They are more fun to watch, after all.
No, I’m serious. Women’s basketball games just seem to have a better energy around them. The Wyoming Cowgirls have made fun of the typical stigmas of women’s basketball openly on social media calling Laramie “Lay-up City” with a tongue-in-cheek reference to the men’s “Dunk City.” If you get a chance to go watch them play, just do it. There are not nearly as many fans, but a lot more points. There are not nearly as many dunks, but a lot more jaw-dropping assists. You know that special feeling when Riley Grabau pulls up from 3-point range and nails nothing but net? Yeah, Kayla Woodward does that just about every time down the floor. You know those moments when Josh Adams seems to drive the lane and somehow make a layup in heavy traffic? Marquelle Dent can do it just as well.
But it is definitely an experience to have in person. I will admit to it, watching women’s basketball on T.V. is just not even close to seeing the game up close at the Arena-Auditorium. Frankly, I cannot sit down and watch women’s basketball on T.V. Just never happens. So you understand my plight when I first went to a women’s game here at UW this year to cover it for the paper. My thoughts were as followed when I got to press row: “God, I cannot believe I put on a collared shirt for this. They can’t even dunk. Barely anyone is here, too. Some atmosphere for a basketball game, this is closer to practice.”
Then the game started. Woodward put up jump shot after jump shot that all found the bottom of the net. Kaitlin Mileto had a strong mid-range game and Dent seemed to drive and make every lay-up she had. All of a sudden I look up, five minutes into the game, and the Cowgirls have close to 20 points. I was blown away. The men have a hard time getting to 20 in a half at times. I leaned over and made a passing remark to a fellow press member and said, “Red-hot shooting night for the Cowgirls, eh?” His response astounded me. “Nah, business as usual for a [Joe] Legerski team.” What? No way this guy has to be messing with me. I had never seen a shooting performance like this before.
I then found out the fellow media member was dead-on. The air assault of sound jump shots just hit dead-on almost every time. If the AA were full like it is for any of the men’s games, the dome would have blown off of the top. The Cowgirls shot close to 60 percent through out the entire game. If Woodward put up a jump-shot, I simply went back to my computer before the ball made its downward arch. I knew it was in. The crowd knew it was in, and Woodward ran back on defense knowing it was in. I never have experienced anything like it.
This style of play has led the Cowgirls to an 8-6 Mountain West record, including winning six of their last seven games. The Cowgirls started MW play at 2-5 with four of the losses coming by three points or less. Talk about heartbreak. The Cowgirls played in six, what I like to call, ‘either-or’ games where both teams played well enough to win, but only one winner could be claimed. Of these six games the Cowgirls went 1-5. There was legitimate concern that the Cowgirls had lost all their confidence and might never repair a once promising season.
Then the Utah State game happened. The first game I covered, and everything clicked. Now they sit in 6th in the Mountain West and seem to finally be playing to their potential as the calendar turns to March. What are the postseason hopes for the Cowgirls?
In order to make the NCAA Tournament, it will take a Mountain West crown. The Cowgirls most likely road would be something along the lines of: San Diego State, Colorado State, Fresno State and New Mexico. The Cowgirls either lost one-possession games against all of these teams or won. They will also play UNLV and Fresno State at least one more time in this season. Take that into account with the fact the Cowgirls seem to have broken the seal on the basket–and playing with some great confidence.
Keep your ear to the ground, Wyoming fans. A Mountain West basketball title may be coming to Laramie, and Larry Nance may not be the one carrying it. The trophy could be in Kayla Woodward’s hands.
