Fresno State Overcomes Cowgirls Hot Start

The Wyoming Cowgirls failed to hold an early 16-point lead and lost at Fresno State, 64-52, Wednesday night.

The Cowgirls jumped out to a 20-4 advantage in the first quarter. The Bulldogs rallied with a 14-4 spurt in the second quarter that trimmed the lead to 26-22. UW led 31-24 at half.

In the second half, Fresno State quickly tied the game at 31, but Wyoming jumped ahead 38-31. That’s when the Bulldogs went on a decisive 16-0 run and took the lead for good. The Cowgirls rallied within 47-45 about midway through the fourth quarter, but scored seven points the rest of the game.

Head coach Joe Legerski said in a university release,

“We started off the game extremely well and took advantage of our opportunities. Towards the end of second quarter and the beginning of the third, we got away from what we did in the first four minutes of the game.”

Wyoming (12-12, 5-9) was led by Marta Gomez with 17 points. Marquelle Dent added 13 points and seven assists. The Cowgirls shot 37 percent from the field. They hit at a 44 percent clip in the first half, but only 30 percent in the last two quarters. UW also committed 17 turnovers.

Fresno State (15-9, 11-2) got 21 points from Toni Smith and 16 from Shauqunna Collins. The Bulldogs shot 49 percent in the game, which included 61.5 percent in the second half.

The Cowgirls string against the top three in the league continues Saturday. That’s when Wyoming takes on league leader Colorado State in the women’s ‘Border War’ at the Arena-Auditorium. The game starts at 2 p.m.