Cowgirls fall short against Aztecs

The Wyoming Cowgirls ended their run at the MWC Championships with a 60-51 loss against the San Diego State Aztecs on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

“I think what we witnessed tonight was a tremendous basketball game,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “Both teams came out and competed for 40 minutes, and every possession mattered. I thought at times San Diego State stepped up probably in the last three and a half minutes, made some big stops. We had our chances.

“With the experience of competing against San Diego State, I think it’s a basketball game we’ll learn from. It felt like playing the No. 1 seed out there. They create so many problems for you on the perimeter, plus on the inside. I’m just so proud of my team that, you know, we got off to a shaky start and then we came back and closed down the half down, too, still had a chance with a possession about three and a half minutes to go.”

Hillary Carlson led the Cow2girls (19-11) 25 points, along with a career high 18 rebounds. Her 18 rebounds equaled the MWC single game record set Tuesday by UNLV’s Jamie Smith. She was followed by Aubrey Vandiver with eight points and 11 rebounds, while Jade Kennedy added eight points as well.

“Hillary Carlson was just huge tonight. She literally kept us in the basketball game,“ Legerski said. “To have 17 at half, 25 total points, eight offensive rebounds, played 39 minutes. She really carried the load tonight and it was very important to keep her in the basketball game.

“I thought the heart showed tonight, Aubrey Vandiver had eight rebounds offensively. It gave us an opportunity when you’re shooting 2 percent, a credit to San Diego State’s defense, yet we just kept fighting and finding ways to just stay in the basketball game.”

The Aztecs had four of their five starters in double-figures led by Quenese Davis. She had a team high 16 points, plus six rebounds. Jessika Bradley recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 boards while Coco Davis and Paris Johnson recorded 14 and 13 points respectively. San Diego State shot 21-52 (.404) from the field and 16-19 (.842) from the free throw line.
　

Cowgirls hold on to win MWC opener

UW-UNLV stats

Cowgirl postgame quotes

If last Saturday's win over UNLV was a preview for the rematch in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, then the Wyoming Cowgirls could live with it.

As it turned out, there were a lot of similarities, as the Cowgirls blew an 11-point second-half lead before stopping the Lady Rebels 60-55 Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

With the win, the Cowgirls (19-10) will face San Diego State Wednesday night at 8 p.m. The third-seeded Aztecs drew a first-round bye. The victory was just the third win for the Cowgirls in their MWC tournament history.

Last Saturday, Wyoming lost a 13-point lead only to rally for the win. On Tuesday, the Lady Rebels tied the game two times in the later stages of the contest, but Wyoming never relinquished the lead.

Despite giving up 24 offensive rebounds and hitting just 10 of 21 free throws, the Cowgirls found a way to win again.

“We always talk about it being a 40 minute basketball game,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “We played UNLV the last game of the season, and it came down to the last minute of the basketball game, just like it did today.

Aubrey Vandiver scored a team-high 24 points and Jade Kennedy knocked down two late 3-pointers that put the Cowgirls back in the lead for good.

“Two players I thought were huge for us. Aubrey really carried this team for about 34 minutes, and during one timeout I talked about that other people needed to step up because we started standing around watching Aubrey trying to do everything," Legerski said. "I thought Jade had a big three, came back, and hit a nice two point shot that really gave us a lift and took a little bit of the pressure off Aubrey to be able to do what she does so well, is carry this group.

“We made big plays by grabbing offensive rebounds and coming up with the play, none bigger than what Aubrey grabbed to force another jump ball. We had the basketball again, got the ball in and back to the free throw line.”

Hillary Carlson finished with 13 points and four blocked shots for the Cowgirls, while Kennedy added 10 points.

UNLV (13-18) was led by Markiell Syles with 13 points and 13 rebounds off the bench. Kelli Thompson had a team-high 15 points, while Jamie Smith recorded 18 rebounds. The Lady Rebels out rebounded the Cowgirls 53-34.

After spotting the Lady Rebels the first two points of the game, the Cowgirls would seemingly take control, capping the first half with a last-second basket by Vandiver for a 28-21 lead.

The Cowgirls jumped out to a 34-23 lead early in the second half and still led by 10, 44-34, with a little over 11 minutes to play. But UNLV once again came back and tied the game at 47-each and 51-all.

Kennedy's second 3-pointer of the second half put the Cowgirls up by three again and they held on -- despite some anxious times at the free-throw line -- for the win.

Wednesday night's game with San Diego State will be broadcast on The Mtn. The two teams split during the regular season, both winning on their home court.

Kennedy paces Cowgirls to win

UW junior Jade Kennedy

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Last Wednesday, Jade Kennedy spent a majority of the win over Air Force in a giving mood, with a career-high 11 assists.

On Saturday, she took her opportunities to score, with a career-high 23 points as the Cowgirls held off UNLV 78-73 on Saturday in the Arena-Auditorium.

"Against Air Force, I was able to find the girls, who knocked down the shots," Kennedy said. "Today, I was just open."

Saturday's effort came at a good time, as it not only was the Cowgirls' final regular-season home game, but Kennedy's parents -- William and Leonie Kennedy - were able to witness their daughter's performance live.

"It is really good to look up in the stands and see Mom and Dad," Kennedy said.

Kennedy hit 7 of 10 from the field, including 6 of 9 3-pointers, scoring 17 points in the first half as Wyoming led 44-37 at halftime.

UW head coach Joe Legerski said there were several stars in Saturday's game.

“Jade Kennedy was unbelievable in the first half shooting 5-of-7 from beyond the arc and 17 total points. She ended up getting us going," Legerski said.

Legerski also said that true freshmen Rebecca Campigli and Chaundra Sewell were two players that gave them a lift off the bench and playing extended minutes. Then there was Vandiver's performance, especially in the end.

"We’re up three points with 29 seconds and Jade misses her second free throw, Aubrey gets the rebound for a tie up and we get another opportunity," Legerski said. "It really changed the way we played defense, but that rebound by her is a player with a big heart and making a play. Her numbers were tremendous with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and it’s to the point you expect that from her.”

The Cowgirls (9-7 MWC, 18-10) needed all of Kennedy’s points, as they blew a 13-point second-half lead before rallying in the final two minutes.

Wyoming appeared to have things in control, leading 61-48 with 12 minutes left, but Kelli Thompson scored 11 points and the Lady Rebels used a 19-2 run to take their first lead since midway through the first half. UNLV led by four with 4:49 remaining, only to see the Cowgirls bounce back.

Five points from sophomore Kristen Scheffler put the Cowgirls back in front and two free throws by Hillary Carlson put Wyoming up 74-69 just under a minute to play.

Again, UNLV came back as Thompson hit a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left to make it a two-point game. The Cowgirls held off the UNLV charges by hitting 4 of 6 free throws in the final seconds.

Vandiver scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Wyoming, which hit 13 of 26 3-pointers. Vandiver hit 3 of 4 free throws late in the final 35 seconds and also had a big steal and offensive rebound that enabled the Cowgirls to retain possession late in the game.

Erica Helms scored a career-high 23 points to lead UNLV (6-10, 13-17). Thompson scored 22 points, with Sandrine Nzeukou adding 13 for UNLV.

With the win, the Cowgirls finished in a tie for fifth-place in the league standings, but will be the sixth seed heading into Tuesday’s Mountain West Conference Tournament in Las Vegas. They face the Lady Rebels once again, at 8 p.m.


　

Cowgirls roll past Falcons again

The Wyoming Cowgirls broke out of a scoring and shooting slump in a big way, thumping Air Force 87-60 Wednesday night in Colorado Springs.

The Cowgirls had scored just 95 points in consecutive close losses to BYU and Utah, but found their scoring touch again for their second road win in Mountain West Conference play. The Cowgirls are now 8-7 in the MWC and 17-10 overall.

Wyoming, which hit 20 of 30 3-pointers in the 61-point blowout against Air Force earlier in the season in Laramie, once again found the Falcons zone defense to their liking, hitting 18 of 31 attempts.

“Once again, we shot the ball extremely well against Air Force,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “The big three -- Hillary (Carlson), Aubrey (Vandiver) and Emma (Langford) -- led this group and shot the ball well. Jade Kennedy had by far her best floor game with 11 assists. Our offense flowed through Jade and she made great decisions with the basketball. I’m very pleased to get a win at Air Force a difficult place to play.”

Vandiver, who was 0-for 7 from behind the 3-point arc Sunday against Utah, finished with a game-high 24 points and nine rebounds, while shooting 8-of-14 from the field and 5-of-8 3-pointers. She was followed by Carlson with 21 points and nine boards, while Langford added 17 points and seven rebounds. Kennedy's 11 assists were a career high. she also had nine assists against Air Force in the first game.

Wyoming shot 31-of-51 (.636) from the field, while recording 37 rebounds and 27 assists.

Air Force (0-15, 3-25) was led by junior Raimee Beck with 14 points and seven rebounds. She was followed by Kathleen Schjodt and Anna Leipprandt with eight points each. The Falcons shot 22-of-60 (.367) from the field and 6-of-18 (.333) from beyond the arc.

The Cowgirls will play their final regular season game Saturday as they host the UNLV Lady Rebels. The game is set to tip off at 2 p.m. at the Arena Auditorium.

Cowgirls come up short again

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

As well as the Wyoming Cowgirls have played this season, when it all is said and done, it comes down to experience.

Experience was still on Utah's side on Sunday, as the Utes edged the Cowgirls 52-48 in the Arena-Auditorium.

The loss was a tough one for the Cowgirls, who fell to 7-7 in Mountain West Conference play and 16-10 overall. A win would have put Wyoming in a logjam with six losses but instead drops the Cowgirls to sixth in league.

Utah, meanwhile, at 9-5 is now tied for second place in the conference with BYU.

“We are the only league team to win here,” Utah coach Elaine Elliott said. “The thing that was really in our favor is we have won here and we know we can win here.”

Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said he hopes this is a game that his young team learns from.

“We have so many players that need to understand when to make a play, how we are going to make a play,” Legerski said. “Utah went to their senior (Kalee Whipple) at the end with the score tied. She ended up getting to the free throw line. We then had a shot blocked and had a turnover. Hopefully, we grow from this and get better.”

It appeared as if the Cowgirls would continue their strong play at home, hitting their first two shots for a 5-0 lead. Wyoming, however, would manage just one field goal in its next 15 attempts but still hung around before leading 24-22 at halftime.

It was back and forth the rest of the way.

The Utes overcame a four-point deficit with eight minutes remaining on a 9-0 run, keyed by a three-point play by Taryn Wicijowski. The Cowgirls battled back with six straight to go up by a point, but Whipple broke a 48-48 tie with two free throws with 59 seconds left.

Wyoming, however, couldn't answer when Emma Langford's shot was blocked with 10 seconds left and the Cowgirls fouled immediately. Wyoming still had one last chance to tie the game after a missed free throw by Whipple with 9.5 seconds left, but Wyoming's Randi Richardson was called for traveling with 1.9 seconds remaining, and Utah added a layup by Janita Badon at the buzzer.

“We knew it was going to be a possession by possession game,” Legerski said.

Whipple led the Utes with 17 points, followed by Wicijowski and Badon adding 10. The Utes shot just 35 percent from the field (21 of 59), but outscored Wyoming 17-11 off of turnovers and had a 14-6 advantage in second-chance points.

Hillary Carlson scored 13 points for Wyoming, followed by Jade Kennedy with 12. Kennedy was the lone Cowgirl who shot the ball well, as she hit 4 of 6 from the field. Wyoming made just 29 percent of its shots (16 of 54), including 3 of 17 3-point attempts.

“We talked going in that Whipple was going to get her points, we just have to make sure that we limit what other people are going to put on the board today,” Legerski said. “More importantly, we need to score. When the game was over in Salt Lake, it was the same scenario, 52-47. Today, 52-48. We talked about that we have to be able to come up with more points. It was a difficult shooting night for us. We have not had many evenings like that at home.”

The Cowgirls will close the regular season next when at Air Force on Wednesday, before hosting UNLV on Saturday.

Cold-shooting Cowgirls fall to BYU

The Wyoming Cowgirls would love to have a few of the 11 missed free throws back, after falling to BYU 51-48 Saturday at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.

The cowgirls (7-6 MWC, 16-9) led by two points with just over a minute left, but the Cougars (9-3, 18-6) made the plays down the stretch for the win.

“We left too many plays on the floor tonight,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “Give BYU credit, they made a couple of plays down the stretch to gain a win."

Junior Aubrey Vandiver led the way for the Cowgirls with her 14th double-double of the season, with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Emma Langford followed with 15 points.

"Aubrey played with great effort tonight," Legerski said. "To compete for 40 minutes in a highly physical game, speaks of her competitiveness.”

It was a tough game offensively for the Cowgirls all around. Wyoming shot just 28 percent from the field (12 of 43) and were 17 of 28 from the free-throw line.

BYU had four players in double-figures, led by Haley Hall with 12 points and six rebounds. Mindy Bonham and Coriann Wood each had 11, while Jazmine Foreman added 10. The Cougars shot 19-of-52 (.365) from the field and 6-of-15 (.400) from beyond the arc.

The Cowgirls will be off until next Feb. 28, as they host the Utah Utes. The game time is set for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on The Mountain Sports Network.

Cowgirls start, finish storng to beat Lobos

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Joe Legerski said going into Wednesday’s game against New Mexico that they talked about getting off to a good start, pushing the pace and making sure that junior Hillary Carlson takes the shots that are open and not try to create shots.

Check, check and check.

Carlson scored 23 points as Wyoming ran past New Mexico 78-55 on Wednesday.

“Hillary got us off to a great start,” Legerski said. “The first half Emma (Langford), Aubrey (Vandiver) and Hillary got 30 points for us and we need people to step up and score, we can’t just rely on those three. Jade Kennedy did that in the second half ; she made some great shots for us. Randi Richardson (10 assists) did a great job of distributing the ball and keeping our energy level high, which is what she does best."

The Cowgirls (7-5 MWC, 16-8) led the entire game but used strong outside shooting in the second half to pull away.

Wyoming scored the game's first seven points and led by as much as 11 before taking a 36-30 lead at halftime.

Carlson came out with five points to open the second half and the Cowgirls used two 3-pointers by Kennedy to open up a 15-point lead early in the second half. Kennedy, who finished with 14 points, hit two more 3-pointers, followed by another three by Kristen Scheffler, to open up a 26-point lead late in the game.

As is always the case, Legerski said they just work on winning four-minute segments, something they did in the second half.

“There are three words written on the board: 20 minutes, intensity and four minutes,” Legerski said. “sometimes 20 minutes is too much to comprehend … are you winning or are you losing?Let’s take it four minutes at a time. I thought we did a very good job of managing the four minutes.”

Georonika Jackson led the Lobos (6-6, 14-10) with 14 points, followed by Sara Halasz with 10.

“I think we go into halftime pretty confident knowing that the other team will bring the intensity, bring the energy, so we need to match it,” Carlson said.

Carlson, a 6-foot-3 forward, hit 7 of 14 field goal attempts, including 3 of 5 3-pointers. She also grabbed seven rebounds, blocked four shots and had three assists.

“I just get some opportunities and I take advantage of them,“ Carlson said. “I’m sure if other players on our team got the same opportunities they would do the same thing.”

Vandiver scored 15 points for Wyoming, with Langford adding 13. Wyoming shot 51 percent from the field (28 of 55 ) and hit 11 of 19 3-pointers, including 6 of 8 in the second half. The Cowgirls also had 21 assists and just five turnovers in the game.

Playing without an injured Amy Beggin (13.5 points a game), the team's leading scorer, the Lobos struggled offensively. Although New Mexico had 17 more field goal attempts than Wyoming, the Lobos shot just 28 percent from the field (20-of-72) and hit just 8 of 28 3-pointers.

The Cowgirls will hit the road for a big matchup at BYU Saturday.
　
　
　

Lady Frogs run past Cowgirls

A 22-4 run to close the first half held up as TCU ran past the Wyoming Cowgirls 78-59 Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.

The loss dropped the Cowgirls to 6-5 in the MWC and 15-8 overall, while the first-place Lady Frogs moved to 9-2, 19-5.

“TCU was excellent in all phases of the game,” said UW head coach Joe Legerski. “For the first ten minutes, we matched that intensity and I was happy with the start. As our opportunities to score diminished, TCU’s confidence started to grow. I was pleased with the effort of our young players. Chaundra, Sara and Bec gained some valuable experience in a difficult setting.”

The Cowgirls were led by sophomore Emma Langford with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists. She was followed by Hillary Carlson with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Aubrey Vandiver led the way with a team high 12 rebounds. Wyoming shot 19-of-61 (.311) from the field and 10--of13 (.769) from the free throw line, while out rebounding TCU 43-36.

The Lady Frogs were led by Helena Sverrisdottir with 19 points, six assists and five rebounds. Emily Carter added 13, while Eboni Magnum had 10. TCU shot 32-of-64 (.500) from the field and 8-of-12 (.667) from the free throw line.

A 3-pointer by Langford put the Cowgirls up 20-19 with just under 10 minutes left in the first half. TCU, however, responded and led 41-26 at halftime.

Wyoming made a small little run out of the break to pull within 13, 43-30, but five quick points by TCU gave them an 18 point advantage, 48-30. Freshman Sara Wilson would come in off the bench and score two 3-point field goals to make it 50-36 with just under 15 minutes to go in the game. Over the next seven minutes, the Lady Frogs would go on a 19-2 scoring run to extend the lead to 29 points, 69-38.

The Cowgirls return to action Wednesday when they host New Mexico at 7 p.m.

Cowgirls look for upset at TCU

Can the Wyoming Cowgirls be this Saturday's breakthrough team to win a Mountain West conference game that it is not supposed to win?

They'll get that chance at 11 a.m. when they take on TCU in a game that will be broadcast on The Mountain Sports Network.

The Cowgirls will enter the game with a 15-7 overall record and a 6-4 mark in conference play after earning a 63-51 win over San Diego State on Wednesday. The Cowgirls are led by junior Hillary Carlson, who is averaging 15.5 points and 2.7 blocks per game. She is followed by fellow junior Aubrey Vandiver with 13.7 points and a team-leading 9.7 rebounds per game, while junior Emma Langford is adding 11.7 points and 3.3 assists.

Carlson is first in blocks, third in scoring and 12th in rebounding while being ranked fourth in field goal percentage and free throw percentage in the Mountain West Conference. Vandiver ranks among the Top 15 in points, rebounds, steals, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and minutes played while Langford is 12th in assists and 14th in scoring.

The Lady Frogs are 18-5 overall and 8-2 in the MWC, while being ranked 24th in the Associated Press poll. They earned a 105-96 four overtime victory over Utah on Wednesday night. TCU is led by Emily Carter, who is averaging a team leading 15.1 points along with three rebounds. Starr Crawford is leading the way with 9.1 rebounds, while adding 9.9 points per game.

TCU leads the series 8-7. The last time the two teams met was Jan. 13, as the Cowgirls defeated TCU 73-67 in Laramie. TCU is coached by Jeff Mittie who is in his 11th season with the program and his 18th overall.

Cowgirls make the plays to beat Aztecs

“They were open and once I take my time and get my feet set, I'm pretty good at shooting. I was really happy. Just to go into the half with that lead was really good." -- UW junior Jade Kennedy on two big 3-pointers.

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UW-SDSU boxscore

by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

It wasn't the prettiest night shooting the ball for the Wyoming Cowgirls, but they hit some big shots when it counted, stopping San Diego State 63-51 on Wednesday.

The Cowgirls (6-4 MWC, 15-7) shot just 32 percent from the field, but got the ball to fall at the right time, and then hit some crucial free throws down the stretch in the second half.

"We talked about having to compete for 40 minutes tonight against a great San Diego State team," said UW head coach Joe Legerski said. "We knew that we couldn't let up, because they can score quickly, create turnovers, and we saw that in the first half. We would get out to an eight to 10-point lead and they would close that gap. The team showed great composure down the stretch, stepped up and made our free throws."

The big shots of the game came late in the first half with the Cowgirls clinging to a two-point lead. Jade Kennedy nailed a pair of 3-pointers in the final 42 second as Wyoming went into the locker room with an 30-22 lead.

“We’re up two in the closing minute and Jade Kennedy knocks down two threes,” Legerski said. “Big shots. It gave us a cushion to go up eight at the half. I thought that was important because it gave us some momentum going into the locker room. Jade can really shoot the basketball. She did not get a look in the second half, but she shot the ball extremely well, rebounded well and took care of the basketball. Jade also had nine rebounds. That’s huge.”

With a huge grin on her face, Kennedy said that yes, they were, "kind of big," those two 3-pointers.

“They were open and once I take my time and get my feet set, I'm pretty good at shooting," Kennedy said. I was really happy. Just to go into the half with that lead was really good.”

Junior Hillary Carlson, who scored a game-high 21 points, while grabbing 10 rebounds, said their confidence rose as they ran up the ramp at halftime.

“They (Kennedy's 3-pointers) were big, they got us going into the second half,” Carlson said.

The crazy shots came in the second half, as Carlson banked in a 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer to give Wyoming an 11-point lead with 13:37 to play and Aubrey Vandiver did the same on a 2-pointer with 5:37 left to put the Cowgirls up by 15.

“Every night out, I always say that you need a little luck," Legerski said. "Hillary’s 3-point banker with a second to go on the shot clock; Aubrey’s 2-point with the shot clock ready to expire, you need some luck on your side. Once again, it just gave us that cushion as well as it made the team feel that maybe tonight is our night.”

Jene Morris scored 12 points and Allison Duffy and Quense Davis both added 10 for San Diego State (6-4, 14-8), which shot just 29 percent from the field in the game (19 of-60).

A 3-pointer and three-point play by Vandiver put the Cowgirls up by 15 with 11 minutes left. San Diego State chipped away and cut the lead to nine with 1:44 left, but could get no closer. The Cowgirls hit 9 of 10 free throws down the stretch to clinch the win.

Vandiver finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds for Wyoming, her 13th double-double of the season. Kennedy and Emma Langford added 11 points each for the Cowgirls, who out-rebounded the Aztecs 50-43.

“None bigger tonight than our double-doubles, Aubrey and Hillary," Legerski said.

Vandiver played all 40 minutes, as did Kennedy. All five starters played at least 35 minutes, which was a necessity against the talented Aztecs, Legerski said.

"Tonight was a game where we had to play high minutes just because of San Diego State’s pressure and how they are able to turn you over in a hurry," Legerski said.

The Cowgirls out-rebounded the Aztecs 50-43 and had a 23-21 edge in offensive boards and an 18-12 advantage in second-chance points.

"We did a great job rebounding," Legerski said. "Going into the game, I knew we had to try and keep San Diego State close on the glass. To their credit they grabbed 21 offensive rebounds, but for us, we got 23."

The Cowgirls will be at TCU Saturday in another big league contest.

Cowgirls to host talented Aztecs

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls get an extra spark in their step at home; the shots seem to fall almost at will.

That will have to be the case Wednesday night (7 p.m.) when the Cowgirls host San Diego State.
Oh yeah, the Cowgirls have to outscore the Aztecs.

“We have to be able to be aggressive offensively,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “I think that is what it comes down to, we have to be able to step up and as I always say, score some points. One thing that is very apparent, when we are held in the 50s, we don’t have a great chance. We have to get up and down the floor, we have to shoot the ball well, we have to put the ball on the floor and attack. It is very difficult at times. Yet, we have to stay the aggressor.”

When the Cowgirls score less than 60 points a game, they are 0-4. When they score more than 60, they are 14-3.

The Cowgirls are also 8-1 at home, 5-6 on the road and 1-0 on a neutral court.

“Playing at home always helps, regardless of the opponent,” Legerski said. “We’re more comfortable at home, we get great fan support. That’s the biggest difference for us playing on the road or at home. The next home games that we have with San Diego State and New Mexico are two teams that are playing very well, in the top half of our league. We’re going to need everything we can get from our fans, to being aggressive. To shooting the ball well and have an opportunity to win.”

The Aztecs, 6-3 in the MWC and 14-7 overall, are coming off a 65-58 loss against New Mexico. San Diego State is led by Jene Morris, who is averaging 15.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. Jessika Bradley is averaging a team-high seven rebounds, while adding 8.3 points per game.

The Aztecs beat the Cowgirls 65-50 earlier in the season at San Diego. In that game, the athletic and physical Aztecs outrebounded Wyoming 41-29, grabbing 19 offensive boards that led to a 23-7 edge in second-chance points.

As is the case in most games, rebounding is a big key in Wednesday’s matchup.

“I think rebounding is important, but there are factors that you have to look at,” Legerski said. “Case in point, we had three offensive rebounds against Air Force. But we had very few missed shots. All of the sudden, the rebounding totals are going to be skewed on different or the other in a game. But we need to rebound, we need to get second-shot opportunities and you need to limit second-shot opportunities for your opponents.”

The Cowgirls, 14-7, 5-4, are coming off a big 69-52 win over rival Colorado State. They are led by junior Hillary Carlson, who is averaging a 15.2 points and 2.6 blocks per game. She is followed by fellow junior Aubrey Vandiver with 13.5 points and a team leading 9.5 rebounds per game, while Emma Langford is adding 11.7 points and 3.4 assists.

Cowgirls too tough for Rams

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Wyoming coach Joe Legerski has maintained that his Cowgirls can’t always rely on their “big three" of sophomore Emma Langford and juniors Aubrey Vandiver and Hillary Carlson. he likes

But when they play well, that's OK, too.

On Saturday, the three were big in many ways, as the Cowgirls rolled past Colorado State 69-52 in the Arena-Auditorium to begin the second half of Mountain West Conference play.

Carlson led the way with 25 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, while Vandiver added 15 and 11, her 12th double double of the season. Langford scored 13 points and dished out five assists, but more importantly, held CSU’s Kim Mestdagh, the league’s top scorer, to just 12 points.

“I’ve never had two players have double doubles in the same game,” Legerski said. “Hillary Carlson was a force on the inside tonight. Twenty-five and 15, just a tremendous effort from Hillary. Aubrey was just as good with 15 and 11.

“When we moved the basketball and had player movement we were very good offensively. When we started standing around, I thought CSU’s pressure started bothering us and we had to get a little better at it.”

The Cowgirls (5-4 MWC, 14-7) overcame a slow start offensively and shut down the Rams in the second half. Wyoming missed its first seven shots of the game, but still led 27-23 at halftime.

Carlson came out the second half and scored nine straight points and 11 of the team's first 13, as Wyoming opened up a double-digit lead. The Cowgirls maintained a 10-15 point lead for much of the second half, before opening it up in the end.

“We just wanted to come out strong, me especially, and get on a run,” Carlson said. “I was just trying to help my team do that.”

Vandiver said it was important to get Carlson going in the second half because in the last couple of games they haven’t come out strong in the second half.

“To get Hill established like that and to get their players in foul trouble, it made it much easier all night to go to her. She really stepped up,” Vandiver said.

Legerski said the Cowgirls had to establish themselves in the first four minutes of the second half. To do that, they had to have more energy than CSU, something they didn’t have to begin the game.

“CSU came out with a great deal of energy to begin the game,“ he said. “We were a little too ready to play and not as focused as we needed to be. We needed to try to get everybody relaxed, calmed down and play like we needed to play. We needed to establish Hillary and she gave us a big lift. Not only that, she delivered. it’s one thing to be able to take the basketball inside, but when we’re coming away with points, Aubrey and Hillary just did a tremendous job at the block.”

A few times in the game, Legerski said he just had to remind his players about having more energy.

“ I’m sure there were times when people could hear me yelling having energy," Legerski said. “We needed that to be able to come out and get our offense going, as well as what we needed to do defensively.”

Mestdagh went into the game averaging 17.0 points, but was just 4 of 13 from the field, hitting 2 of 8 3-pointers against Wyoming.

“Emma Langford did a tremendous job on Mestdagh, she shadowed her,“ Legerski said. “She is a tremendous offensive player. Emma comes out 36 minutes and has to defend her on the defensive end. I thought the big three of Hillary, Aubrey and Emma played well.”

“She’s a great player, it was tough to chase her around the floor,” Langford added.

Wyoming dominated play inside the paint, outscoring the Rams 42-18.

“I think the key was to just match their physicality,” Vandiver said. “They were very tough inside and they were very aggressive. It was important to match that because at UNLV, at times, we weren’t as strong.”

Natalie van den Adel added 10 for Colorado State (3-6, 11-11), which shot just 29 percent from the field (18 of 61).

CSU coach Kristen Holt said it was a game of two halves.

“I didn’t think that we did everything right in the first half, but I really thought that we scrapped,” Holt said. “After halftime, we didn’t look like we were inspired. We didn’t look like we were four points down and capable of winning the game. I felt like our momentum was totally taken away in the second half.”

The Cowgirls will look to keep that momentum on Wednesday when they host San Diego state.

Cowgirls turn cold in loss at UNLV

LAS VEGAS -- Just as the Wyoming Cowgirls couldn't miss on Saturday in the big win at home over Air Force, they couldn't buy a bucket in the first half at UNLV.

The Cowgirls (4-4 MWC, 13-7), after shooting 75 percent from the field in the 61-point win over the Falcons, connected on just 19 percent of their shots in the opening 20 minutes and could never quite catch up, falling to the Lady Rebels 62-56 on Tuesday.

“I thought the biggest difference tonight was our inability to have a shot go down,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “We needed to attack the basket instead of settling for three’s. This was a very difficult game, especially on the boards. Aubrey Vandiver and Hillary Carlson both played their hearts out tonight. They came out and gave us everything that they could. I was also proud of the way all of the young players came in and really gave a great effort.”

Three Cowgirls finished the night in double-figures led by Vandiver, who had another double double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Carlson had a team-high 16 points, while Sara Wilson added 11 points. Wyoming shot 20-of-69 (.290) from the field and 6-of-30 (.200) from beyond the arc.

Four of five starters recorded double-figures for the Lady Rebels, led by Kelli Thompson with 18 points. She was followed by Erica Helms with 16 points and Jamie Smith and Mia Bell with 10 each. Smith recorded 17 rebounds. UNLV shot 19-of-53 (.358) from the field and 10-of-27 (.370) from beyond the arc.

Both teams started slow in the game and UNLC went on a 14-2 run and led 31-18 at halftime. After UNLV built the lead to 16 early in the second half, the Cowboys chipped away and cut the lead to eight, but couldn't maintain that momentum. UNLV went back up by 17. A 13-4 Wyoming run cut the lead back under single digits and Wyoming got as close as five with 31 seconds left, but could get no closer.

The Cowgirls return home to play the Colorado State Rams on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Wilson shows glimpses of the future; Cowgirls return to action at UNLV

“I have been working hard in practice, especially in the last couple of weeks. Coach has said that my time is coming, so when I get into a game, I need to do my best." -- Cowgirl freshman Sara Wilson

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By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

For Wyoming true freshman Sara Wilson, Saturday was either a breakout game or just one of those games.

Regardless, head coach Joe Legerski, the Cowgirls and UW fans don’t really care. It was a career game, nonetheless.

Wilson scored a career-high 17 points on 5 of 6 shooting from beyond the 3-point line as the Cowgirls rolled past Air Force 98-37.

For the newcomer from Grant, Neb., Saturday was a game she won’t soon forget. Going into the contest, Wilson had played just six games, scoring 12 points on 3 of 11 shooting, including 2 of 9 3-pointers. She had played one total minute in Mountain West Conference play.

Until Saturday, that is, as the blowout allowed Legerski to play clear his bench in the first half.

“I have been working hard in practice, especially in the last couple of weeks,” Wilson said. “Coach has said that my time is coming, so when I get into a game, I need to do my best."

It went for all of the Cowgirls, as all 10 scored and the team combined to hit 20 of 30 3-pointers.

The outside shot, though, night be Wilson’s strength. Ironically, the Laramie Boomerang did a feature story on Wilson earlier in the week, talking about her improved play in practice and the fact that she is a shooter-in-waiting for the program.

Evidently, her wait was just a couple of days to prove just that.

“Our fans got a chance to see our future, Sara Wilson,” Legerski said. “She can really shoot the ball. There were times that she was so open, that we had talked about running the offense a little more, she just looked and I just told her, 'go ahead and shoot it,' because she was that open. To go 5 of 6 shows what a shooter Sara is.”

Will Cowgirl fans see more of Wilson this season? It probably all depends on the situation. Tuesday night, the Cowgirls won’t like be in that same circumstances as they take on UNLV at 9 p.m. in Las Vegas.

The fact that Legerski was able to go with Wilson and other youngsters for such a long time could help with the quick turnaround against the Rebels.

“We’re right back at it, on the road,” Legerski said. “The starters maybe only played two or three minutes into the second half. The biggest thing is that with a short bench is we are playing everyone. You see what Leah Fitzgerald did, Chaundra Sewell, Sara Wilson they ended up getting extended minutes.”

While Wilson score 15 of her 17 points on 3-pointers, Legerski was just as impressed with her regular two-point field goal.

“There was nothing better than the drive Sara had to the basket,” he said. “It was an athletic move to get to the basket … strong to get the ball up to the backboard and into the basket.”

About UNLV

UNLV, 2-5 in league play and 9-12 record overall, is led by Erica Helms, who is averaging 13.2 points and 2.1 rebounds a game. She is followed by Kelli Thompson, who is adding 12.7 points and 4.3 boards per game.

This is the 30th meeting between the two teams. UNLV leads the series 18-11. The last time the two teams met was Feb. 18, 2009, as the Cowgirls defeated the Lady Rebels 50-44 in Las Vegas. UNLV is coached by Kathy Olivier, who is in her second year with the program and 17th overall.

One of those league wins for the Rebels was at Utah, a 54-49 victory. The other was a last-second 77-76 win at Air Force last week.

Legerski said his team needs to play well and not expect to shoot 75 percent from the field as they did against the Falcons.

“Going on the road changes everything,” Legerski said. “Players are comfortable in their own environment, as you could see with the way we shot the ball on Saturday against Air Force. Going to play UNLV, we have to be at the top of our game again and execute for 40 minutes. You want to hope that there is some carry-over and if we were at home, I would believe that there would be more carry-over than on the road.”

The Cowgirls, 4-3 and 13-6, continue to be led by junior Hillary Carlson, who is averaging 14.7 points and 2.4 blocks per game. Carlson had 21 points against Air Force on 10 of 11 shooting. She is followed by fellow junior Aubrey Vandiver with 13.6 points and a team-leading 9.2 rebounds per game, while Emma Langford is adding 11.8 points and 3.4 assists.
　

Red-hot Cowgirls rout Falcons

Juniors Hillary Carlson, left and Jade Kennedy

UW-AFA game stats

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by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls don't really want to know how they can make just one 3-pointer in a game and follow it up with 20 threes.

They'll just go with the flow, something that was evident Saturday in the 98-37 rout in the Arena-Auditorium.

What they do know is Saturday was an enjoyable experience ... to say the least.

“We all played really well, so we all had a lot of fun," said cowgirl junior post Hillary Carlson with a smile.

It wasn't just the starters who had a good time -- all of the Cowgirls got in the game and scored.

“I think we were 1 for 9 against Utah, so it was really nice to come out and hit threes,” said seldom used freshman guard Sara Wilson. “It is a lot easier at home, you have your fans behind you. We just had a fun night. It’s fun to hit threes.”

The Cowgirls (4-3 MWC, 13-6) had one of their best shooting nights in school history, hitting 75 percent from the field (37 of 49), including 20 of 30 3-pointers. The 20 3-pointers are a school record, with the previous mark at 14.

“I thought the game was determined in the first half. You don’t go into the game with a plan to shoot 84 percent in the first half,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “I thought our execution was tremendous. We found Hillary on the inside, everyone stepped up and knocked down shots on the perimeter with 20 three-point field goals, it shows the focus and effort from everyone. I’m probably the most pleased with the fact that we had 34 assists on 37 field goals made.

“Jade Kennedy did a great job almost recording a triple-double with 15 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. There were so many players that stepped up. Our young players, Leah Fitzgerald, Chaundra Sewell, Bec Campigli and Sara Wilson, each showed great composure and the ability to execute.”

Not only did every Cowgirl who played score, all but two had assists in the game.

“Getting an assist is almost as fun as scoring because it is fun to be like a team, just sharing the ball and everybody is having fun,” Wilson said.

Carlson, who hit all 10 of her shots in the first half, shot just once in the second half, playing six minutes. She finished with a game-high 21 points. Legerski began clearing his bench with a minute left in the first half and his starters played sparingly in the second half.

“I think coming from a game like that (Utah loss), we were a little more pumped up, wanting to win,” Carlson said.

Wilson came off the bench and scored 17 points for Wyoming, hitting 5 of 6 3-pointers. She had previously scored 12 points in six games this season. Kennedy finished with 15 points and nine assists and Randi Richardson added 12 points.

From one 3-pointer to 20 in a matter of one game, the Cowgirls just did what they do best -- shoot.

“In practice, we knew that it would be open, so our emphasis in the game was to look for Hillary, and she got a lot of easy looks,” Kennedy said. “The 3-point shot would be open, so I guess we came in focused to shoot the three.”

And Legerski maintains all of the time that for most of his players, if the shot is there, they better shoot.

"Coach just gets on you when you are open and don’t shoot,” Wilson said. “When you are open, you just shoot it and hopes it goes in, I guess.”

Wyoming used scoring runs of 16-0 and 25-7, leading 52-14 at halftime. Wyoming was 20 of 23 from the field, hitting 10 of 13 3-pointers in that first half.

As the score indicated, there was little letdown in the second half for the Cowgirls, regardless of who was in the game.

“With Air Force, they are the type of team that will never give up. That’s just how they are trained,” Kennedy said.

Raimee Beck led Air Force (0-7, 3-17) with nine points.

Wyoming also held the Falcons to just 25 percent shooting from the field (15 of 61).

The Cowgirls return to action on Tuesday, facing UNLV in Las Vegas.

Cowgirls fall short on the road

SALT LAKE CITY -- A good start was exactly what Wyoming coach Joe Legerski wanted to see on the road Wednesday night at Utah.

The finish was what did in the Cowgirls, as Utah rallied for a 54-47 win.

The Cowgirls (3-3, MWC, 12-6) led for much of the first half and 25-20 at the break. But Utah (3-3, 12-7), used an 18-4 run to begin the second half and never looked back. Wyoming got the game within three points late, but Utah scored the final four points to secure the win.

Wyoming had two players in double figures, led by Hillary Carlson with 18 points, six blocks and four rebounds. She was followed by Emma Langford with 12 points and six rebounds, while Kristen Scheffler added eight points. The Cowgirls were 18-of-49 (.367) fro the field and 10-of-14 (.714) from the free throw line.

“Hillary was big for us tonight with 18 points and really carried us to start the game,” said Legerski. “She was also a big part of our comeback, which is what you need from an All-Conference player and she showed that.”

Utah was led by Kalee Whipple with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Janita Badon added 10 points and eight boards. Whipple has now scored 119 points in her last five games against the Cowgirls. The Utes were 21-of-63 (.333) from the field and out rebounded Wyoming, 40-37.

The Cowgirls return home Saturday at 2 p.m. when they host Air Force.

Cowgirls have tough task at Utah

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

After the dust clears is an old sports cliché that just might come into play in Mountain West Conference women’s basketball this season.

Other than Air Force, the conference has taken turns in beating each other up this season.

TCU and BYU stand on top of the league with 4-1 records, with San Diego State at 4-2. Wyoming and Colorado State are 3-2 each, followed by New Mexico at 3-3 and Utah at 2-3.

To further complicate things, just last week, BYU fell to Wyoming, but knocked off San Diego State. The Aztecs beat Utah, then the Utes beat Air Force. Colorado State beat UNLV and New Mexico and TCU beat UNLV.

The week before, Utah beat New Mexico, but New Mexico beat Wyoming. The Cowgirls beat TCU, but the Lady Frogs beat San Diego State. The Aztecs beat UNLV, but the Lady Rebels beat Utah. The Utes beat Air Force and BYU also beat CSU.

The Cowgirls, who travel to Salt Lake City to face Utah (7 p.m.) on Wednesday, have the distinction of beating the top two teams -- BYU and TCU.

What does all of this mean? Other than Air Force, it is anybody’s game, especially on the home court.

“It’s going to make for a great conference race,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “Every night you have to be ready to play. You take a look a this schedule, it is difficult just to find wins. I think that is the biggest challenge. There are no nights off. You see teams everywhere having an opportunity to win, and what you are seeing is teams defending their home court. If we can find three or four wins on the road, that will go a long way to finish in the top of the league.”

Utah is 9-1 on its home court this season.

“What you try to do is go in (on the road) and play the best basketball that you can, and hopefully you are still in the game with four minutes to go and maybe the ball bounces your way,” Legerski said.
　
The Cowgirls, 12-5 overall, are coming off a big 69-54 victory over the BYU Cougars last Tuesday night. Three Cowgirls are scoring in double-figures, led by junior Aubrey Vandiver with 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. She is followed by fellow junior Hillary Carlson with 14.1 points and a team leading two blocks per game, while sophomore Emma Langford is adding 12.3 points and 3.5 assists.

“I’m excited to get back out on the court,” Legerski said. “I thought we played extremely well against BYU, we shot the ball well, but we were also at home. We were able to defend our home court.”

Utah is 2-3 in league play and 11-7 record overall. They are led by Kalee Whipple, who is averaging 15.4 points and 5.6 rebounds. She is followed by Taryn Wicijowski with 14.4 points and 7.1 rebounds.

Whipple, who scored a career-high 32 last year against the Cowgirls, is averaging about 21 points a game against Wyoming in the last two seasons.

“Kaylee Whipple is a first-team all-conference player and she seems to play very well against us,” Legerski said. “It is a game where we are going to have to make sure that we slow their top players down and make sure we don’t let anyone else have a big night."

UW-Utah Series

This is the 66th meeting between the two teams. Utah leads the series 57-8. Wyoming did sweep Utah in 2007. The last time the two teams met was Feb. 8, 2009, as the Utes defeated the Cowgirls 64-57 in Salt Lake City.

Cowgirls light it up from the outside

John McKnight photo/Wyoming's Randi Richardson drives past a BYU player on Tuesday.

UW-BYU game statistics

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

When the Cowgirls shoot the basketball to their ability, the results speak for themselves.

That wasn’t always the case in the first half. The second half was a different story.

Wyoming shot 55 percent from the field and hit seven 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes and rolled past Brigham Young 69-54 Tuesday night in the Arena-Auditorium.
With Wyoming, sometimes it is not always about making shots, but making big shots from across the board. Six Cowgirls hit 3-pointers and the team finished 12 of 27 from beyond the arc.

One by one late in the game, each big shot was a dagger in the Cougars back.

“Tonight, it was uncharacteristic for us for us to shoot 31 percent in the first half," Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “One thing I think was happening that we’ve made such a point about our rebounding, which in turn made our shooting suffer a little bit. We talked at half time about whoever was shooting the basketball that was their job. To come out and shoot 55 percent in the second half, we did a good job.”

Maybe the two biggest shots of the game came when the score was tied at 40-each. Randi Richardson stepped up and hit a 3-pointer -- her second of the second half -- and Aubrey Vandiver followed with a trey to put the Cowgirls up 46-40.

They never tailed again.

“That gave us some momentum to close out the game,” Legerski said.

Vandiver led the way with three 3-pointers, with Kennedy, Richardson, Langford and Kristen Scheffler adding two each. Carlson was 1-of-2, with her miss rolling around the rim several times before shooting out.

Hitting their 3-pointers helps the Cowgirls with their inside-outside game.

“It definitely helped out,” Langford said. “We’d get the ball inside to Hillary, then we would kick I it out to hit a three. It really completes our game when we get other options. We hit some big threes tonight.”

Even seldom used freshman post Chaundra Sewell attempted a 3-pointer, although she was not successful.

“We work a lot on our threes in practice,” Langford said. “It pays off. We hit our shots tonight, so that was good.”

Of the Cowgirls who see playing time, Legerski said they all have the ability to shoot the 3-pointer.

"What we talk about is some players, maybe the light is a little greener for them than for other players," Legerski said. "Kristen Scheffler can shoot anywhere on the floor that she wants to shoot from. What we talk about is you need to shoot the ball when you are open. If you're not open, you give the ball up and you go screen. to get that kind of even performance from the 3-point line, that makes it very difficult to guard players. We need to continue to shoot the ball well from three."

The Cowgirls had a handful of shots go in as the shot-clock was winding down, including a few big 3-pointers. Each time that happens, it can somewhat demoralize the defense.

“It’s hard playing defense when you play hard, fighting through screens and they get a three,‘ Langford said. “I think we did a good job of executing and shooting well at the end, they went down.”

As has been the case this season, Legerski said that the biggest stat that he looks at is having 17 assists on 21 field goals.

“This team does a great job of sharing the basketball,” he said. “They worry about Wyoming winning rather than individual totals.”

Although the Cowgirls took 27 3-pointers, Legerski said they were aggressive taking the ball to the basket. It resulted in them making 15 of 23 free throws.

“When the shot clock was winding down, we were going hard to the basket and getting fouls to be able to get to the free-throw line,” he said. “It was good to see people stepping up at the end.” 　

Wyoming rolls late behind balanced attack

John McKnight photo
Wyoming freshman Chaundra Sewell looks to make a move Tuesday against BYU. At left is junior Aubrey Vandiver, who scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Anything less than a double-double for Aubrey Vandiver is almost unexpected.

Emma Langford is going to get her points, as will Hillary Carlson. For the Wyoming Cowgirls to be successful, balance is the key. That was the case as the Cowgirls rallied in the second half to give Wyoming a big 69-54 win over Brigham Young 69-54 Tuesday in the Arena-Auditorium.

Vandiver scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the season, Langford added 17 and Carlson nine.

Players like Jade Kennedy (six points), Randi Richardson (seven points) and Kristen Scheffler (11 points) were equally important, especially down the stretch.

"We're not going to win with three players scoring," Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. "There's no doubt that Hillary, Aubrey and Emma are the ones who get the bulk of the shots. tonight, we had 24 points from Kristen, Jade and Randy. We win by 15 and without those three stepping up, we don't win this basketball game.

"I thought that Randi did a tremendous job in the second half and when Kristen Scheffler steps on the floor, the crowd just gets excited. She is the player who can create for herself and make big shot after big shot."

The Cowgirls (3-2 MWC, 12-5) trailed by seven in the first half, but used strong outside shooting to pull past the Cougars. Wyoming hit 12 of 27 3-pointers in the game (from six players), including 7 of 11 in the second half.

Vandiver hit just four field goals in the game, but three were 3-pointers. She was also 8 of 11 from the free-throw line.

"I thought Aubrey was excellent, there is no way around it," Legerski said. "We're starting to get to the point where we just go, 'it's another double-double.' It's a double-double. she's amazing, five assists, she just controls the game. I gave her a rest for a minute, she plays 39 minutes and she really played well at the end."

Haley Hall and Alexis Kaufusi both scored 11 points for the Cougars (3-1, 12-4).

BYU's full-court pressure bothered Wyoming at times, and the Cougars had the upper hand for much the first half, before the Cowgirls cut the lead to 30-27 at halftime.

Richardson came out with four quick points to begin the second half to give the Cowgirls their first lead since early in the game. The two teams traded leads until the Cowgirls got consecutive 3-pointers by Richardson and Vandiver to break a 40-40 tie with 10 minutes to play. Wyoming outscored BYU 23-14 the rest of the way.

Wyoming not only did a good job of getting back i n the game in the first half, but closing strong.

“I think it was really important to close out the half strong; we didn’t want to let them get it up to five,” Vandiver said. “We played really great defense in the second half, people hit big shots and more importantly, we hit the free throws down the stretch.”

The Cowgirls shot just 31 percent from the field in the first half, but hit 55 percent of their shots (11-of-20) in the second half. Wyoming also had 17 assists (out of 21 field goals).

Wyoming will now have a couple of days off before preparing for Utah Jan. 27 in Salt Lake City.

Cowgirls return home with BYU

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls have had to play beyond their years, so to speak, opening Mountain West Conference play with three of four games on the road against three of the top programs in the league.

That won’t change in many ways Tuesday night when the Cowgirls host Brigham Young, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium.

The pesky Cougars are suddenly on top of the league at 3-0 (12-3 overall), thanks to ball-hawking pressure defense that could spell trouble to a young squad.

For the Cowgirls, 2-2 and 11-5, head coach Joe Legerski’s biggest concern is his team keeping its emotions in check.

“BYU is very talented. They are going to come out and press us, which is something different for a BYU team,” Legerski said. “They have made some changes fundamentally with how they are playing this season, and playing very well. We have to keep our composure to attack their pressure and not let their pressure frustrate us into more turnovers than what we are used to doing.”

On the season, the Cougars are averaging 10.6 steals a game and holding their opponents to just 54.8 points a game.

BYU is showing improvement this season, coming off last year’s 8-8 and 18-11 season, The Cougars are led by Mindy Bonham, who is averaging 11.7 points and 4.2 rebounds. She is followed by Coriann Wood with 10.9 points and a team-leading 5.9 rebounds.

Legerski said that they have some challenges defensively, but he thinks the team is buying into playing as a group.

“When I talk about challenges individually, we may not be the quickest on the floor, but as a team, we’re starting to rotate, challenge shots, and more importantly, give teams one shot and out,” he said. “We need to concentrate winning the rebounding battle every night out, just to give us a better chance to come away with the victory.”

A 2-2 league start isn’t bad for a young team that spent most of its time on the road to begin league play. In fact, Wyoming and BYU lead the league with total road games to date with nine each.

“You take a look at this young team and they keep getting better each and every night out,” Legerski said of the Cowgirls. “We do stumble along the way, but I think that is more to the opponent that we are playing rather than to what we may not be able to do. This conference is just loaded with talented teams, so every night when you step out on the court, you have to play at your highest level just to be at your basketball game. It will be no different with BYU coming to Laramie.”

Junior Hillary Carlson leads the Cowgirls at 14.4 points and 2.1 blocks per game. She is followed by junior Aubrey Vandiver with 14.2 points and a team-leading 9.2 rebounds, while sophomore Emma Langford is adding 12.0 points and 3.6 assists a game.

Balanced scoring has been, and will always be, the key for the Cowgirls, Legerski said.

“We keep talking that Hillary, Aubrey and Emma cannot carry this team to victory; they can get us there, but they are not going to push us over the top,” he said. “In the TCU game, I thought Kristen Scheffler was excellent in that two-minute span where she made three 3-pointers. You out in a layup by Aubrey and all of the sudden you have an 11-point lead, which is what we needed.

“It is very important for Jade (Kennedy) to step up … I liked the way Jade shot the ball in New Mexico. We need Randi (Richardson) to step up. We need everyone to help contribute. When you take a look -- even with BYU coming in -- their players average between 8-to-12 points. A very balanced team. I think with the more balance you have with your team, you’re not concerned with somebody having an off evening.”　

Game notes: Tuesday’s game is the lone contest this week for the Cowgirls, who return to action Jan. 27 at Utah … Carlson ranks first in blocks and sixth in scoring while being ranked second in field goal percentage and third in free-throw percentage in the Mountain West Conference. Vandiver ranks among the Top 15 in points, rebounds, steals, field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage, while Langford is ninth in assists and 14th in scoring ... This is the 67th meeting between the two teams. BYU leads the series 46-20. The last time the two teams met was March 4, 2009, as the Cowgirls defeated BYU 57-55 in overtime

Carlson named MWC player of the week

Richard Anderson photo

UW junior Hillary Carlson looks to make a move last week against TCU.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Wyoming junior Hillary Carlson has been named the Mountain West Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week.

Carlson led the Cowgirls to a 1-1 record in conference play last week, including an upset victory over No. 22 TCU. The Cheyenne native tallied a career-high 29 points, along with 11 rebounds, three blocks and a steal in the 73-67 win over the Horned Frogs.

Carlson was 8-for-13 (.615) from the field and 11-for-15 (.733) from the free throw line. She went on to record nine points against New Mexico in a tough 74-61 loss. Carlson added two rebounds, two assists and two blocks, while shooting 2-for-2 from behind the arc and making 3-of-4 (.750) from the charity stripe.

“Hillary has really become a dominating force offensively for us,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “People are starting to have to scout towards Hillary because you are not going to be able to slow her down. To get 29 and 11 rebounds against TCU, she just carried this team in the second half when we didn’t have a lot of scoring going on. We just decided to get the ball to Hillary and she did well and answered. You can see the confidence grow in each game.”

Against TCU, Carlson scored 12 straight points for the Cowgirls in the second half when the rest of the team struggled.

Carlson leads the team in scoring at 14.4 points a game and blocked shots (2.1 bpg) and is second in rebounding at 5.9 boards a game. She is shooting .500 (81-of-162) from the field and recently has been shooting well from the outside, hit 10 of 19 3-point attempts.

The biggest impact that Carlson is having on this team is in field goal percentage, Legerski said.

“This is one of the best teams that I have been associated with shooting from the field, at a 43 percent clip,” Legerski said. “That has so much to do with Hillary inside, she shoots the ball so well. More importantly, people on the perimeter get open looks because of Hillary. It just makes life a lot easier for all of us.”

This is Carlson’s first career weekly honor and the first for a Cowgirl this season.

“I think everybody is excited when we get a little bit of individual recognition because they know we have to be able to have success as a team to get individual honors,” Legerski said. “To be able to be recognized, I think that is a tremendous compliment, not only to Hillary, but to her teammates as well.”
　

Lobos too much for Cowgirls in The Pit

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Two big New Mexico runs were more than the Wyoming Cowgirls could handle, losing to the Lobos 74-61 Saturday at The Pit.

New Mexico (2-2 MWC, 10-6), scored the first 10 points of the game, and when the Cowgirls challenged in the second half, scored 15 unanswered points to pull away.

The loss dropped the Cowgirls to 2-2 and 11-5.

“Another learning experience about life on the road in the MWC,” said UW head coach Joe Legerski. “We need to be sharp in all phases of the game. Today defensively, we broke down several times that led to baskets by New Mexico. I thought Kristen Scheffler and Jade Kennedy gave us a big lift. Now we have to go back to work in practice and get prepared for BYU.”

Wyoming was led by Emma Langford who recorded a team-high 13 points along with three assists and two rebounds. She was followed by Kennedy with 12 points and five rebounds. Junior Aubrey Vandiver led the way with six rebounds. The Cowgirls were 24-of-55 (.436) from the field and 9-of-22 (.409) from beyond the arc.

New Mexico was led by Amanda Best with 21 points and five rebounds. Amy Beggin added 14 points and seven boards, while Sara Halasz recorded 13 points. The Lobos were 25-of-52 (.481) from the field, while out-rebounding the Cowgirls 38-26.

With New Mexico up 36-33 early in the second half, New Mexico would go on a 15-0 run to extend the lead to 18, 51-33. The Cowgirls went almost six minutes without scoring until a Langford 3-point field goal ended the drought. That would start a 9-4 run for Wyoming to bring them to within 13, 55-42. The Lobos came right back by scoring 12 of the next 17 to make it a 20-point game.

The Cowgirls will return home against the BYU Cougars on Tuesday. The game is set to tip off at 6:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on the Mountain Sports Network.