After a 16-0 start to the game, the Wyoming Cowgirls cruised past Chadron State 80-33 in their season opener Wednesday night in Laramie.

Four Cowgirls scored in double figures led by Tereza Vitulova with 14 points. Alba Sanchez Ramos had 12 off the bench, while Marta Gomez and Bailee Cotton added 11 points each. UW played all 12 of its players that suited for the game. Only Clara Tapia and Tiana Raca scored in the game.

Cotton and Gomez weren’t that impressed with how the team played, particularly in the first half, despite the outcome.

Wyoming (1-0) shot only 39 percent from the field. They knocked down ten 3-pointers, six of which came in the third quarter. UW was 10-29, 34.5 percent, from deep. They had a 46-39 edge on the glass and forced 29 turnovers by the Eagles. UW also scored 39 points off those turnovers.

Chadron State (0-1) made only 14 shots from the floor. They were held to 27.5 percent shooting. The Eagles went 0-10 from three. They were led by McKenna McClintic with nine points and six rebounds.

After the hot start, the Cowgirls led 24-8 at the end of the first. They held Chadron State to two points in the second. In fact, the Eagles went 15:01 of game time without a point. That was from the 9:49 mark of the second on a pair of free throws until a free throw with 4:48 left in the third.

Wyoming’s defense held Chadron State to single digits in three of the four quarters. The Eagles scored eight in the first, two in the second, and only seven in the third.

Chadron State did out-score UW 16-14 in the final quarter, but the lead didn’t shrink too much. The Cowgirls led by as much as 52 points, and the final margin was 47 points.

UW improved to 13-3 in season opener’s under head coach Joe Legerski.

Wyoming returns to action Friday with their first road game at St. Mary’s (CA). The Gaels went 20-11 overall with a 13-5 mark for second in the West Coast Conference last season. They played in the WNIT but lost in the first round to New Mexico. St. Mary’s returns three starters and 12 letter winners from that team. Megan McKay and Sydney Raggio were First Team and Second Team All-WCC last season, respectively. The Gaels have won 20 or more games each of the last seven seasons.

Friday’s game between UW and St. Mary’s will start at 7:30 p.m., Mountain Time. It will be the Gaels’ season debut.

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