Even without the Mountain West Conference leader in assists, the San Diego State women’s basketball team hung tough on the road against one of the top teams in the conference.

SDSU (8-11, 2-5 MWC) fought hard but lost to Wyoming (16-4, 6-1 MWC) 59-51, in a close game Aztec senior leader and point guard, Coco Davis, did not play because of an injury.

“I think the biggest challenge for us was we had no idea (Davis) wouldn’t play until 90 minutes before the tipoff,” head coach Beth Burns said.
Davis was nursing a foot injury and made the trip to Laramie, Wyo. with the team, but after a long plane and bus ride, the injury tightened up, and the trainers recommended she sit out.

The first half featured three crucial runs. First, the Cowgirls shot out of the gate and opened the game with a 19-7 lead. SDSU began to block shots and force turnovers midway through the half and went on a 16-2 run of its own. However, the Aztecs’ lead was short-lived, and Wyoming ended the half with three 3-pointers to enter halftime with a six-point lead.

Both teams shot well from outside in the first half. Sophomore guard Courtney Clements made three 3-pointers for SDSU while Aubrey Vandiver made three from beyond the arc for the Cowgirls.

Wyoming was able to maintain its lead throughout the second half because of strong free throw shooting.  The Cowgirls only made three field goals in the entire second half and shot just 15.8 percent, but got to the line 25 times where they made 15.

The Aztecs got a strong performance from senior forward Jessika Bradley, who scored 12 to go along with 13 rebounds and five blocks. But the strong play inside was not enough for SDSU, and Wyoming was able to ice the game down the stretch from the free throw line.

“We guarded our guts out,” Burns said. “Hats off to our kids. Wyoming is a really good team and we played hard. It’s a good game for us. We’re proud of it and we’ve just got to keep our heads up and keep battling.”