LARAMIE – Aurore Eyango was given the nickname as a freshman by teammates having trouble pronouncing her name.
 
Wyoming's senior guard admits being called "Juice," something that has stuck throughout her college journey at three different schools, tracks with her personality.
 
"Because of my energy, my light, the way I approach people I had the juice in me," Eyango said.
 
Not surprisingly, UW men's basketball coach Sundance Wicks is a fan of the women's graduate transfer from Lille, France.
 
"He gave me a hat," Eyango said. "He said, 'Your name is Juice? Come to my office and look at my hats.' That's so nice of him."
 
After losing six seniors from last year's team, including Mountain West player of the year Allyson Fertig and defensive player of the year Emily Mellema, the Cowgirls struggled with the transition to a new era during the first half of the season.
 
Malene Pedersen (16.7 points per game) leads the conference in scoring, but the steady senior guard has been carrying a heavy burden while waiting for others to get up to speed with the motion offense.
 
Eyango is among a group of improving role players that have sparked UW during the team's current three-game winning streak. She is coming off a career-high 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting during last Saturday's 74-56 win at Utah State.
 
"At first, I came here to play defense and get some rebounds but know I'm shooting the ball more. I'm embracing this role and love it so far," Eyango said. "I've had some time to adjust to my new teammates. The freshmen and transfers didn't play here last year, but we're on a good track so far."
 
Jane Rumpf was named the MW freshman of the week after averaging 12.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks in the back-to-back wins over Utah State. Logann Alvar scored 12 points, and Henna Sandvik added eight points and six rebounds to complement Pedersen's team-high 17 points against the Aggies in Logan, Utah.
 
Eyango's performance off the bench helped UW seal its first true road win of the season.
 
"She has always been the most energetic player, a great cutter, moves well off the ball. It has been great to see her confidence and everything clicking with our offense," Sandvik said of Eyango. "She has just been so aggressive at the right times and the right moments. It is really paying off for her.
 
"A lot of players have become more confident and stepped up. That helps the team the right amount and I feel like our offense especially has got so much better."
 
UW head coach Heather Ezell does not rely on the transfer portal to build teams, but after losing so many seniors in one cycle she signed Eyango (St. Bonaventure) and Sandvik (Indiana) to provide some experience alongside Pedersen.
 
"I knew it was going to take a little bit of time for them to mesh and figure out what their role was and how our program and our system was going to fit for them," Ezell said. "Now I think you're really seeing the fruits of their labor and the time that we put in for them to develop."
 
Eyango started her collegiate career at Clarendon College before moving from the junior college level to Division I at St. Bonaventure. The Cowgirls' tradition attracted her to Laramie for her final college stop; she wants to play professionally in Europe next year.
 
"I was looking for a program used to winning and having this mentality that we never give up," Eyango said. "There were some programs that play the way I play, but they don't have this culture and this family environment. Wyoming was the best choice ever and I'm very happy to be here."
 
UW hosts Fresno State on Wednesday at the Arena-Auditorium (6:30 p.m., MW Network). Eyango did not score in the Cowgirls' 53-36 road loss to the Bulldogs on Dec. 20, but the team suddenly has a lot more "Juice" entering the second half of the season.
 
"Her confidence is kind of through the roof now and when you're playing with that confidence good things happen," Ezell said. "Right now, with her on the court good things are happening on both ends."
 
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.
 
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