The Cowgirls Season Closes With Loss To Bulldogs
A 14-0 run by Fresno State down the stretch propelled the Bulldogs past the Wyoming Cowgirls, 74-66, Tuesday night at the Mountain West Championships.
A three-pointer from Kaitlyn Mileto gave Wyoming a 53-50 lead with seven minutes left. The Cowgirls wouldn't score again until 59 seconds remained. Fresno State took advantage behind seven points in their spurt from Moriah Faulk.
Wyoming got as close as five points, at 71-66, with 21 seconds left, but the Bulldogs made enough free throws and held off the Cowgirls challenge.
Head coach Joe Legerski said, "I thought there were a couple of plays down the stretch... as we look at it, one of the things we always talk about is there are plays in any basketball game where you have to step up and make the play."
Neither team led by more than five points for the first 35 minutes of action. The game featured 10 lead changes and 11 ties.
Marquelle Dent led four Cowgirls in double figures with a game-high 26 points. Mileto and Jordan Sibrel added 12 points apiece. Jordan Kelley finished with a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Wyoming shot 45 percent from the field and had a 35-32 edge in rebounding.
Fresno State (22-8) had five players score in double figures. They were led by Alex Sheedy with 19 points. The Bulldogs shot 44 percent from the floor. They also finished with 16 points off 14 UW turnovers. Fresno's bench out-scored the Cowgirls' 26-0.
Legerski added, "I thought it was a great game."
This marks the first time since 2011 that the Cowgirls failed to reach the Mountain West Championship semifinals.
Wyoming concludes their 2014-15 season with a 16-14 overall record.