Now tied for second place in the Mountain West Conference, the Lady Frogs are ready to put their current four-game winning streak to the test tonight.The Lady Frogs (19-7, 9-3) will play the Wyoming Cowgirls in a critical conference match-up with a home-court advantage.
The Frogs have not lost a home game in a school-record 19 games, but they did lose to the Cowgirls on Jan. 20 when the teams last played each other.
With the conference tournament rapidly approaching, senior guard Ashley Davis said the team is ready to put it all on the line tonight.
“We’re a team of veterans – we know what’s on the table,” Davis said.
Although Wyoming, 16-8 and 7-5 in the Mountain West Conference, is sitting in fifth place in the conference standings, this game is critical because the Frogs are only one game behind conference frontrunner Brigham Young University (10-2 MWC).
Davis said the team knows that if it wins the rest of its games, they will play BYU in the conference championship.
“It’s kind of like our backs are against the wall,” Davis said. “But we play better under pressure.”
Senior forward Hanna Biernacka said the team is preparing for Wyoming by focusing on its own game.
“They’re a good team,” Biernacka said of the Cowgirls. “It’s going to be a good physical game, but we have to relax and play our game.”
Head coach Jeff Mittie said his team has been playing at a more intense level but has room for improvement for Thursday.
Mittie cited an increased defensive effort as one of the advantages for the Frogs, but said he is worried about the team’s ability to sink shots. In the last game against the Utah Utes, the Lady Frogs shot only 34.1 percent from the field compared to the season average of 42.7.
“We have to play a smart game against Wyoming,” Mittie said. “They have a lot of good scorers.”
As the end of the season nears, Mittie said the team is getting better at finding its tempo in games.
“People get caught up in momentum, but how many times does momentum change during the game?” Mittie said.
“It’s more important to play at a higher level consistently,” he said.
Whether the Frogs find their cadence against the Cowgirls remains to be seen.
