FORT COLLINS, Colo.—During a record-setting season, No. 18 Wyoming still found satisfaction in beating a team headed in the other direction.
Justyna Podziemska scored 16 points and Aubrey Vandiver added 14 to lead Wyoming to a 68-55 victory over Colorado State on Saturday.
“I’m as pleased with this win as any win that we’ve had because this was 40 minutes tonight, and you just couldn’t blink,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski. “Because if (you did), you were going to be behind.
“CSU came out with a great intensity and energy to play us today,” Legerski said. “We had to settle down and play the way we go about business and were able to do that.”
Hanna Zavecz chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds for Wyoming (18-1, 6-0 Mountain West), winners of a school-record 12 in a row. This is the highest ranking for the Cowgirls in school history.
“Maybe teams are playing us harder since we have been ranked,” Zavecz said. “Teams just aren’t laying down and saying, ‘here, have the win.'”
Britney Minor led Colorado State (2-16, 0-5) with 13 points. Amaka Uzomah had 12 points and 18 rebounds for the Rams, who have lost nine straight in what is the worst start in the team’s history.
“I thought our team gave a strong effort,” Colorado State coach Jen Warden said. “Defensively, we were successful enough to where we had a chance to have a win. And you can’t say enough about the game Amaka had on both ends of the floor.”
After falling behind by four points early in the second half, a 3-pointer by Podziemska and two free throws from Zavecz put Wyoming ahead 36-32 with 15:38 to play. Elle Queen’s layup with 10:38 left kept Colorado State within 44-43, before Elizabeth Dissen’s free throw began a 6-0 run that put the Cowgirls ahead 50-43.
Queen scored on an inside move to get the Rams to within 50-47, but Wyoming responded with an 8-2 run to put the game away. Colorado State was never closer than five points the rest of the way.
Legerski pointed to the 3-pointer by Jodi Bolerjack with 3:08 left as the basket that put the dagger to Colorado State. The 3-pointer made it 61-51.
“That was a big basket,” Legerski said.
The game was tied at 26 after Colorado State took an early 15-7 lead on a rebound basket by Uzomah. Podziemska’s 3-pointer gave Wyoming its first lead, 26-23, with 35 seconds to play, but Minor matched it 12 seconds later for the Rams with a three-point play of her own.
