Cowgirls basketball advanced to 10-7 in Mountain West play with a 61-57 win over the Utah State Aggies, completing the season sweep.
Four players on the seven-woman roster hit double digits in the scoring column, including senior forward Kayla Woodward with her ninth double-double of the season.
“This group continues to play with confidence and finding ways to win,” Cowgirls head coach Joe Legerski told gowyo.com.
Woodward led the Cowgirls in scoring with 15 points and on boards with 12 rebounds. Following Woodward in scoring was junior guards Marquelle Dent and Jordan Kelley with 12 points each. Freshman guard Liv Roberts had 10 points, her highest recorded baskets as a Cowgirl. On boards senior forward Jordan Sibrel was just shy of a double-digit night with nine rebounds, Kelley followed her with eight rebounds. Dent lead the team in assists with seven, followed by Kelley with five.
The Cowgirls held the Aggies shooters to 34.9 percent in field goals and 11.8 percent from beyond the arc in the Mobey Arena for the Aggies final home game.
The Aggies started off the game with a strong run, giving them a five-point advantage before the Cowgirls could make it on the scoreboard. Their lead was spoiled by Dent with a jumper to put the Cowgirls in the race. A three pointer by Mileto at the 13-minute mark gave the Cowgirl’s their first advantage of the game 9-8.
The Aggies recovered their lead, which was quickly cut short following a three from Kelley. The Cowgirls gained on this lead, gaining a six-point advantage before the game tied with six minutes left at 19-19. The Cowgirls and Aggies exchanged baskets and leads until the final two minutes when a shot by Kelley secured a lead that the Cowgirls maintained into halftime 29-28.
At the half, the Cowgirls and Aggies have switched leads seven times, with the score tied three times. The Cowgirls took 18 of their 29 points in the paint and five from the bench. The Aggies took 12 of their 28 points in the paint and 13 off the bench.
Down one going into the second half, the Aggies found no relief as the Cowgirls came in strong and maintained the lead for the remaining 20 minutes.
The second half had a slow start with five missed shots between both teams. A two minute dry spell was broken by Kelley with a jumper. Two free throws by Roberts at the nine minute mark gave the Cowgirls their biggest lead of the night, 46-39.
The seven-point cushion was cut by the Aggies as the pace of back and forth baskets continued. A three from Roberts with four minutes left returned the Cowgirl’s their seven-point advantage. In the next four minutes the Aggies came within two points of the Cowgirls at two instances, but fell short in the long haul as the Cowgirls closed at regulation with a four-point gap between the two.
“Jordan Kelley’s three was a big shot that gave us a five-point cushion that we needed,” Legerski said. “What this team has learned is to make the easy play to get victories and you never know who will be called upon to make a big play. Kayla continues to have an impact in every game with adding another double-double to her career totals.”
The Cowgirls will return to Laramie, Friday, to close out their regular season against the New Mexico Lobos (17-11, 13-4 MW). Tip-off is set for 7 P.M.
