Cowgirls to Face Off Against Idaho on Saturday
LARAMIE, WY. – The Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team continues its four-game home stand when UW welcomes Idaho to the Arena-Auditorium on Saturday, Dec. 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., as part of a doubleheader with Cowboy Wrestling, who faces North Dakota State at 5:00 p.m. in the AA.
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 5-2 this season and a perfect 4-0 at home following Tuesday’s 78-74 win over Denver. The Cowgirls are led offensively by senior forward Marta Gomez who averages 16.6 points per game while shooting among the nation’s best from three-point range, 51.1 percent (23-of-45). Senior forward Bailee Cotton averages 11.0 points per contest and pulls down a team best 8.1 rebounds per game. Cotton has also taken a team-leading seven charges this season. Freshman forward Tereza Vitulova is scoring 10.3 points per contest on 57.4 percent (27-of-47) shooting from the field, doing most of her damage in the paint. Senior guard Clara Tapia is in control of the Cowgirl offense, averaging a team-best 3.7 assists per game. Defensively, freshman guard Karla Erjavec has recorded 15 steals this season, while Cotton and Vitulova lead the way with four blocks each.
Offensively, the Cowgirls are shooting at a 45.8 percent (192-of-419) percent clip from the field while shooting 43.8 percent (67-of-153) from three and 77.4 percent (72-of93) from the free throw line to average 74.7 points per game. The Cowgirls average 16.3 assists and just 11.4 turnovers per game. Opponents are shooting 41.9 percent (157-of-375) from the field, 33.0 percent (33-of-100) from three and 68.8 percent (64-of-93) from the free throw line to average 58.7 points per game. Cowgirl foes average 11.1 assists and 17.3 turnovers per game.
Head coach Joe Legerski is in his 16th year at the helm of the Cowgirls, and he has compiled a 294-179 record as Wyoming’s head coach. He is the winningest coach in program history.
SCOUTING IDAHO
The Vandals are 3-4 on the season, most recently dropping a 69-61 game against Hawai’i on the Islands. Idaho is led offensively by Mikayla Ferenz, who leads the team in both scoring (23.0) and assists per game (3.7). Ferenz also averages 6.4 rebounds per contest, which is second on the team behind Natalie Klinker, who pulls down 7.6 boards per game while chipping in 6.4 points. Taylor Pierce is the other Vandal averaging double-digit points per game, scoring 15.3 each night. Gina Marxen makes her presence felt on both sides of the court by scoring 6.7 points with 2.6 assist, while also leading the team with five steals on the season. Isabelle Hadden is the team’s rim protector with seven blocks on the season.
Offensively, the Vandals are shooting 40.4 percent (188-of-465) from the field, 33.8 percent (73-of-216) from beyond the arc and 76.2 percent (77-of-101) from the free throw line to average 75.1 points per game. Idaho averages 13.3 assists to 10.4 turnovers per game. Defensively, opponents are shooting 46.5 percent (210-of-452) from the field, 32.4 percent (48-of-148) from three-point land and 70.9 percent (90-of-127) from the free throw line to average 79.7 points per game. Opponents have 12.3 assists to 12.0 turnovers each game.
Head coach Jon Newlee is in his 11th year at Idaho, and owns a record of 172-56 at the helm of the Vandals. Overall, Newlee has a mark of 281-251 in 20 years as a collegiate head coach.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST IDAHO
The Cowgirls and Vandals have meet 13 times on the hardwood, with Wyoming holding a slight 7-6 lead in the series. The teams have met each other in each of the last nine seasons, with the Cowgirls going 5-4 in that span. However, the Vandals have won three of the last four, as Wyoming snapped a three-game losing skid with a 70-64 road win last season.
