LARAMIE, Wyo. (October 30, 2019) – The Wyoming Cowgirls (0-0, 0- MW) are set for an exhibition contest on Friday, Nov. 1, when they host Adams State at 6:30 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium. The Cowgirls will officially begin the 2019-20 season next Wednesday, Nov. 6, when they welcome Colorado Christian to 7,220 feet for a game at 6:30 p.m.

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 and Wyoming Hall of Famer Margie McDonald with color commentary.
 
A LOOK AT THE WYOMING COWGIRLS
The Cowgirls return two starters and seven letterwinners from last year's team that went 25-9 overall with a 13-3 mark in Mountain West play. The 2018-19 Cowgirl team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women's National Invitation Tournament for just the second time in school history.
 
The two starters returning are senior Taylor Rusk and sophomore Karla Erjavec. Rusk is primed to be Wyoming's next 1,000 point scorer, as she is just 155 points shy of the milestone. Erjavec set the program's freshman assist record with 124 helpers last season to lead the team.
 
Other returning Cowgirls that saw action last season include sophomore Quinn Weidemann, sophomore Tereza Vitulova, sophomore Alba Sanchez Ramos, senior Elisa Pilli and sophomore Tommi Olson.
 
Weidemann and Vitulova are the most experienced of that group, as they played in 34 and 27 games last season, respectively. Sanchez Ramos proved to be a capable scorer in her minutes, while Pilli had a good touch from long range, and Olson averaged over a steal per game, defensively.
 
Wyoming also welcomes back Selale Kepenc, a redshirt junior who didn't play last season while recovering from an injury.
 
The Cowgirls will have five newcomers on the roster in junior college transfers and Wyoming natives Jaye Johnson and Emily Buchanan. Additionally, a trio of freshman join the 2019-20 squad. McKinley Bradshaw and Paige Powell are both from Wyoming, while Jaeden Vaifanua is from Draper, Utah.
 
Head coach Gerald Mattinson is in his first year at the helm of the Cowgirls after spending the last 16 seasons as an assistant and associate head coach of Wyoming.
 
SCOUTING ADAMS STATE
The Adams State Grizzlies went 2-24 last season with a 2-20 mark in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. They were led in scoring by Stephanie Ruiz' 11.8 points per game and Brooke Neal's 9.4 points per game. Marshell Hollins directed the offense with a team-best 2.2 assists per game, while Sentreal Gregory added 1.7 assists per contest. Ki'asha Harris grabbed 5.2 rebounds per game, while Neal was second on the team with a 3.8 rebound per game average. Defensively, Neal averaged 1.3 steals per game while Harris and Hollins eache recorded 1.2 steals per contest. The Grizzlies didn't have a strong paint presence, as their leading blocker, Lowendie Laporal, averaged just 0.4 blocks per contest.
 
As a team last season, the Grizzlies shot 35.9 percent (486-1252) from the field, 28.9 percent (132-456) from three and 76.1 percent (271-356) from the free throw line to average 55.0 points per game. Opponents shot 43.7 percent (588-1347) from the field, 33.5 percent (155-462) from three and 72.9 percent (363-498) from the free throw line to average 67.8 points per game. The Grizzlies averaged 31.8 rebounds, 9.9 assists, 17.2 turnovers, 7.6 steals and 1.8 blocks per game a year ago.
 
Head coach Jaime Green is in her second season at the helm of the Grizzlies, and has a 2-24 overall record at Adams State.
 
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST ADAMS STATE
The Cowgirls and Mountaineers have squared off 11 times in regular season history, most recently during the 2017-18 season. In that game, Wyoming earned a 73-47 victory, as the Cowgirls have won all 11 matchups, which have all been in Laramie.. The series opener was a 66-65 win in 1981 at home. In 1987, the Cowgirls scored 106 points, which is the sixth most points the Cowgirls have ever scored in a game. The most points Adams State has scored in the series came in a 92-79 loss for the Grizzlies in 1986.
 
UP NEXT
The Cowgirls lift the lid on the 2019-20 season on Wednesday, Nov. 6, when they host Colorado Christian at 6:30 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium.