LARAMIE, Wyo. (Nov. 16, 2021) – The Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team hits the road for the first time in 2021-22, looking to bounce back from its first loss of the season as the Cowgirls travel to play Kansas City Thursday at 5 p.m., Mountain Time. UW lost 57-48 to Wichita State at home last Saturday.
Thursday's contest will be broadcast on gowyo.com and can be heard across all 25 stations on the Cowgirl Radio Network with Keith Kelley on the radio call.
A LOOK AT THE COWGIRLS
The Cowgirls (1-1) suffered their first setback of the season against Wichita State last weekend. UW shot just 31.5 percent in the defensive struggle against the Shockers. McKinley Bradshaw led the way with a game-high 22 points in the loss. It was the fourth 20-point effort of Bradshaw's career. Bradshaw hit 9-of-15 shots in the contest and made a trio of 3-pointers.
Grace Ellis was the other Cowgirl in double figures against Wichita as she scored a career-high 13 points and grabbed a career-best seven boards. Ellis has set new career marks in both scoring and rebounding in each of her first two career starts at Wyoming. Tommi Olson had five assists and her first turnover of the season in Saturday's loss. So far on the young season, Olson's 10-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is sixth-best in the nation.
Alba Sanchez Ramos is third on the Cowgirls in scoring at nine points through two games and leads the squad with 7.5 rebounds per contest. Dating back to last season, Sanchez Ramos is averaging 7.4 boards over her last 14 games, including five games of 10 boards or more.
SCOUTING KANSAS CITY
Kansas City is 1-1 to open the 2021-22 season. The Roos opened the season with a loss at SMU before winning their home-opener, 67-46 against Southern Illinois. Three Roos scored in double figures in the win over the Salukis and were led by Naomie Alnatas' 16. Mandy Willems and Brooklyn McDavid added 15 and 14, respectively.
Alnatas leads KC averaging 15.5 points per game on 52 percent shooting this season. Alnatas also leads the Roos with 12 total assists (6 per game). McDavid, meanwhile, is averaging 13 per game and has pulled down a team-high nine rebounds per game and is shooting 55 percent from the floor.
Kansas City is averaging 65 points per game thus far in 2021-22 and is allowing just 60.5 per contest. The Roos are shooting nearly 46 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3-point range this season. KC opponents are shooting under 37 percent and 31 percent from beyond-the-arc. KC and its opponents are both averaging 35 rebounds per contest.
Head Coach Jacie Hoyt is in her fifth season with the Roos and is 59-57 overall. Hoyt led Kansas City to its first-ever regular season conference title in 2019-20, after guiding the Roos to a 21-10 mark overall and 13-3 record in Summit League play.
SERIES AGAINST KANSAS CITY
The Cowgirls and Roos have split each of their previous two meetings all-time. UW won the first-ever meeting with KC, 58-48 in Laramie back in 1989. Kansas City returned the favor with a 53-38 win the following season in Kansas City.
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