Cowgirls Lose Tough One To Colorado

The Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team (4-2 overall) battled down to the final minute but fell short 63-59 against the 11th/17th ranked Colorado Buffaloes, on Wednesday night in Laramie.

Two Cowgirls finished the night in double-figures led by junior Kayla Woodward. She recorded a team high 17 points and six rebounds. Kaitlyn Mileto added 12 points while Fallon Lewis had eight points. Jordan Sibrel also had six rebounds as well. Wyoming shot 20-57 (.351) from the field and 14-23 (.609) from the free throw line.

Colorado was led by Brittany Wilson with a game high 19 points, followed by Arielle Roberson with 13 points and 12 rebounds. The Buffs shot 23-63 (.365) from the field and 10-11 (.909) from the charity stripe. They also out rebounded the Cowgirls 42-40.

Wyoming got on the board first with baskets by Sibrel and Dent to put them up 4-0. Free throws by Rachel Hargis at the 17 minute mark were the first points for the Buffs. A three-point field goal by Huggins gave Colorado their first lead, 5-4. Out of the media timeout, a basket by Woodward gave UW the lead back 6-5. CU answered with a 5-0 run to make it 10-6. Fallon Lewis hit a shot to end the run, but a three-point field goal by Brittany Wilson got the lead to five, 13-8, through the second media timeout. Each team scored a basket to make it 15-10, and then both teams went cold. Finally, a field goal by Kaylee Hoffman ended a four minute drought by either team and then a basket by Woodward pulled the Cowgirls to within one, 15-14. Arielle Roberson stopped the six minute scoreless drought for the Buffs putting them up by three, 17-14, with 6:43 on the clock. Dent hit a shot by to tie the score which was quickly answered with a Roberson layup. Started by a Mileto three-point field goal the Cowgirls closed out the half on a 10-2 run to take a 27-21 lead into the lockerroom.

The Cowgirls took a nine-point lead out of the halftime break with a three-point shot by Woodward. Colorado responded 11 straight points to regain a two-point lead, 32-30. A basket by Dent tied the score at 32 all, which was followed by an 8-0 run to give the Buffs a 40-32 advantage. Four points by Wyoming made it a four point contest, 40-36, with 13 minutes to go in the game. The Buffs would score six of the next eight get the lead to eight, 46-38. After free throws by Woodward closed the gap to six, 46-40, CU extended the lead to 11, 51-40. The Cowgirls tried to chip away at the lead with a 5-1 run to pull to within seven, 52-45, with 7:31 remaining. A three-point play by Jamee Swan got the lead back to ten, 57-47, but Wyoming just wouldn’t go away. Over the next four minute stretch, they went on a 10-2 run to pull within two, 57-55. With 57 seconds remaining, Chelan Landry hit a jumper to even up the game at 57 all. Out of a timeout, Brittany Wilson scored a layup to give CU a two-point lead, 59-57. The Cowgirls couldn’t take advantage of shots and CU hit free throws down the stretch to hold onto the 63-59 win.

The Cowgirls will travel to Colorado Springs to participate in the Air Force Classic. They will face SIU-Edwardsville, on Friday, Dec. 6, at 4:30 p.m. and North Dakota State, on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 2:00 p.m.