The Cowgirls fell to Fresno State Wednesday night in a close 65-60 contest. The Bulldogs handed the Cowgirls their fifth on-the-road loss despite the six lead changes throughout the game.
The first half ended in one of the Cowgirls’ less than perfect performances. They shot 29 percent and spent a majority of the first 20 minutes chasing the lead. Senior guard Chelan Landry and junior forward Kayla Woodward lead the Cowgirls on their 13-point run that resulted in their first lead of the game. Two free throws by Landry and a pair of three-pointers by Woodward ended in their 23-16 advantage.
Coming out of the locker room, the Cowgirls fought to hold on to their narrow 26-20 lead. Junior forward Jordan Sibrel added two points early in the second half, but the Bulldogs dominated the board shortly after that, racking up 19 points to come within one-point of the Cowgirls 40-39 lead.
The Bulldogs pulled ahead 47-46 and quickly built a seven-point lead after scoring on six of their eight possessions, reclaiming the lead for the first time since the first half. Fresno would remain ahead of Wyoming for the rest of the game, even with contributions to the score by sophomore guard Marquelle Dent and senior guard Fallon Lewis.
Points from Woodward and Dent helped bring the Cowgirls close to the lead, but a four-minute scoring drought gave the Bulldogs the opportunity to pull ahead 55-48. Fresno’s Taylor Thompson hit a three with under a minute left to insure their 65-60 victory.
Contributing to the Bulldog’s overall score were the 11 points that resulted from the 18 appearances they made at the free throw line throughout the game. Fresno also sent Wyoming to the line 16 times, they shot for 81.3 percent making 13 of their attempted shots. Eight of the points came from Landry, who shot for 100 percent at the line.
“Fresno State went small in the second half, taking out their 6-6 post player, which forced us to go small as well. After that, it became a game of pick and roll, switching everything, ball goes to the basket and it’s who can make a stop,” said head coach Joe Legerski, “We talked about not putting them to the free throw line and in the first half we did that, but in the second they went 18 times. I thought we could play small, but it became a situation that we had to make a few more stops, grab rebounds and Fresno made the plays which was the difference in the game.”
Lewis lead scoring with 18 points and eight rebounds followed by Woodward with 13 points and nine rebounds. Woodward went three for four from behind the arc and contributed to the team’s three point percentage of 45.5. Landry tied with Woodward for 13 points, including four crucial consecutive free throws that gave the Cowgirls the lead during the second half.
The Cowgirls are now 1-5 from on the road and 8-5 in the Mountain West, Fresno State improved to 9-5 and remained in their third ranked position.
The Cowgirls will host rival Colorado State Saturday at the Arena Auditorium. Tip-off against the number one team in the Mountain West is set for 2 p.m.
