(UW Athletics release)
LARAMIE, Wyo. – The Wyoming Cowgirls (19-6, 12-4 MW) will host the San José State Spartans (5-22, 4-12 MW) on Monday, March 4, for Senior Night. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (MT) inside the Arena-Auditorium. Prior to the game, the Cowgirls will honor their six seniors: Bailee Cotton, Marta Gomez, Tijana Raca, Sladjana Rakovic, Clara Tapia and Rachelle Tucker.
The game will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network and on Stadium, and can be heard across the 25 stations of the Cowgirl Radio Network with Reece Monaco on play-by-play and Wyoming Hall of Famer Margie McDonald with color commentary.
The Cowgirls are 19-6 this season and 12-4 in the Mountain West coming off a 59-56 overtime win at Air Force. The Cowgirls are led offensively by senior forward Marta Gomez who averages 15.9 points per game while adding 5.0 rebounds per contest. Senior forward Bailee Cotton averages nearly a double-double with 11.6 points per contest and pulling down a team best 8.7 rebounds per game. Cotton has also taken a team-leading 15 charges this season. Junior Taylor Rusk is scoring 9.6 points per contest while adding 84 assists and only 26 turnovers, the 10th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country. Freshman guard Karla Erjavec leads the team in the assist department with 90 on the year. Defensively, Erjavec has recorded 27 steals this season, while Cotton has 25 blocks and 30 steals.
Offensively, the Cowgirls are shooting at a 46.0 percent (632-of-1,374) clip from the field while shooting 40.2 percent (182-of-453) from three and 76.5 percent (264-of-345) from the free throw line to average 68.4 points per game. The Cowgirls average 15.9 assists and just 11.7 turnovers per game. Opponents are shooting 40.8 percent (546-of-1,339) from the field, 31.3 percent (109-of-348) from three and 69.8 percent (210-of-301) from the free throw line to average 56.4 points per game. Cowgirl foes average 9.4 assists and 14.3 turnovers per game.
Head coach Joe Legerski is in his 16th year at the helm of the Cowgirls, and he has compiled a 308-183 record as Wyoming’s head coach. He is the winningest coach in program history.
The Spartans are 5-22 overall with a 4-12 record in the Mountain West following an 84-76 victory against San Diego State. Raziya Potter leads the Spartans offensively, scoring 9.1 points per game. She adds 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest. Analyss Benally scores 8.7 points per game, while Megan Anderson chips in 8.7 points, and 3.3 rebounds per game. Mikaylah Wilson leads the team on the glass with 5.0 rebounds per contest, while Cydni Lewis averages 1.0 blocks each game. Danae Marquez directs the offense with 4.8 assists per game, and leads the squad with 1.6 steals per contest.
Offensively, the Spartans are shooting 37.2 percent (621-of-1,670) from the field, 32.4 percent (229-of-706) from three and 69.0 percent (258-of-374) from the free throw line to average 64.0 points per game. SJSU averages 13.9 assists and 17.6 turnovers per game. Defensively, opponents are shooting 41.9 percent (772-of-1,841) from the field, 29.8 percent (182-of-611) from three and 67.0 percent (343-of-512) from the free throw line to score 76.6 points per game. Spartan foes average 18.5 assists and 16.0 turnovers per contest.
Head coach Jamie Craighead is 58-97 in five seasons at the helm of the Spartans, and she owns a 109-167 overall record in nine years as a Division I head coach.
The Cowgirls own a 10-3 lead in the series against the Spartans and have won the last five games played between the two teams. At home, Wyoming is 5-1 against SJSU, and has won the last two games played here at 7,220 feet. The Cowgirls have only allowed an average of 57.0 Spartan points in the last five contests, while scoring an average of 70.2 points over that same span.
The Cowgirls travel to face New Mexico in the regular-season finale on Thursday, March 7. Tipoff in Albuquerque is set for 7 p.m. (MT).
