Kylee Harless
Online Editor
Thanks for the years Elisa Pilli, Taylor Rusk, and Coreen Labish. Three seniors who have dedicated their time and effort to the Cowgirls Basketball program during their time at Wyoming. At the last home game for the Cowgirls, the three seniors were honored before tipoff, tears of happiness and thank you were filling the Arena-Auditorium and standing ovation was given to the Cowgirls. Many thanks to these wonderful women and best of luck to them as they continue on in their life and future endeavors.
The basketball game was the last home game of the 2019-2020 season. The Cowgirls battled it out with the Fresno State Bulldogs. The Cowgirls are 15-11 and 11-6 in the Mountain West. Fresno State is 23-5 and 16-1 in the Mountain West. A win for either team would be a good lead in to next week for the Mountian West Championships in Las Vegas.
The game started off quickly for the Cowgirls. The Cowgirls were the first to score and kept up on defense for the first 5 minutes of the quarter. Some mistakes were made that led to Bulldog points but the Cowgirls fought hard for their shot on offense and played smart and got a good 5-point lead with 4:38 left in the first quarter. The Cowgirls continued the strong gameplay and at the end of the quarter, the Cowgirls lead the Bulldogs 20 to 7. The Cowgirls made three 3-pointers in the first quarter and 9-field goals whereas Fresno state didn’t make any 3-pointers and only 3-field goals and 1 free throw.
The start of the second quarter was not a pretty one. Between missed shots and some not so great defense it had seemed, we were watching a different team. But with every bad start comes a great ending! A great ending it was, the Cowgirls made good plays on defense that lead to good plays on offense. The Cowgirls ended the first half with a score of 28 – 20.
“It was key to keep building off what we started and keep making the lead bigger, it was good,” said Jaeden Vaifanua
The start to the second half was downright fun. Taylor Rusk went on a 5-0 run herself she made a 3-pointer and then got a steal on defense to go baseline to baseline to make the layup. You could tell the Cowgirls were having fun, they were smiling and playing like a team. The Cowgirls never lost sight of the big picture, they played hard defense and that lead to points on the offensive end.
The third quarter was a lot of not so fun basketball. Many calls were made and the fans made the refs know that they did not agree. On multiple occasions, the AA erupted in disagreement and it only lights the fire under the Cowgirls more. The Cowgirls used the energy to their advantage and were aggressive on defense and also making good plays on offense. The start to the fourth quarter was much of the same but the Cowgirls were determined to win and the fans were there to back them up the whole way.
The ending of the game was nothing but Cowgirls. They mad amazing plays and took care of business. The Cowgirls beat Fresno State 64 to 55.
“It feels really good, we played so well. That is what is most exciting. We are going into the tournament with a win.” said senior Taylor Rusk
They go into the Mountain West Championships on a three-game winning streak.
“Everyone played well and everyone that went contributed and that is how you win games at the end of the season,” said head coach Gerald Matheson.
Stay tuned to the Branding Iron for your Mountain West Championship coverage! GO COWGIRLS!!!
