Sickles Big Scoring Night Sends Cowgirls Past Anteaters, 51-42

Ashley Sickles scored a career-high 24 points to propel Wyoming past UC Irvine, 51-42, Wednesday night at the Double A. The Cowgirls won their fourth game of the season on the strength of their defense, which held the Anteaters to 27.3 percent shooting.

The Cowgirls were down 6-2 early in the game before Kaitlyn Mileto sparked a 12-2 run with a pair of 3-pointers that put UW up 14-8. UC Irvine pulled back within 4 points to 17-13 at 10:26, but would add just one free throw to the scoreboard the rest of the half. As the Cowgirl defense shut down the Anteaters, the offense hit full throttle and UW went into the locker room with a 32-14 lead.

Sickles was the Cowgirl offense in the second half, scoring 16 of the 19 Wyoming points. UC Irvine rallied within 8 twice in the second half by forcing 15 Cowgirl turnovers, but Sickles sealed the win with 6 points in the final two minutes. The junior from Iowa also grabbed 3 rebounds, blocked 3 shots and had a steal on her banner scoring night.

We have to replace so many points from a year ago and everyone is trying to adjust to their new role. One of the roles now for Ashley is she has to step up and score at a very high level. And she's starting to do that; she's starting to feel more comfortable; she's playing very well for us and I couldn't be happier for a young person who's had to adjust from a role of being a support person to being a go-to person. This should give her a great deal more confidence.
-Head Coach Joe Legerski

UW (4-7) shot 42.2 percent (19-45) from the field, 30.8 percent (4-13) from 3-point range and 69.2 percent (9-13) from the free throw line. Behind Sickles' 24 points, Mileto hit three 3's on her way to 13 points and Chaundra Sewell put up 10 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds, despite not feeling well in the second half.

UC Irvine (4-8) was led by Jazmyne White with 8 points and 8 rebounds. No Anteaters were able to score in double figures as they shot 27.3 percent (15-55) from the field, 22.2 percent (4-18) from beyond the arc, and 57.1 percent (8-14) from the charity stripe.

Wednesday's win gives the Cowgirls a two-game winning streak at home. They'll look for their third straight on Thursday, Dec. 29 when they take on Bowling Green in the Arena Auditorium. The game will start at 7:00 p.m. with coverage on KOWB-AM beginning at 6:30 p.m.