Vandiver. As a team, Wyoming shot 46 percent in the first half and held Idaho State to just 27 percent from the field.

The second half would not be any better for the Lady Bengals, as the Cowgirl defense continued to wear down Idaho State by forcing several turnovers to increase the motion in their transition game, resulting in wide open shots from the perimeter.

Carlson finished with a season-high 25 points on nine of 11 shooting, including two-out-of-three from beyond the arc. Wyoming shot eight of 20 from 3-point land and made 52 percent of its field goals overall, while the Bengals only managed 29 percent.

“I thought tonight our defensive effort was tremendous for 40 minutes,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “To be able to hold a team to 29 percent shooting, really shows the dedication we have to playing defense. I thought Hillary Carlson established herself on the inside. What Hillary was able to accomplish tonight going nine of 11 from the field, it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on everybody. We started getting things open on the perimeter, we shot 40 percent from 3-point range and then all of a sudden you have an inside-outside game that makes it very difficult to stop.”

“Whenever I got the ball, I tried to see if had an opening to score and if I did, I went ahead and took it,” Carlson said. “It felt good tonight. They (the coaches) definitely have been on me to do anything more, especially in that situation when I have that green light to shoot.”

Vandiver ended the night with 13 points, as 10 Cowgirls scored in the game and Wyoming led by as many as 39 points. Oana Iacovita led the Bengals with nine.

Wyoming also shared the wealth earning 19 assists with eight players recording at least one assist. The Cowgirls also took the battle of the boards 39-27.

The Cowgirls will hit the road for the rest of the week when they head to the Pacific Northwest to tangle with the Idaho Vandals on Wednesday at 8 p.m., in Moscow, Idaho before crossing the Palouse River into Pullman, Wash., to face the Washington State Cougars Saturday at 3 p.m.

Cowgirls stop pesky Yellow Jackets

Cowgirl junior Aubrey Vandiver

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

With the way the Wyoming Cowgirls have played this season, Tuesday night’s 68-45 win over Black Hills State might have actually been better than it looked.

Yes, the Yellow Jackets are an NAIA team, and yes, the Cowgirls struggled hanging onto the basketball.

But no, it wasn’t a bad game as far as Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski was concerned.

“I mentioned to the players at the end of the game, how proud I was of the way they fought tonight,” Legerski said. “To come up with a 23-point win, hold an opponent to under 50 points and 30 percent from the field. This was a great effort.”

The Cowgirls scored the first 13 points of the contest, highlighted by consecutive 3-pointers by Emma Langford, Jade Kennedy and Randi Richardson.

And Wyoming led by 18 at halftime and 24 early in the second half.

By no means was this a blowout, though, and the much smaller Yellow Jackets at times gave the Cowgirls all they wanted.

"Our goal was to just compete for 40 minutes and that's what we did," Black Hills State coach Mark Nore said. "We came out to see what it was all about and for the first five minutes we were down 13-0. We finally regrouped, basically took a breath, and I thought we competed from that point on."

If the Wyoming faithful thought the Cowgirls would automatically blow the Yellow Jackets out, that isn’t always how it goes, Legerski said.

"At times, I think everyone thinks you should just walk in and win by 30 or 40," Legerski said. "I thought Black Hills State played extremely hard tonight. It was a great learning experience to be able to handle as much pressure as they were able to bring and it was a very difficult matchup for us."

The Cowgirls came away impressed with the Yellow Jackets and their bulldog attack.

“They were really aggressive,” Wyoming junior Aubrey Vandiver said. “They came out with a lot of energy and I think a couple of times when we were on the wing, they were able to push us back and force us into making passes that we normally don’t make, which led to turnovers.”

The quick start by the Cowgirls might have picked up the intensity for the Yellow Jackets, UW junior Hillary Carlson said.

“I think that (13-0) lead might have forced them to pick up their play; that’s when the aggression really started and that’s when we had to get ready and adjust to it,“ Carlson said.

Vandiver easily had their best game of the season, with 20 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and a blocked shot. The same could be said for Carlson, who added 14 points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots and two steals.

“I thought Hillary played excellent,” Legerski said. “Our rock was back tonight, Aubrey Vandiver. She played with so much composure, had another double-double and really was a steady influence in this game.”

The Yellow Jackets hung around in a sloppy game that saw both teams combine for 50 turnovers. Wyoming by as much as 24, but a 3-pointer by BH’s Keely Krolikowksi and two free throws by Alana Dykhouse cut the lead to 14 points with five minutes left in the game.Wyoming responded with seven straight to hold off the BHSU rally.

Krolikowski led the Yellow Jackets with 19 points.

"The second half, they beat us by five," Nore said. " Keely was really aggressive offensively and Alana Dykhouse was really physical, and she did a good job on the glass.Black Hills State forced 21 Wyoming turnovers and bothered Wyoming with the aggressive full court press throughout the game, finishing with nine steals.

The game was an exhibition for the Yellow Jackets, 5-2, and Nore said Tuesday night will prepare them for the rest of the season.

"This game scared me. It was a game where we wanted to come and just see what we were made of and compete," Nore said. "That's a great team, probably the best team that we have ever played. Just to compete like we did, I was really pleased."

For the Cowgirls, they will have a little time off before preparing for Idaho State Monday in the A-A.

Legerski said they will do some film work and treatment on Wednesday, take Thursday off for Thanksgiving and then get back at it on Friday.

“One of the things that we will definitely work on is getting the ball up the floor and get it entered into a wing catch in a position we are able to work with,” Legerski said. “Once again, 5-0 I am happy with, but we still have a great deal of work to do with this young group.”
　

Cowgirls rally past Bison

FARGO N.D. -- The Wyoming Cowgirls battled back again to post another impressive road win, stopping North Dakota State Friday night to remain unbeaten on the season.

The Cowgirls, 4-0, trailed by as much as nine in the first half and were down by five with about six minutes left in the contest before taking control with a strong defense and outstanding outside shooting.

“In tonight’s game, I thought North Dakota State was the aggressor out on the floor,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “We started taking some ill advised shots, they had our offense pushed out a bit and we had to gain some composure, get more focused. That’s due to a young team and being on the road for several days.

“We talked going into the locker room that we out scored them in the last four minutes. Even though we were down, it showed that we were getting better and it carried over into the second half. This was a heck of a ball game. North Dakota State is improved and very aggressive."

Wyoming was led by sophomore Kristen Scheffler with a team-high 17 points and four steals, while shooting 6-of-11 (.545) from the field and 4-of-7 (.571) from beyond the arc. She was followed by junior Aubrey Vandiver with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Jade Kennedy recorded 12 points and three assists. The Cowgirls shot 25-of-58 (.431) from the field and 11-of--22 (.500) from beyond the arc. They out-rebounded the Bison 41-30.

"I thought we got some big play especially from Kristen Scheffler," Legerski said. "She has become an all-around player. Aubrey also showed her leadership by stepping up down the stretch at the end with hitting free throws. As a group, we didn’t shoot the ball extremely well, but I thought we found a way to win.”

The Bison were led by 6-foot-5 Janae Birch with 19 points and six rebounds, while Katie Birkel chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds. North Dakota State went 23-of-53 (.415) from the field and 11-of-18 (.611) from the free-throw line.

North Dakota State quickly jumped out and took a 7-0 lead to begin the game and were up 21-12 before the Cowgirls slowly chipped away, cutting the halftime lead to 28-27.

Wyoming took its first lead at 42-40 on a three-point play by Scheffler with 13 minutes left. The two teams traded leads for the next few minutes before North Dakota went back up 55-50

The Cowgirls answered right back with three straight3-point field goals to regain a four-point lead and never looked back. Vandiver hit four free throws down the stretch to close the scoring and hold off the Bison.

Wyoming returns home for the next two games, facing Black Hills State University on Tuesday and Idaho State on Nov. 30. Both games bwegin at 7 p.m.

Cowgirls crush Fighting Sioux

UW-North Dakota box score

GRAND FORKS, N.D. --The Wyoming Cowgirls remained unbeaten in a big way, crushing North Dakota 85-59 on Wednesday night.

The Cowgirls, 3-0, have now won their two games by an average of 28 points. The loss dropped the Fighting Sioux to 0-3.

“We played with a great deal of confidence tonight,” UW coach Joe Legerski said. “When you execute as well as we did on the offensive side of the ball and played the way we did on defense, it results in a victory. It was important for us to shoot well and we did in both halves."

Four Cowgirls finished the game in double-figures, led by sophomore Kristen Scheffler's 19 points, three rebounds and three steals. Junior Jade Kennedy had 14 points and a team high eight rebounds. Sophomore Emma Langford also chipped in 14 points, while junior Aubrey Vandiver added 10 points. The Cowgirls shot 29-of-52 (.558) from the field and 20-of-26 (.769) from the charity stripe, while out-rebounding North Dakota 35-27.

“Kristen Scheffler really gave us a lift off the bench in first half with her scoring and really stepped it up as a defender," Legerski said. "Leah Fitzgerald also did an outstanding job after Hillary (Carlson) got into foul trouble. She had an impressive line with six points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. Also, I thought Emma Langford had a good second half defensively against Bagaason, and Jade Kennedy continues to be impressive with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists.”

UND was led by Kayla Bagaason with a game high 25 points, while Whitney Ledger recorded a team high seven rebounds and eight points. The Fighting Sioux shot 20-of-54 (.370) from the field and 12-of-15 (.800) from the free-throw line.

Wyoming will wrap up its road trip against the North Dakota State Bison on Friday, beginning at 5 p.m.

Cowgirls head to North Dakota

The Wyoming Cowgirls will be back out on the road for the next to games. taking on North Dakota Wednesday night at 6 p.m. in Grand Forks and North Dakota State Friday night at 5 p.m. in Fargo.

Wyoming is 2-0 overall after earning a 65-62 victory over Denver on Friday and a 68-38 win against Montana,on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore Emma Langford leads the way averaging 14 points and six rebounds. She is followed closely by juniors Hillary Carlson and Aubrey Vandiver. They are each adding 11.5 points and a team leading seven rebounds. The Cowgirls are shooting .415 (54-130) from the field and 16-121 (.762) from the charity stripe.

UND is 0-2 overall and is led by Mallory Youngblut, who is averaging 12.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. They return three starters and seven letterwinners to a team that went 18-11 overall and 5-1 in the Great West Conference a year ago. This is only the second meeting between the two schools. Wyoming won the only game on Nov. 20, 2008 by a score of 100-75 in Laramie. North Dakota is coached by Gene Roebuck, who is in his 23rd season with the program.

NDSU is 1-1 overall ad is led by Abby Plucker, who is averaging 15 points and six rebounds. They return four starters and nine letterwinners to a team that went 16-13 overall and 12-6 in the Summit League a year ago. This is the second meeting between the two schools. The last time the two teams met was Dec. 13, 2008, as the Cowgirls defeated the Bison 68-51 in Casper. NDSU is coached by former Cowgirl assistant Carolyn DeHoff, who is in her second year with the program.

Cowgirls roll past Montana

UW-Montana boxscore

by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls never trailed and used a 17-2 run to end the first half and ran by the Montana Lady Grizzlies 68-38 Sunday afternoon in the Arena-Auditorium.

Wyoming is now 2-0 on the young season after earning a hard fought 65-62 win over the Denver Pioneers on the road Friday night.

Montana, the defending Big Sky champion, drops to 0-2 after a season opening 72-64 defeat on the road to Colorado State Friday night.

The Cowgirls used tough defense to stifle the Lady Grizzlies shooting, holding them to 18.9 percent in the first half, as Wyoming shot 45.7 perent, leading 39-17 at the break.

The rout continued in the second half, as the Cowgirls led by as many as 38 points before Montana would score the last eight points for the final margin.

The Cowgirls also dominated the glass with a 49-35 rebounding advantage, won the assist battle 21-6 and the bench outscored Montana bench 23-9.

“This is a rarity when you have a score of this nature,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “Montana over the years wins and wins at an alarming rate (Montana beat Wyoming 71-64 last year in Missoula). They have young players right now and they a great player that is going to be back this week that is sitting out with injury, so I’m very happy with how we played today.”

Forward Emma Langford led a balanced attack with 13 points, with true freshman Chaundra Sewell chipping in 11.

“Chaundra (Sewell) has great energy and a great competitiveness and drive to succeed,” Legerski said. “She goes after every loose ball and really works hard, and she’s learning how to play. I think she’s learning what it’s about to play at this level and that’s what’s important.”

Sewell said her experience as a Cowgirl has been an adjusting one, but is really starting to get a grasp on playing at the Division I level.

“It’s still kind of strange to me to be in a big arena with all the fans screaming,” she said. “It’s a lot more difficult than high school, but I’m getting use to it and loving it.”

The Cowgirls will head to the North Dakota next week, facing North Dakota at 6 p.m., in Grand Forks on Wednesday, followed by a visit to Fargo to take on the North Dakota State Bison Friday at 5 p.m.

Cowgirls hold off Pioneers

UW-Denver boxscore

DENVER -- The Wyoming cowgirls opened the 2009-2010 season on a good note, holding off Denver 65-62 Friday night.

The cowgirls overcame a two-point halftime deficit and led by as much as eight in the second half before holding off the Pioneers.

“The thing that really impressed me tonight was our composure,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “We had a good four minute segment where we built up a seven point lead in the second half and in about one minute we lost it. We played with composure down the stretch when we needed to. I was pleased to come out on the road with a young team and earn a tough win over a good team."

Three Cowgirls finished the night in double-figures, led by redshirt junior Aubrey Vandiver, who finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Emma Langford added a team-high 15 points and six rebounds, while Hillary Carlson finished with 14 points and six boards. Wyoming shot 27-of-69 (.391) from the field, 9-of-10 (.900) from the free-throw line, while out rebounding the Pioneers 42-40.

Denver was led by Britteni Rice with a team-leading 16 points. Ashly Robinson recorded 12 points and 12 rebounds, while two other players had 10 points each. DU was 23-of-56 (.411) from the field and 7-of-17 (.412) from beyond the arc.

After shooting just 31 percent from the field in the first half, the Cowgirls went on a 10-1 run and never trailed again -- albeit a slim lead at times and especially in the end.

The Cowgirls led 41-33 before Denver battled back. Wyoming's lead was down to one on a couple of occasions in the final minute until Carlson nailed two free throws with four seconds left for the final points.

“In hitting those two free throws to help win this game showed how much confidence we have in Hillary Carlson," Legerski said. "Also, I thought we were good on the offensive boards behind the play of Jade Kennedy. Overall, I could talk about the great effort from all of the players tonight.”
The Cowgirls will open their home slate Sunday at 2 p.m. when they host Montana.

Cowgirl basketball opens at Denver

by UW Athletics Media Relations

The Cowgirl basketball team will open up the 2009-10 regular season with one game on the road and another at home this weekend.

Wyoming faces the Denver Pioneers Friday in Denver at 5:30 p.m. before hosting the Montana Lady Griz Sunday at 2 p.m. Live stats can be followed on www.wyomingathletics.com.

Wyoming went 2-0 during the exhibition season with a 72-36 victory over the Adams State Grizzlies and a 76-53 win over CSU-Pueblo. Aubrey Vandiver led the way with 14 points and six rebounds in the first game, while Emma Langford tallied a team high 19 points against the ThunderWolves.

This is the season opener for the Pioneers as well, who went 1-0 in exhibition play with an 82-54 win over Regis. They return three starters and six letterwinners to a team that went 16-15 overall and 10-8 in the SunBelt Conference a year ago. This is the 17th meeting between the two schools. Wyoming leads the series 13-3. The last time the two teams met was November 14, 2008 as the Cowgirls downed the Pioneers, 61-54, in Denver. Denver is coached by Erik Johnson who is in his second season with the program.

Montana went 1-0 in exhibition play and will take on Colorado State before playing the Cowgirls. The Lady Griz return two starters and eight letterwinners to a team that went 28-5 overall and 15-1 in the Big Sky Conference a year ago. This is the 34th meeting between the two teams. Montana leads the series 26-7. The last time the two teams met was Nov. 16, 2008, as the Lady Griz defeated the Cowgirls 71-64 in Missoula. Montana is coached by Robin Selvig who is in his 32nd season with the program.

Cowgirls pull away for win over CSU-Pueblo

Richard Anderson photos
At left, Wyoming sophomore Emma Langford drives on a Colorado State-Pueblo player Friday night in an exhibition at the Arena-Auditorium. At bottom, junior Jade Kennedy takes the ball to the basket. Langford finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Kennedy added 16 points and nine rebounds in the Cowgirls 76-53 win.

UW-CSU Pueblo box

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The bad news earlier on Friday came when Wyoming women’s basketball coach Joe Legerski learned that sophomore forward Ashley Sickles would be lost for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.

The potential good news later that night came when the Cowgirls beat Colorado State-Pueblo 76-53 in an exhibition, with junior Jade Kennedy and sophomore Emma Langford more than picking up the slack.

“Just with one less big now, it allows everyone else to step up and I think Jade and all of the other bigs did a good job of that tonight,” Langford said.

Sickles played in 18 games during her freshman campaign and averaged 1.9 points and one rebound in 7.9 minutes per game, but was expected to contribute in the rotation this season and had a strong preseason camp. She was injured late in Monday’s exhibition win over Adams State.

Kennedy picked it up on Friday, scoring 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting, grabbing nine rebounds. Langford, who had an up and down freshman campaign offensively last season, led all scorers with 19 points, along with eight rebounds.

“It’s very difficult losing Ashley Sickles,” Legerski said. “At 6-foot-2 with perimeter skills, who can shoot the basketball and has great length, she gives us somebody who can go in and play at the four at times and guard a five. Losing her for the season now creates a situation where somebody else has to step up and maybe get more minutes, and I thought Jade did that tonight and really played well.”

Kennedy averaged 4.0 points and 4.9 rebounds a game last season off of the bench, had just three points and five rebounds against Adams State on Monday.

Those dreaded first-game nerves are over now and Kennedy said she felt much better offensively on Friday.

“The last game it was a bit nervous because it was the first game, I guess I just relaxed and it just came,” Kennedy said.

Langford, who struggled offensively with her bad back in the second half of last season and was just 1 of 10 shooting on Monday, looked more like the player who showed an offensive spark early in her career.

“It was good to get that first game under our belt and the second game was a lot more relaxing and it was good to get to ourselves and get to our offense,” Langford said.

The Cowgirls started slow on Friday, trailing 8-1 and only leading by four at halftime. Still up by only three, Wyoming shifted into second gear defensively, blanking the Division II Thunderwolves for nearly 10 minutes and scoring 22 unanswered points to run away.

“We needed to pick it on defense in the second half and we did that,” Langford said. “We didn’t want them to get as many open shots … they were shooting well from the 3-point line which made it hard for us to keep extending that lead. In the second half, we were more focused on the 3-point shooters and not let them shoot it as much. We picked it up on defense and the offense came together.”

Legerski said that offensively, Friday wasn’t as smooth as Monday, but he thought CSU-Pueblo had a little to do with that as their zone and trapping created some problems for them. He said that once Wyoming started moving the basketball and attacking the spots, it opened up for them.

“Really, I was very pleased with how we played defensively. We only gave up 12 points in the second half to the four minute mark, which is a tremendous effort,” he said. “Even though sometimes we weren’t playing as well on the offensive side, defensively we were solid especially in the second half.

The Cowgirls open the regular season next Friday in Denver against the Denver Pioneers.

Vandiver enjoys her return

UW photo/Junior Aubrey Vandiver scored 14 points against Adams State Monday night.

Wyoming-Adams State boxscore

by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The toughest part for Aubrey Vandiver on Monday were the hours leading to the Cowgirls exhibition opener against Adams State.

The game, as usual, is somewhat of a breeze for the talented Laramie athlete.

Vandiver, in her first game since the 2007 NCAA tournament against Pittsburgh, scored 14 points and played 28 minutes in leading Wyoming to an easy 72-36 victory in the Arena-Auditorium.

"The first minutes were a lot more relaxing than the minutes before that going up to the game, I was really nervous," Vandiver said. "Once I got out there, it was an amazing feeling to be back out on the court playing with my teammates and having the support of the fans."

Vandiver, a third-team all-conference performer her sophomore season, sat out last year with a bad case of mononucleosis.

Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski said that he wanted to make sure that Vandiver got some quality court time Monday night because she had been so inactive while battling the illness.

"She needs to get as many minutes as possible and we were able to do that," Legerski said.

Despite the long layoff, if there was a little rust, it didn't really look like it as Vandiver hit a pair of 3-pointers early as the Cowgirls ran out to a 10-0 lead.

"That got my confidence going and it made me feel like I hadn't missed a year," Vandiver said.

One of the more athletic and physical players in the Mountain West Conference, Vandiver also mixed it up down low, which brought not only a sweet to her forehead, but a smile on her face.

"I like the physical aspect and it was nice to get some tough rebounds. It was a great feeling," she said. "I think our team overall was physical."

It's been an eventful preseason for Vandiver, who has shown bits of rust and picking up where she left off her sophomore season.

"There are something that after playing for two years that I understand, but I am just trying to get back into the rhythm and getting used to playing with Hill (Hillary Carlson), Emma (Langford) and Kristen (Scheffler)."

Up until this season, the last time Vandiver stepped out on the court, she was a sophomore on a senior-laden team. Her role has changed dramatically, on and off the court.

"I think I'm ready for it and I am comfortable with it," she said. "Even through we had the seniors then, I feel like there were times I had to step up. Even though we don't have any seniors on this team, there are people who can step up, so I don't feel like I necessarily have to take it on myself. If I need to be counted upon, I feel like I can step up and help out."

Legerski liked the composure that Vandiver showed, even in a preseason game.

"At times I think that is what a young group needs. We needed it last season," Legerski said. "We got out there and all of the sudden, she knocks down two 3s and gets us off to a great start. Aubrey is probably the hardest worker that we have. She is always in the gym getting some extra shooting. It is just nice to have her back out on the floor. When you look at her numbers: 14 points, six rebounds, four steals. That's a great night for 28 minutes."

While sitting out last year was tough on Vandiver, she said there were some benefits: her teammates got more experience and she was able to see the game at a different angle.

"When you are playing, you see how the motion works as a player and when you see it as an observer, you see some of the things that you can take advantage of," Vandiver said. "Defensively, you can see how other things work."

Cowgirl basketball ready to go

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Cowgirls basketball coach Joe Legerski is having a hard time believing the season is just about ready to begin.

It’s not like he is a rookie, he is beginning his seventh year at the helm. But Monday night’s exhibition opener against Adams State (7 p.m., Arena-Auditorium), like any opener, always seems to have a way to sneak up on a coach, albeit not so much for the players.

Legerski said that after about two weeks of practice, the team has progressed fairly well.

“Some of the veterans, when you look at Hillary (Carlson), Emma (Langford) and Aubrey (Vandiver), they have really picked up the pace and demonstrated that they are going to be the leaders for this program, and for this team,” Legerski said. “So, we are excited to get out and have a contest.”

With the return of Vandiver, who sat out last season with mononucleosis, Legerski has a few more lineup options than in the past.

“Aubrey is going to allow us to play her at the one and at the three,” Legerski said. “Because of that, I think you’re going to see some different combinations on the floor. You’ll get a chance to see (freshman) Rebecca Campigli at the point guard position, (sophomore) Kristen Scheffler at the two guard and Aubrey at the three. That is something that will be different for our fans to see. (Junior) Randi Richardson will have the opportunity to play the one and two as well.

“The one thing that is nice is our bigs are interchangeable, they can play the four or the five. I have quit a few combinations that we will see what works best for Wyoming in early November.”

As could be expected, the exhibition season is all about Wyoming and not about the opponent. It is also all about getting some court time for all of the players, especially the younger athletes.
The Cowgirls will play their second exhibition game of the week on Friday when they host CSU-Pueblo.

“We try to separate them to simulate a little about how the season is played out,” Legerski said. “You usually play a couple of games a week, if not three. So, we wanted to make sure we had some practice time between exhibition games, and more importantly that they were not 10 days apart. You want to come right back and get another game in before you get started for real.”

Legerski said the players would rather play games than practice, but as coaches, they would rather practice every day. By doing that, he said they see the glaring weaknesses that they have and how much work they need.”

“There are times you really realize how young we are, even in some of the scrimmages we’ve had and the mistakes, based upon inexperience,” he said. “With five people on the floor, and going as deep as eight or nine players, we run into a bit of inexperience factor that shows its ugly head at the wrong times in scrimmages, and that’s something we need to correct.”

Legerski expects all but sophomore Leah Fitzgerald to play on Monday. Fitzgerald suffered a concussion early in the preseason and hasn’t practiced for a while.

“Leah is just getting back to practicing with us, but we will hold her out on Monday just from a safety standpoint and conditioning from being able to be on the floor and practice with the team,“ he said. “With it being early in the season, we don’t need to rush anything.”