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.