Dec. 17, 2007
Final Stats
LARAMIE, Wyo. - The University of Northern Colorado women's basketball team evened its season record at 5-5 with a 68-37 loss at #24 Wyoming this evening. The Cowgirls improve to 10-1 with the victory.
Senior forward Danielle Hagen led the team with eight points, while sophomore guard Lizzie Cooper posted a career-best six rebounds and also had three assists and three steals in the game. Freshman forward Lara Merritt also had a career-best five points - all coming at the free throw line.
Northern Colorado hit just two field goals in the second half of the game, but attempted just 13, getting fouled and going to the line 19 times, where they sunk 14 (73.7 percent).
"We played a top 25 team tonight," said assistant coach Paige Sauer. "They were experienced and good and we didn't accept the pressure very well. We started out well. They (Wyoming) made some big three's and we never recovered. For us to beat a top 25 team we have to play a perfect game and we didn't do that tonight."
Wyoming was led by senior forward Hanna Zavecz with 15 points, while sophomore guard Aubrey Vandiver came off the bench to add 13 points and grab a game-high seven rebounds. Guard Dominique Sisk also led the squad with five assists and four steals, while Zavecz had four blocked shots.
The Cowgirls shot .438 from the field and .381 from the three-point line, connecting on eight. They also made 18-of-27 free throws in a game where 44 fouls were called between the two clubs.
The Bears jumped out to the early 7-4 advantage, but an 11-0 run by the Cowgirls gave them the 15-7 lead. NC scored eight of the next 11 to close within three, but went the final 8:23 of the half without a field goal and Wyoming extended the lead to 14 at the break, 33-19. Hagen and Luhring each scored six to lead the Bears, while Cooper posted a career-high with five rebounds in the first half, shattering her previous high of two.
Northern Colorado struggled in the second half. They opened the second half with a layup by Schroeder, but could not manage another field goal until the 3:41 mark when Paige Ricker stole the ball and drove the court for a layup. They did hit 10 free throws during the stretch, however, the Cowgirls used a 10-0 run and a 16-0 run to put up a 65-33 lead after Ricker's layup.
The Bears return to Greeley to host UMKC on Wednesday evening. Game time is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. They then close out the calendar year at San Jose State and St. Mary's before beginning Big Sky Conference play.
