Pokes split with Colorado State
The Wyoming Cowboys struggled to find rhythm in 83-48 loss to Colorado State inside Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo. on Saturday afternoon. The Rams hit 13 three-pointers for the game and held the Pokes to 31 percent from the field for the afternoon.
Senior guard Justin James recorded 29 points and added 12 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season and the 14th of his career. James also surpassed 1,900 career points and sits at 1,927 points in the Brown and Gold. He has now scored 20 or more points in a game 18 times this season and 45 times in his career. He tied a career-high with 24 points and had his hand in 93 percent of the Pokes’ offense.
“We have to compete together right now,” UW head coach Allen Edwards said. “One of the things I told our guys is that their supporting cast didn’t shoot the ball well at our place and they were solid this afternoon. We have to play consistent defense and 83 points is too much for us to allow.”
Wyoming shot 31 from the field on the afternoon going 16-of-52 and were 2-of-24 from the three-point line. The Rams, who lead the MW in field goal percentage shot 50 percent from the field. Colorado State also held a 41-25 advantage on the glass.
James helped the Pokes take an early 5-4 lead with a layup and an assist on a Trevon “TJ” Taylor three pointer. But the Rams top threat Nico Carvacho added eight points and assisted on two threes, as CSU took a 17-5 lead with 14:06 left in the half.
After the Pokes went on a brief 4-0 run, the Rams countered with a 7-0 run to make it a 22-9 contest halfway through the first frame. Turnovers would hinder an offensive rhythm for the Pokes that helped Colorado State build a 33-15 advantage with 5:29 left.
The Pokes closed out the first half with a dunk by A.J. Banks, the only basket by Wyoming in the final 7:29 of the half, as the Rams took a 40-19 lead at the half. Wyoming was held to 25 percent from the field in the first frame with the Rams hitting 48 percent from the field.
James opened the first half with a steal and a dunk followed by a three pointer from Jake Hendricks to make it a 40-24 contest in the opening minute. But the Rams would maintain the double-digit lead, as back-to-back jumpers and free throws would make it a 47-30 game with 14:25 left.
The Pokes would cut the deficit to 13 points at 47-24 with 13:36 left thanks to a pair of technical free throws and a layup from James. But the Rams would go on a 12-0 run over nearly three minutes to build a 59-34 advantage halfway through the second stanza.
The Rams would maintain that advantage for the rest of the contest on their way to the 83-48 win. The two teams split this season’s Border War with each team earning a win on its own floor.
Colorado State was led in scoring by J.D. Paige with 15 points. He also added four rebounds and four assists. Carvacho added 13 points, but was held six rebounds under his nationally leading average of 13.
Wyoming heads to Fresno State for a showdown with the Bulldogs next Wednesday at 8 p.m. MT in the Save Mart Center.
Cowgirls keep rolling with win in Fort Collins
Senior Marta Gomez had her first career double-double, and the Cowgirls held the Rams to the third fewest points allowed in a game in the history of the “Border War,” and the fewest allowed in any game this season, as Wyoming (18-5, 11-3 MW) topped Colorado State (8-17, 2-12 MW) by a final score of 56-32.
“We knew going into today that open shots were going to be difficult to find,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “I think statistically, you’re looking at the two top defensive teams in the conference, and in the first five minutes, I think it was 4-0. Both teams were tight offensively, just due to the nature of the game. I thought both teams really dug in defensively, took away the strengths of the offenses and made it difficult to find open looks.”
The Cowgirls fired up defensively in the second half and only allowed 12 points in the final 20 minutes of the game. The only two times CSU scored fewer than 32 points against the Cowgirls were the first two games in this storied rivalry, a pair of 42-26 and 55-22 Wyoming wins in 1973-74.
Gomez had her first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high-tying 10 rebounds. She also added a career-high four steals on the defensive end. Senior Bailee Cotton was a rebound shy of a double-double, as she scored a game-high 17 points and added nine boards. Cotton was also force defensively with a pair of blocks and a season-high-tying three steals.
“At halftime, what we talked about was having the energy to play,” Legerski said. “And I give all credit to my senior Bailee Cotton. She may be as good as we’ve had in trying to keep people positive, and I thought Bailee had a big game today. (She’s) One rebound short of a double-double with 17 (points) and nine (rebounds), but she really gets this group going.”
Freshman Karla Erjavec added seven points and a block, while junior Taylor Rusk, senior Clara Tapia and senior Sladjana Rakovic each added five points. Rusk also had a team-high four assists with zero turnovers.
The Cowgirls shot 42.0 percent (21-of-50) from the field, 33.3 percent (5-of-15) from three and 81.8 percent (9-of-11) from the free throw line. Wyoming had 14 assists and had just seven turnovers.
The Rams were led by Liah Davis’ 12 points and six rebounds, while Lore Devos scored nine points with three rebounds and a steal.
Colorado State shot 28.3 percent (13-of-46) from the field, 12.5 percent (1-of-8) from three and 62.5 percent (5-of-8) from the free throw line. The Rams are the third Cowgirl opponent this season to shoot below 30 percent from the field, and the fifth in a row to shoot below 40 percent. Colorado State had four assists and 13 turnovers.
It was a slow start offensively for both teams, but Tapia drained an elbow jumper almost three minutes in to open the scoring. That basket sparked an 8-0 run over the first 6:26 of the game that was capped by a pair of Cotton free throws. An Erjavec pull-up jumper with two minutes in the quarter put the Cowgirls up 12-6. Rakovic hit a jumper on Wyoming’s last possession, and the Cowgirls held a 14-8 lead after one quarter of play.
The Rams got on the board first in the second frame, but Rakovic answered with a three-ball. A long jump shot by Cotton gave the Cowgirls a 21-14 lead at the 4:39 mark, and she scored again to push it to 23-14, forcing a CSU timeout with 3:02 remaining in the half. However, the Rams ended the quarter on a 6-2 run, and the Cowgirls had a 25-20 lead at the halftime break.
Cotton converted an old-fashioned three-point play out of the break to start the scoring in the second half. After a Ram free throw, Gomez nailed a trey to give Wyoming its largest lead of the game at the time, 31-21, at the 6:19 mark of the third quarter. In the midst of a 4:38 scoring drought, the Rams called time trailing 33-21 with 4:19 to go in the frame. The Cowgirls used that drought to go on an 11-0 run capped by a Gomez three that fired up the crowd of 3,361 fans. The Rams scored just their fifth point of the quarter with under a minute left, and the Cowgirls took a 39-25 lead into the final frame.
Cotton scored Wyoming’s first four points of the fourth quarter, and after a Gomez free throw, the Cowgirls held a 44-27 lead with 8:32 to go. The Cowgirls used another prolonged Rams scoring drought to jump out to a 51-27 lead, but after a CSU field goal, Erjavec buried a three to extend the lead to 54-29 with 3:11 to play. After a few more baskets each way, the Cowgirls took the 56-32 win.
The Cowgirls return to the hardwood on Wednesday, Feb. 27, when they host Fresno State in the Arena-Auditorium at 6:30 p.m. (MT).