TORRINGTON – Conference play intensified for the Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) Lady Lancers with games against the Western Wyoming Community College (WWCC) Lady Mustangs and the Casper College Lady Thunderbirds over the weekend.

Opening the action on a high note, the Lady Lancers netted a decisive 76-68 victory against WWCC on February 1.

The Lady Lancers battled back to close a 20-14 deficit in the first quarter and trailed WWCC by only a single possession, 33-30, at halftime. EWC outscored the Lady Mustangs, 46-35, in the second half to prevail.

“We had a great team effort led by Hailey Long and Ali Tripp against Western Wyoming,” head coach Tim Larsen said. “It was a big-time defensive effort by everyone to keep their scorers down. It was a gritty win.”

On Saturday, Casper College won a high-scoring first quarter, 31-24, and continued to widen its lead through the second and third quarters to post an 85-66 win.

“It was a tough game against a really good Casper team,” Larsen said. “I’m proud of our team effort and execution on the offensive end just missed some shots we normally make. I thought we got good looks and just had a hard time finishing, but we competed extremely well.”

WWCC

The Lady Lancers opened the game with a 9-point run, including outside shots by Tripp and Long and a jumper from sophomore Andrea Gutierrez Ciordia.

WWCC responded with an 8-point run but Tripp and sophomore Sofia Mokofisi maintained EWC’s lead with a 3-pointer and inside shot, respectively.

WWCC pulled into the lead, 20-14, as the second quarter commenced.

Undaunted, the Lacy Lancers began to turn the tide in the second quarter, outscoring WWCC, 16-13. Freshman Luna Moreno contributed five points in the second quarter.

The halftime score found WWCC ahead, 33-30.

Roaring back onto the court in the third quarter, the Lady Lancers whittled away at WWCC’s lead. EWC pulled ahead, 44-43, six minutes into the third quarter following a jumper by Tripp.

WWCC regained the initiative, 48-46, before Mokofisi tied the game at 48 points with a close-range shot. The Lady Mustangs then netted two free throws to pull ahead, 50-48.

Taking possession, Ciordia tossed in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer and EWC took the lead, 51-50.

Long went double-double against WWCC with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Tripp contributed 17 points with 10 apiece by Ciordia and Moreno.