(Zach Agee Photo)
First half struggles for the Wyoming Cowgirls showed early as they went 6–28 from the field, 1–10 from three and 2–5 from the free-throw line. The positives for the half had to be that the Fresno State Bulldogs weren’t doing any better. The only shooting stat they had beaten the Cowgirls in were free throws, going 5–5, giving the Bulldogs a five-point lead at halftime, 20–15. Hopefully, the Cowgirls could regroup and come out swinging in the second half.
Coming out of the half, the Cowgirls looked very lethargic on the court. They didn’t crash the net after shots and played with very questionable decision-making, committing 19 turnovers. The Cowgirls seemed to abandon the idea of shooting in the paint and relied heavily on the three-point line.
With about two minutes left, however, you could feel the energy start to shift toward the Cowgirls when they hit a massive three. With the game tied at 42–42, the Cowgirls generated a steal, shifting the momentum in their favor. After an incredibly slow start to the half, the Cowgirls entered the last minute of the fourth quarter with a two-point lead.
The Cowgirls rallied behind the crowd and finished the game by snatching the win from the Bulldogs, adding another win to the Cowgirls’ win streak.
The Cowgirls ended the game shooting 33% from the field, 32% from the three-point line and 50% from the free-throw line, yet still found a way to win in the second half.
The message head coach Heather Ezell gave the Cowgirls at halftime was, “We gotta get back to what’s working. We got to start making passes. We might have had open shots, but when the ball is arriving at your ankles or not on time or on target, it makes it really hard to get shots off.”
The Cowgirls’ 19 turnovers greatly hindered their ability to allow the offense to generate momentum. The Bulldogs kept capitalizing on these turnovers, allowing them to impact a defense that was late getting set. Limiting turnovers must be key in the Cowgirls’ game plan moving forward. Maintaining possession and running their offense will allow them to settle into the game better.
Coach Ezell also stated, “It wasn’t our defensive end, we were guarding well. It was our offensive end executing our motions.”
When the Cowgirls were able to run their set offense, they were able to score and, more importantly, maintain possession.
The Cowgirls are looking to make these adjustments quickly as they prepare to face off against the New Mexico Lobos at home on Feb. 4. The team has to come together and execute in both phases of the game. Facing the current fifth seed in the Mountain West, they will need to continue to rely on their defense in order to assist their offense in getting settled.
