Cowgirls spend finals week off campus

Written by Kendall Hickman

Friday, 05 December 2008 10:24

As if finals week isn’t stressful enough, the University of Wyoming women’s basketball team must manage two games outside Laramie in addition to their end of term exams.

The Cowgirls have two on-the-road matches next week. After traveling to Pocatello to take on the Idaho State Bengals, the Cowgirls will make an appearance at the annual shootout in Casper to match up against North Dakota State.

Wyoming faces the Bengals tomorrow afternoon. Idaho sits at a 3-5 record after defeating Montana-Western Wednesday night. This will be the first home game of the Bengals’ season, as their last seven games have been on the road.

Having faced some Mountain West Conference teams this season, looking at Idaho State’s schedule can give Wyoming an idea how conference play might shape out.

Idaho fell to MWC foe New Mexico by a sizable margin, 82-47. The Bengals shot only 26 percent for the entire game. It was their second loss of the season.

Two weeks later, the Bengals earned a win over Utah State by 15 points, 58-43.

One of the biggest issues Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski faces with the Bengals is the fact that Idaho State has not played at home this season. Home-court advantage definitely has its upsides.

“[They’ve played] seven games out on the road, and that’s difficult for any group,” Legerski said. “I’m sure they’re going to be excited to play at home.”

Legerski said he concentrates on key aspects of the sport before taking on a new team, namely the offensive side of the court.

“We’re going to have to go up there on the road,” Legerski said. “We need to convert easy baskets; whether that’s a six foot shot, a lay-in [or] a put-back off a rebound, we have to step it up and start doing that again.”

The Cowgirls will join the Cowboys in Casper a week later, Dec. 13. The annual shootout is an event that gives more people of Wyoming an opportunity to see the action that regularly takes place in the Arena-Auditorium.

The Cowgirls will share the court with North Dakota State, who stands at 3-2 this season.

Before facing Wyoming, the Bison will face Centenary and Oral Roberts, fellow Summit League contenders.

“The biggest thing for us is to be able to go throughout the state,” Legerski said of the shootout. “That’s one of the reasons we enjoy going up to Casper. There are a lot of fans that don’t have the opportunity to get down to Laramie, and Casper gives us that opportunity. We’re always excited to go up there.”

Wyoming and Idaho State will meet at 2:05 p.m. tomorrow in Pocatello, Idaho.

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