Forward Natalie Baker scored a season high 18 points as the Cowgirls defeated Colorado State 56-49 on Feb. 28 in the Arena-Auditorium. The win was UW’s first Border War victory since Feb. 22, 2014, and it also marked UW’s 20th win of the season.
Baker shot 5-9 from the field and 7-9 from the free throw line, in addition to pulling down four rebounds. Forward Bailee Cotton and Guard Clara Tapia both added 10 points; with Cotton grabbing a career-high nine rebounds.
“The game tonight had so many ebbs and flows to it,” head coach Joe Legerski said. “It looked like in the first five minutes both teams were having a tough time finding a basket. It was 5-2 after the first media timeout. Then we started to feel more comfortable against the zone, finding our spots and making a few shots. We knew at halftime defensively we played very well, but knew that the champion Colorado State is, would make a run at you and they did.”
The Cowgirls shot 19-46 (41.3 percent) from the field while holding the Rams to 20-55 (36.4 percent). UW also outrebounded CSU 39-26.
The Cowgirls made four straight free throws out of halftime to lead 34-16, but CSU chipped away at the lead to only trail 40-30 with just over a minute left in the third quarter. The teams continued to battle over the next five minutes, with CSU closing the gap to 10 before a three from Tapia pushed the lead back to 13.
With under a minute to go, the Rams cut the Cowgirls’ lead to six after senior Elin Gustavsson made three free throws, but the Cowgirls were able to finish the game strong defensively to preserve the 56-49 victory.
“Natalie (Baker) stepped up and made free throws down the stretch which was important for us to finish out this game, plus her drive to the basket late in the game to extend it to nine and give us some breathing room,” Legerski said. “Bailee (Cotton) probably played her best game all year, with ten points and nine rebounds and had a very difficult defensive assignment. It was a tough match-up for her, but I was really proud of her.”
CSU came into this game ranked no. 1 in the conference so this win was big for the Cowgirls, especially with it being Senior Night and on their home floor.
The Cowgirls will close out the regular season by visiting San Jose State on March 3. The game is set for a 8 p.m. tipoff in San Jose, California.
