CHEYENNE, Wyoming – The Laramie County women's basketball team came out on top and picked up a 79-68 decision to visiting Western Wyoming Community College in Region IX North action Wednesday evening at the RAC.
Laramie County fought off a gritty Mustang squad who would not back down and the Golden Eagles were able to hold on for the win down the stretch.
Freshman guard Haylie Anderson (Clearfield, Utah) led the Golden Eagles in scoring for the second game in a row with 20 points to go along with two rebounds, two steals and two assists. Sophomore Karli O'Brien (Rapid City, South Dakota) notched her second double-double performance of the season as the guard had 17 points with 10 rebounds while Ja'Kia Wells (Mesquite, Texas) and Gabi O'Connor (Colorado Springs, Colorado) added 11 points each. Courtney Walker (Las Vegas, Nevada) added another strong game to her ledger, tallying 10 points along with nine rebounds.
O'Brien also made an impact defensively, making five steals, deflecting numerous passes and sprinting back to stop potential Western Wyoming fast breaks.
It was a game that saw Laramie County playing on its home court for the third consecutive game and came out of the starting gate with plenty of energy.
After the Golden Eagles (13-7, 4-1) got off to a solid start leading 5-0 in the opening minutes of the game after two by Anderson and a three-pointer by O'Brien, Western Wyoming went on a 7-0 run midway through the first quarter. The Golden Eagles offense warmed up against took the first quarter 17-12.
The duo of sophomores Anna Radenkova and Francesca Facchini fueled the Mustangs (4-14, 1-4) during the run and throughout the opening half. Radenkova finished with 22 points on 10-of-19 from the field and Facchini had 13 on 5-of-8 shooting.
LCCC helped itself keep their distance by making 7-of-10 free throws in the first half and limiting the turnovers. The Golden Eagles finished the night shooting 20-of-26 from the free throw line at 76.9 percent and only committed 13 turnovers in the game.
A strong start to the second half saw the Golden Eagles lead by as many as 14, 52-38, but the visitors would not go away. Laramie County hung onto the double-digit lead with strong defensive play.
The Golden Eagles take to the road for their next game in a tilt against Gillette College on Jan. 26. Tip-off between LCCC and the Pronghorns is scheduled for 2 p.m.