TORRINGTON, Wyo. – The Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team snapped a 3-game losing skid with a 34-point win over Eastern Wyoming College Monday evening at Torrington, Wyoming.
The Cougars used an explosive offensive attack as nine players hit the scoring column and minimized second-chance Lancer points for the 80-46 win.
WNCC freshman Faith Walker said this was a complete team win.
"I felt like we shared the ball very well and we played our tempo," Walker said. "After the losses we took. I think everyone felt like we needed this."
The defense was huge for the Cougars as well, generating turnovers and outrebounding the Lancers.
"The defense was so aggressive," Walker said. "We knew we had to play good defense to win the game and we knew we had to start from the beginning to the end."
WNCC definitely started from the beginning as they ripped off 29 first-quarter points.
"I think our teamwork helped a lot," Walker said. "We all wanted each other to score and our excitement on the bench was contagious."
The Cougar women trailed just twice in the contest and it was early. The last time was at 6-4 after two Andrea Gutierrez Ciodia points. After that, the Cougars went to town on the offensive end with a 19-6 run to lead 24-6. Jayla Owen and Yara Garcia each buried a 3-pointer during the run.
EWC stopped the run with a bucket with 1:30 to play in the first quarter, but the Cougars added a bucket by Faith Walker and a trey by Bre Fowler to lead 29-9 after one quarter.
The second quarter was back and forth as neither team got on a run. WNCC had one 4-point run on buckets by Ola Duda and Faith Walker to lead 33-11 and the Lancers had a 4-point run on a bucket by Tamar Kopilevich. WNCC led at halftime 41-26.
The third quarter saw WNCC outscore the Lancer 18-12 with WNCC leading 59-38 after 30 minutes of play.
The fourth quarter was all WNCC as the Cougars exploded out of the gate to lead 72-42 on a Walker bucket and costed to the win, outscoring the Lancers 21-8 in the final stanza.
WNCC put nine players in the score book with five in double figures. Owen and Duda led the way with 13 points followed by Walker with 11, and Shiho Isono and Garcia with 10 points each.
EWC was led in scoring by Tamak Kopilevich with 13 points.
WNCC will be back in action Friday when they begin Region IX South Sub-region play at McCook Community College.
WNCC 29 12 18 21 – 80
EWC 9 17 12 8 -- 46
WNCC
Shiho Isono 10, Jayla Owen 13, Yara Garcia.10, Bre Fowler 9, Emma Persson-Bandh 2, Mackenzie Joseph 4, Ola Duda 13, Faith Walker 11, Rashaan Smith 4.
EWC
Neylan Vila Delicado 1, Monika Brcina 2, Ines Gnahore 10, Amanda Sene da Cruz 10, Andrea Gutierrez Ciordia 8, Avery West 1, Tamar Kopilevich 13.