LARAMIE, Wyo. (February 28, 2019) – The Wyoming Cowgirls (18-6, 11-4 MW) will look to return to the win column on Saturday when they travel south to face the Air Force Falcons (8-18, 4-11 MW) in a game that will tip at 2 p.m. (MT). The Cowgirls had their nine-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night, and will look to start a new run beginning on Saturday.
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The game will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network and on Stadium, and can be heard across the 25 stations of the Cowgirl Radio Network with Reece Monaco on play-by-play and Wyoming Hall of Famer Margie McDonald with color commentary.
A LOOK AT THE COWGIRLS
The Cowgirls are 18-6 this season and 11-4 in the Mountain West coming off a 64-66 loss at home against Fresno State, snapping their nine-game winning streak. The Cowgirls are led offensively by senior forward Marta Gomez who averages 15.9 points per game while adding 4.8 rebounds per contest. Senior forward Bailee Cotton averages nearly a double-double with 11.6 points per contest and pulling down a team best 8.6 rebounds per game. Cotton has also taken a team-leading 15 charges this season. Junior Taylor Rusk is scoring 9.7 points per contest while adding 83 assists and only 23 turnovers, the seventh-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country. Freshman guardKarla Erjavec leads the team in the assist department with 87 on the year. Defensively, Erjavec has recorded 26 steals this season, while Cotton has 22 blocks and 29 steals.
Offensively, the Cowgirls are shooting at a 46.1 percent (608-of-1,320) clip from the field while shooting 40.5 percent (180-of-444) from three and 76.8 percent (255-of-332) from the free throw line to average 68.8 points per game. The Cowgirls average 16.0 assists and just 11.4 turnovers per game. Opponents are shooting 41.1 percent (525-of-1,277) from the field, 31.3 percent (105-of-336) from three and 70.4 percent (200-of-284) from the free throw line to average 56.5 points per game. Cowgirl foes average 9.4 assists and 14.5 turnovers per game.
Head coach Joe Legerski is in his 16th year at the helm of the Cowgirls, and he has compiled a 307-183 record as Wyoming’s head coach. He is the winningest coach in program history.
SCOUTING AIR FORCE
The Falcons are 8-18 overall and 4-11 against Mountain West teams following a 60-73 loss against San José State. Air Force has lost six straight overall. The Academy is led by Kaelin Immel’s 13.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, while Emily Conroe scores 10.7 points and adds 6.0 rebounds per contest. Riley Snyder averages 10.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game to round out AFA’s double-digit scorers. Briana Autrey averages 2.4 assists per game to lead the team, while Conroe averages 1.8 steals on the defensive end. Kassady Huffman leads the team in rebounds and blocks, averaging 6.6 and 0.9, respectively, each game.
Offensively, the Falcons are shooting 36.1 percent (563-of-1,559) from the field, 28.8 percent (115-of-399) from three and 63.5 percent (338-of-532) from the free throw line to average 60.7 points per game. Air Force averages 10.2 assists and 18.7 turnovers per contest. Opponents are shooting 43.0 percent (637-of-1,483) from the field, 29.9 percent (100-of-334) from three and 66.2 percent (357-of-539) from the free throw line to score 66.6 points per game. Falcon foes average 12.0 assists and 18.8 turnovers per game.
Head coach Chris Gobrecht is 19-96 in four years at the helm of the Falcons, and she is 561-569 overall in 38 years as a Division I head coach.
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SERIES HISTORY AGAINST AIR FORCE
The Falcons snapped a 25-game losing streak to the Cowgirls last season, when they picked up a 57-47 victory in Colorado Springs. Overall, the Cowgirls lead the Falcons 50-3 in a series that dates back to 1979 after winning the first matchup this season in Laramie by a final score of 80-60. The Cowgirls are 21-3 on the road against Air Force and had won 11 road games in a row before last season’s loss.
UP NEXT
The Cowgirls host San José State on Monday, March 4, for Senior Night. Tipoff in the Arena-Auditorium is set for 6:30 p.m. (MT).
