Cowgirls Fall Short to UC Davis in WNIT Second Round [VIDEOS]
The 2018 basketball season came to an end for the Wyoming Cowgirls with a 74-64 loss to UC Davis in the second round of the WNIT Sunday.
The Aggies used an 8-0 run early in the second quarter to take the lead for good, 28-23. They led 38-33 by halftime and 58-49 after the third. The lead for UC Davis reached 15 points, at 66-51, with 5:17 left.
The Cowgirls pulled within 66-58 on a Marleah Campbell jumper at the 3:28 mark. They had the ball on a 3-on-2 fast break and a chance to pull closer, but turned it over just inside three minutes left. Six free throws and a basket closed it out for the Aggies.
UC Davis (27-6) shot 58 percent for the game. They shot 53.8 percent or better in all four quarters. Morgan Bertsch scored a game-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting. The Aggies also had a 31-23 rebounding advantage. They overcame 16 turnovers.
Wyoming (22-11) shot just 38 percent for the game. Liv Roberts led the way with 23 points. Natalie Baker added 10. The Cowgirls hung tough with nine 3-pointers.
Seniors Roberts and Baker spoke with the media after the game about how Davis played similar to them and just out-hustled them.
Even head coach Joe Legerski gave credit to UC Davis and their execution, but also knew his team struggled shooting the ball.
Wyoming hung tough early behind three triples by Roberts in the opening quarter. It was 20-18 Aggies after the first. Baker made a pair of free throws and knocked down a three early in the second for a 23-20 UW lead before Davis made its key run and never trailed after that.
The Cowgirls concluded 2018 with back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. The 22 victories is tied for seventh most all-time.