These Wyoming Cowgirls Could Be Joe Legerski’s Best Team Ever
In 16 years as the head women's basketball coach at Wyoming, Joe Legerski has led the Cowgirls to a WNIT Championship, the school's first NCAA Tournament apprearance, set a school record with 310 career wins, and has been named the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year three times.
But there's still one thing missing from his resume, a Mountain West Conference title. With a win over 7th-seeded San Diego State in Las Vegas tonight, Wyoming will advance to the Mountain Conference Championship game for the first time.
Led by six seniors, the Cowgirls are tough and experienced. They were the best defensive team in the conference during the regular season, allowing just over 56 points per game. They also boast one of the most potent offenses in the league.
"We’ve really mastered the motion offense, and I think it’s really hard to guard,” forward Marta Gomez told the Casper Star-Tribune after last night's quarterfinal win against Utah State.
Wyoming's 21-7 record and 13 conference wins rank among the best in program history. The Cowgirls were 27-6, 12-4 in the Mountain West, when they advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2007-2008. The previous year, Wyoming finished 27-9, 11-5 in the conference, and won the WNIT title.
This isn't the first Las Vegas rodeo for Bailey Cotton, Marta Gomez, Clara Tapia, and the other seniors. After falling short in the Mountain West semifinals last year, these Cowgirls are hoping to cut down the nets in Sin City and give their coach his first conference championship.