Vandals Give The Cowgirls Their First Loss, 77-66

Stacey Barr scored a game-high 23 points to lead the Idaho Vandals to a 77-66 victory over the Wyoming Cowgirls Tuesday night in Laramie.

Idaho (2-2) got the revenge they sought for Wyoming's win in Moscow last year.

Barr was one of three Vandals in double figures. She scored 17 in the second half and also grabbed 9 rebounds. Brooke Reilly added 19 points and 7 rebounds, while Christina Salvatore added 18 points and 9 rebounds for Idaho.

The Cowgirls never led in the game. They nearly rallied from a 19-point deficit, but every time UW mounted a challenge, the Vandals had an answer.

Wyoming (2-1) pulled within 51-49 with 12:41 left. The next eight possessions UW came up empty. They missed four shots and committed four turnovers. Idaho was able to stretch the lead back to ten points, and the Cowgirls got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

The Vandals came out firing. They made ten of their first 17 shots for a 25-10 lead. That included four 3-pointers from Salvatore, who scored 17 points in the first half. The lead grew to 33-14 with 5:06 left in the half.

It was the opposite for UW. They started 4-20 from the field before a 14-0 burst got them back in it. It was 33-28 Vandals, when Idaho responded with the last seven points of the half for a 40-28 edge at the break.

Marquelle Dent led the Cowgirls with 19 points and 8 assists. Three others finished in double figures. Kayla Woodward had 13 points and 13 rebounds. Bailee Cotton added 15 points and 8 boards, while Kaitlyn Mileto chipped in 12 points.

Wyoming shot only 30 percent (20-66) from the field. They went 9-27 (33%) beyond the arc. They also committed 14 turnovers and got only two points from their bench.

The Vandals were 26-61 (42.6%) on field goals. They made 9-of-22 (41%) 3-pointers. Idaho also out-rebounded Wyoming 47-40. Two keys ended up being second chance points and points off turnovers for the Vandals. They had a 19-12 edge on second chance points and ended up with a 17-8 advantage in points off turnovers.

The Cowgirls will head out on the road for the first time this season. They will be in Moraga, California for the St. Mary's Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic. Wyoming will play Iowa State on Friday and Howard on Saturday. Both games will start at 1 p.m., Mountain Time.