Cowgirls basketball broke even with a 74-66 win over Mountain West conference contender the San Diego State Aztecs, setting their MW record at 6-6 and 11-11 overall.
Wednesday’s eight-point home victory marked their fourth win in the last five games putting them at the .500 mark and in the sixth slot in the conference standings.
“I think when you look at the numbers, we shoot 43 percent they shoot 43 percent. Rebounding was almost even, we have nine second chance points, they have eight and it really determined that the game was going to come down to the last few minutes,” Cowgirls head coach Joe Legerski said to gowyo.com.
In the 40 minutes of game time the lead changed seven times and was tied six times. Both teams held their largest lead in the second half, San Diego State by four points halfway through the last period and Wyoming by as much as 12 points with four minutes left on the clock. Wyoming was able to capitalize on their lead, holding advantage over San Diego State for 32 minutes of action while the Aztecs maintained a lead on the Cowgirls for a little over two minutes. The Cowgirls and Aztecs were locked at a tie for over five minutes of play.
Leading the Cowgirls was senior guard Kaitlyn Mileto with a season high of 27 points. Mileto shot 50 percent from beyond the arc and 100 percent from the free throw line. Following Mileto on the scoreboard was junior guard Marquelle Dent with 21 points for the night and five assists. Junior guard Jordan Kelley had another successful outing from the starter position with her fifth career double-double 14 points and 15 rebounds, a career high. Kelley was six-for-six at the free throw line.
“Jordan Kelley’s effort may be one of the best that I’ve had an opportunity to coach,” coach Legerski said. “A double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds, she is undersized and I had to play her 40 minutes.”
The Cowgirls curbed a quick lead over the Aztecs taking a seven-point advantage before they could put any points on the scoreboard. A timeout and a few player changes on the court the Aztecs were able to bounce back and tie the game at 12:45 before the Cowgirls pulled away by six points again. The Aztecs rallied back for another tie game at the 9:22 mark of the first half.
The back and forth play continued for the duration of the first half, the Cowgirls maintaining a slight advantage for the full 20 minutes. Entering the locker rooms the Cowgirls held a one-point advantage over the Aztecs.
Out of the gates in the second half the Aztecs made a move to pull their first lead over the Cowgirls. A jumper by Aztec, scoreboard leader freshman guard McKynzie Fort, tied the game for the third time. A three pointer by Aleiah Brandon gave the Aztecs the push they needed to pull ahead of the Cowgirls by one point. The Aztecs and Cowgirls traded baskets pulling away from one before the other took a brief lead.
“We were tired at the end and San Diego State’s quickness is tremendous,” coach Legerski said. “So trying to get the basketball in when playing for 38 minutes that’s asking a lot of everybody. We still defended, got to the free throw line and made those free throws.”
At the 7:28 mark a set of free throws by Dent allowed the Cowgirls to pull away from the Aztecs for good as the Cowgirls went on a 17-4 run to take the home victory.
The Cowgirls will return to action on the road Saturday against the San Jose Spartans (11-11, 5-6 MW). Tipoff is set for 3 P.M. MT.
