Cowgirls host Saint Mary’s in Sunday matinee

LARAMIE -- The Wyoming Cowgirls (1-0) will continue the 2019-20 season when they host Saint Mary’s on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 1:00 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium.

Gerald Mattinson can become just the third head coach in Cowgirl history to open his UW career with a winning streak.

The game will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network, and can be heard across the 25 stations of the Cowgirl Radio Network with Reece Monaco on play-by-play.

A LOOK AT THE WYOMING COWGIRLS
The Cowgirls are 1-0 on the season with a 70-31 win over Colorado Christian on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Wyoming is led offensively by sophomore guard Karla Erjavec, who put down 14 points in that game. Erjavec also had four rebounds and three assists. Freshman guard McKinley Bradshaw scored 13 points off the bench in her collegiate debut while collecting five rebounds and two steals. Sophomore guard Quinn Weidemann scored eight points while only taking three shots and added a pair of assists and a steal. Defensively, sophomore guard Tommi Olson had four steals, while senior forward Taylor Rusk had a pair of blocks.

The Cowgirls shot 44.8 percent (26-58) from the field, 40.0 percent (8-20) from the three-point line and 66.7 percent (10-15) from the free throw line. Wyoming had 14 assists to 16 turnovers and recorded five blocks and 12 steals. Cowgirl opponents shot 26.1 percent (12-46) from the field, 25.0 percent (3-12) from three and 40.0 percent (4-10) from the free throw line. The Cougars had three assists to 22 turnovers with three blocks and seven steals.

Mattinson is in his first year as head coach of the Cowgirls and owns a 1-0 record. He spent the previous 16 seasons on the Wyoming bench as an assistant and associate head coach.

SCOUTING SAINT MARY’S
The Gaels are 0-1 this season after a 72-78 loss on the road to Nevada. The Gaels will play Friday night against UC Santa Barbara before traveling to Laramie for Sunday’s game. Saint Mary’s is led by Sam Simons, who scored 21 points and collected three rebounds in the season-opener. Madeline Holland nearly had a double-double with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Emily Codding had 13 points and six rebounds. Defensively, three different players had a steal, while Codding had SMC’s lone block.

The Gaels shot 48.4 percent (31-64) from the field, 25.0 percent (5-20) from three and 45.5 percent (5-11) from the free throw line in their loss. Saint Mary’s had 14 assists and 19 turnovers while collecting three steals and a block. SMC’s opponent shot 47.6 percent (30-63) from the field, 53.3 percent (8-15) from three and 58.8 percent (10-17) from the free throw line. Gael foes had 11 steals and one block.

Head coach Paul Thomas is in his 14th season coaching at Saint Mary’s, and he owns a 256-161 record with the Gaels.

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST SAINT MARY’S
The Cowgirls and Gaels have only played three times before, with Saint Mary’s holding a 2-1 lead in the series. Wyoming won the first matchup in Moraga, 76-47 in 1986, while Saint Mary’s won in 2015, 64-70, in Laramie and 84-70 in 2018 in Moraga.

UP NEXT
The Cowgirls have their first road game of the season on Thursday, Nov. 14, when they travel to face Denver in a game at 7 p.m.