Cowgirl Basketball Set To Open MWC Play

New Mexico knocked Wyoming out of the Mountain West Conference tournament a season ago. Since then, the Cowgirls have responded with a WNIT Championship, 12 nonconference wins and a top-25 ranking. But whether that will mean a different outcome for the Cowgirls in tomorrow’s league opener remains to be seen…

Laramie, Wyo. -- The Wyoming Cowgirl Basketball team will begin the 2008 Mountain West Conference schedule against the New Mexico Lobos on Wednesday, January 9 in Albuquerque. The game is set to tip off at 8:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on CSTV.

Wyoming is currently 12-1 overall after a 53-51 victory over San Francisco last week. The Cowgirls are also ranked 21st in the Associated Press Poll and 22nd in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ Poll. Senior Hanna Zavecz continues to lead the way with 14.8 points and 4.1 assists per game. She is followed by sophomore Aubrey Vandiver with 12.3 points and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per contest. The Cowgirls are shooting 41.3 percent (283-686) from the field and 70.4 percent (176-250) from the free throw line.

The Lobos (8-5 overall) are led by Dionne Marsh who is averaging 13.5 points and six rebounds per game. She is followed by Amy Beggin with 12.7 points and 3.8 rebounds. They return two starters and nine letterwinners to a team that went 24-9 overall and 11-5 in the Mountain West Conference a year ago.

This is the 54th meeting between the two schools. New Mexico leads the series 32-21. The last time the two teams met was in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament (3/9/07) as the Lobos defeated the Cowgirls 65-53. New Mexico is coached by Don Flanagan who is in his 13th season with the program.