A 19-1 run to end the first half helped the Wyoming Cowgirls to an easy 76-45 victory over the Regis Rangers in exhibition action Monday night at the Arena-Auditorium. Senior Ashley Sickles scored 17 points, on 7-of-14 shooting, grabbed 4 rebounds and had 3 steals to lead UW.

Wyoming started the game on 16-4 run, but then went nearly five minutes without a point. That allowed Regis back in it, as the Rangers trimmed the deficit to 18-13 at the 6:50 mark. The Cowgirls ended a 7-0 spurt by Regis when Sickles connected on a 3-point play, which began the big run that ended the first half. Then Senior Chaundra Sewell and Junior Fallon Lewis scored 4 points apiece in the final 1:43, which helped UW to a 37-14 lead at halftime.

Sickles said, "I think we always tell ourselves to come out strong. If we start out making shots early, it gets us going." Sickles was aggressive, as she scored the Cowgirls first 7 points of the game and had 15 by half.

Sophomore Allison Gorrell poured in 7 of her 10 points in the first 6 minutes of the 2nd period, as Wyoming pushed out to a 48-19 advantage. The Cowgirls built the lead to 34 points on three different occasions in the second half. With 12 minutes left in the game, Head Coach Joe Legerski took out his starters and played the bench the rest of the way.

Legerski said, "What we were able to accomplish tonight was a better defensive effort. Regis puts a lot of pressure on you. They put the ball on the floor. They like to be able to cut, and I thought we did a nice job responding to it."

Sophomore Kayla Woodward contributed 9 points, while Lewis and Sophomore Kaitlyn Mileto added 7 points each. The Cowgirls shot 39.7 percent from the field (29-73), 36.8 percent from 3 (7-19) and were 11-13 (84.6 percent) at the free throw line. They forced 24 Regis turnovers, had 12 steals and out-rebounded the Rangers 39-38.

Regis was led by Sarah Feeney with 14 points and Nicole Brzeczek with 10. The Rangers shot 32.7 percent (16-49) in the game.

The Cowgirls open the 2012-2013 season Friday night at the Double-A, when they host Idaho at 7 pm. You can listen to the game on KOWB, as coverage will begin at 6:30 pm.

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