Langford looking to get back to old self

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“I’m just pushing through it, trying not to think about it and trying to get back to the way I was playing. Yeah, I am dealing with a back problem, but I am getting through it and getting into rehab and all that stuff. I’m just playing through it and getting back.” -- Wyoming freshman Emma Langford

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By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

For much of the non-conference season, freshman Emma Langford looked like she would run away with the Newcomer of the Year award for the Mountain West Conference.

Then, she ran into a back injury and the conference schedule. Suddenly, Langford was on the bench and probably wondering if she would ever find her shot again.

As of late, the Australian native has been showing glimpses of her early self in a Cowgirl uniform.

On Wednesday night, she scored eight big points down the stretch to help the Cowgirls rally for a 52-50 win over New Mexico in the Arena-Auditorium.

“We have been waiting for Emma for a long time,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “I thought at Colorado State (18 points), she really seemed to be coming out of some things. Then she slipped back. I think she wants to win so much that at times she tries to hard. We just have to get her to get in the flow of things.”

It hasn’t helped that Langford has been hobbled with a back injury in the past month or so, which at times has limited her practice time. It’s been a physical and mental battle for her.

“I’m just pushing through it, trying not to think about it and trying to get back to the way I was playing,” Langford said. “Yeah, I am dealing with a back problem, but I am getting through it and getting into rehab and all that stuff. I’m just playing through it and getting back.”

Langford, averaging 10.1 points a game in her rookie campaign, came into Wednesday night averaging just 5.9 points a game in league play, shooting just .250 from the field. She had hit just 3-of-14 3-pointers in the previous seven league contests.

She hit a 3-pointer, two free throws and then a layup with 1:55 to play for a five-point Wyoming lead before she fouled out.

“It sure was nice to see one 3-pointer go in for her,” Legerski said. “That is something she can really do. We talk to her about that she has to do more things. Tonight, she got five rebounds and four assists. She is starting to turn into more of an all around player than just somebody who can score. Her confidence has no doubt been shaken over the last six weeks, and it is very important for her to have some games where she can build upon that.”

Cowgirls make the plays to beat Lobos

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming senior Elisabeth Dissen looks for a shot against New Mexico on Wednesday. Pictured at bottom, left, sophomore Hillary Carlson.

Wyoming-New Mexico game stats

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

For a change, the basketball bounced the Wyoming Cowgirls’ way.

Hillary Carlson’s basket with 0.3 seconds remaining lifted Wyoming to a 52-50 come-from-behind win over New Mexico on Wednesday in the Arena-Auditorium.

The loss snapped a four-game skid in the A-A for the Cowgirls, who finished the first half of Mountain West Conference play at 3-5 (11-10 overall).

“We just knew that we need to get a shot up and take a chance,” said Carlson, who led all scorers with 16 points and also had the game-winner earlier in the season at Weber State. “The ball just bounced to me. That’s the breaks. It was pretty lucky, I’d say.”

Luck or skill, it didn’t matter for the Cowgirls, who had been struggling offensively as of late, even in the first half on Wednesday.

“There are a few more smiles tonight from the players, as well as the coaches,” said Wyoming coach Joe Legerski, who was indeed smiling in the postgame news conference.

It was a tale of two halves, as Wyoming went over 11 minutes without a field goal and New Mexico led 28-16 at halftime.

The Cowgirls turned to a little defense of their own, holding the Lobos scoreless for the first five minutes of the second half and taking their first lead of the game at 36-35 on a layup by Carlson with 6:56 left.

Emma Langford hit a 3-pointer, two free throws and then a layup with 1:55 to play for a five-point Wyoming lead.

The Lobos rallied and tied the game at 50-50 with 19.2 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Amy Beggin.

Wyoming played for the last shot and Randi Richardson drove to the basket in the final seconds and missed a layup, with Carlson grabbing the rebound and putting back the shot for the game-winner.

Both Carlson and New Mexico coach Don Flanagan were a little surprised with how easy it weas for Carlson to get the game-winner.

“I didn’t feel anyone around me,” Carslon said.

Flanagan might have been more mad than surprised.

"One of the keys is blocking out and at the end, we just didn't block Carlson," Flanagan said.

New Mexico had one last chance, but the full-court pass was off the mark to end the game.

Legerski said that the game is always about players and coaches just give directions.

“The last play of the game, we did what we talked about," he said. "We were going to go to Hillary inside. If it got down to five, somebody had to get to the basket and get it up on the rim. Randi did that and we were fortunate enough that it came off on Hillary’s side and she put it back in. I always say that players make plays and Hillary made a big one.”

The Cowgirls have been waiting for good things to happen to this team and the ball to bounce their way one time.

“It seemed that over this last stretch, that we had been in so many games and the plays always go to the opponent in the last two minutes, last three minutes,” Legerski said. “Tonight, we were able to finally have the ball bounce -- fortunately, I call it -- Wyoming. Believe me, if that ball comes off the other way, it’s overtime. It just happens to find Hillary and she had enough composure to get up and get the basket.”

The loss denied Flanagan his 300th career win (299-131), as the Lobos fell to 5-3, 16-5.

“I thought we had the game at halftime. We were dictating what was happening,” Flanagan said. “Then, all of the sudden, no one could score, and my post player is in foul trouble. I thought a bunch of our players didn’t compete, and I’m very unhappy with them. We are going to war in practice because in games, they are not showing me enough.”

Beggin led the Lobos with 12 points, as New Mexico scored just five field goals in the second half.

After shooting 25 percent from the field in the first half, Wyoming shot 48 percent in the second half and got two big 3-pointers from freshman Kristen Scheffler and one from Langford, who added 12 points for the Cowgirls before fouling out with two minutes left.

“We had been close in so many games, it feels good to just get over that hump,” said senior Elisabeth Dissen, who scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds. “I think the crowd definitely helps us in these close games.”

The Cowgirls will begin the second half of league play by taking on Utah on Sunday afternoon in Salt Lake City.

Cowgirls to host Lobos

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming coach Joe Legerski talks things over with his team during a recent home game.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

When the Wyoming Cowgirls don’t shoot the ball well … they don’t play well, even at home.

That has been the case in their last two home games -- losses against UNLV and BYU. They’ll close the first half of Mountain West Conference play with one more try at a home win when they host New Mexico Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium.

In the 13-point loss to BYU on Saturday, the Cowgirl shot 26 percent from the field, 19 percent in the first half. On the season, Wyoming is shooting 38 percent from the field, averaging 61.5 points a game. In conference play, Wyoming, 2-5, 10-10, is shooting 35 percent and scoring just 56.1 points a game.

At times, Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski is puzzled as to why they struggle offensively, especially from their leading scorers.

“One of the concerns that I have, when you take a look back at the film, was that Megan McGuffey (11.0 ppg.) only took three shots in the game,” Legerski said. “When you’re the leading scorer, you have to find more than three shots, even if you have to create shots. That is something that we addressed. The inconsistency of Kristen Scheffler (11.0 ppg.) is not something that we are unaware of, but I wish she could find a little more consistency of shooting the basketball.”

Scheffler hit five 3-pointers on the road in the win against Air Force, but was 1-of-6 against BYU. The freshman from Lovell has missed some practices this week with an illness.

“Some nights, and the difficult part is that it seems to be as a group, we don’t shoot the basketball,” he said. “I give BYU a great deal of credit, they push you out of your comfort zone, they are going to make every shot challenged and New Mexico is going to do the same thing. As I mentioned to the players, good teams do that, they make you uncomfortable. You have to find a way to overcome that and shoot the basketball.”

Legerski said it is all about somebody stepping up offensively to make shots and make other players feel comfortable.

“That is a problem with this team is they are always looking for somebody else to step up and make that happen,” he said. “What we challenged them to do is collectively, somebody has to make some plays. We can’t just sit and look at Megan or Hillary (Carlson) or Kristen and say, it’s on you. In the BYU game, we got to the point where nobody really wanted to shoot the basketball. We have to get the ball up from our leading scorers and they are the ones who have to take the bulk of the responsibility.

About New Mexico
New Mexico comes into the game with a 16-4 overall record and a 5-2 mark in the conference. Amy Beggin leads the way with 15.5 points and five rebounds, while Angela Hartill is adding 11.8 points and five boards.

“They have just a tremendous team,” Legerski said. “You take a look at scoring, they are led by Beggin and Hartill. Those are two seniors who have been through Mountain West Conference play at a very high level. After that, they have five more players who can score between five to eight points a game. They are going to get you with depth, but they also have some superstars out there that can make it happen for them.”
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Wyoming Cowgirls (10-10 overall, 2-5 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
3 Randi Richardson G 5-7 RSo. TR Arlington, Wash. 2.8 ppg, 2.6 aspg
10 Rebecca Vanderjagt F 6-3 Sr. 3L Townsville, Australia 2.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.1 aspg
12 Kristen Scheffl er G 5-11 Fr. HS Lovell, Wyo. 11.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.6 aspg
24 Megan McGuffey G 5-11 Sr. 3L Cheyenne, Wyo. 11.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.8 aspg
41 Hillary Carlson F 6-3 So. 1L Cheyenne, Wyo. 10.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Off The Bench
4 Gemma Koehler F 6-1 Jr. 1L Geelong, Australia Has played in one game
13 Ashley Sickles F 6-1 Fr. HS Cresco, Iowa 2.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg
14 Jade Kennedy F 6-1 So. 1L Cairns, Australia 4.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg
15 Leah Fitzgerald C 6-2 Fr. HS Colorado Springs, Colo. Has played in three games
20 Aubrey Vandiver G 5-11 Jr. 2L Laramie, Wyo. Has not played this season
21 Emma Langford F 6-2 Fr. HS Arthurton, Australia 10.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.7 aspg
22 Brenna Freeze G 5-11 Fr. HS Albuquerque, N.M. 1.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg
33 Elisabeth Dissen C 6-1 Sr. 3L Hillsboro, Ore. 7.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg
45 Mallory Cline C 6-4 Jr. 2L McClave, Colo. Has played in two games
Head Coach: Joe Legerski (Wyoming, ‘79), Sixth Year
Associate Head Coach: Gerald Mattinson (Weber State, '81), Sixth Year
Assistant Coaches: Kristin Becker (Vanderbilt, ‘90), Third Year and Katie Kern (New Mexico, ‘99), Third Year
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New Mexico Lobos (16-4 overall, 5-2 in the MWC)
Probable Starters Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown 2008-09 Stats
3 Eileen Weissmann G/F 6-0 Jr. 2L Chicago, Ill. 6.0ppg, 4.0 rpg
10 Amy Beggin G 5-6 Jr. 2L Maplewood, Minn. 15.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg
15 Amanda Adamson G 6-0 Sr. 1L Littleton, Colo. 8.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg
32 Amanda Best G/F 6-0 So. 1L Snohomish, Wash. 5.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg
44 Angela Hartill C 6-3 Sr. 3L Deer Park, Wash. 11.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Off The Bench
11 Lauren Taylor G 6-0 Fr. HS Brownsburg, Ind. 2.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg
12 Nikki Nelson G 5-5 Fr. RS Chewelah, Wash. 3.4 ppg, 0.4 rpg
20 Sara Halasz G 6-0 Fr. HS Fort Lewis, Wash. 5.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg
22 Georonika Jackson G 5-11 Jr. 2L Sugar Land, Texas 2.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg
34 Valerie Kast C 6-6 Jr. 2L Tallinn, Estonia 4.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg
52 Jessica Kielpinski F 6-1 So. 1L Mandan, N.D. 4.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg
Head Coach: Don Flanagan (Fort Lewis, ‘71), 14th Year
Associate Head Coach: Yvonne Sanchez (U.S. International, ‘89)
Assistant Coaches: Dave Shoemate (New Mexico, ‘82), Shane Flanagan (New Mexico, ‘06)

Offensive woes continue against BYU

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

Wyoming-BYU statistics

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

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

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

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

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

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

Senior reserve Elisabeth Dissen led the Cowgirls with nine points.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Cowgirls will host New Mexico on Wednesday.

Cowgirls' home struggles continue

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

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cowgirls back home to host BYU

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cowgirls win second straight

Wyoming-Air Force box score

By Wyoming Sports.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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