POWELL, Wyo. – The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team received 18 points from Amiyah Donaldson as the Cougars registered an 80-68 win over Central Wyoming College in the final day of the Coach Collins Heart of a Champion Classic in Powell, Wyoming, Saturday morning. 

                The win moves the Cougars to 6-1 on the year as they will have a week off before getting back in action the week after Thanksgiving with three home games beginning November 28 against Eastern Wyoming College followed by home contests against Casper College and the College of Southern Idaho on December 1 and 2. 

                The Cougars, once again, started slow as Central Wyoming buried the first two 3-pointers and led 8-4 before the Cougars caught fire. WNCC went on an 8-0 run to lead 12-8 only to watch the Rustlers come back to lead 14-12. WNCC finished off the first quarter on a 7-3 run to lead 19-17 after one. 

                The second quarter saw Central Wyoming leading 24-22 before Adelina Urtane had an old-fashioned 3-point play and the Cougars went up 29-24. WNCC pushed the lead to 35-28 only to watch Central Wyoming make it 35-31. WNCC then shut down the Rustler defense on offense and the Cougars ended the second period on a 12-0 run that saw Helena Kuck bury a trey at the buzzer for a 47-31 halftime lead. 

                The Cougars out-scored Central Wyoming 20-15 in the third period. WNCC opened the third on a 14-6 run as Donaldson had nine of the points as the Cougars led 61-37. WNCC led 67-46 after the break. 

                The fourth period saw WNCC lead 75-53 with about five minutes to play. Central Wyoming went on an 8-0 run over a 2-minute span to cut the deficit to 75-61. Ebere Egbirika stopped the run with a trey to make it 78-61 3:20 to play. The Cougars only scored two points over the final three minutes but still got the 12-point win. 

                WNCC had three players finish in double figures. Donaldson had 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting while Egbirike tallied 13 points. Faith Walker had a double-double in the contest with 10 points and 12 rebounds. 

                WNCC won the rebound battle 45-27. After Walker’s 12 boards, Keyla Cervantes had six rebounds while Mackenzie Joseph had five. 

 

WNCC (6-1)       19 28 20 13 – 80 

C. Wyoming      17 14 15 22 – 68 

WNCC
Amiyah Donaldson 18, Helena Kuck 5, Gal-La Font 6, Faith Walker 10, Mackenzie Joseph 6, Ebere Egbirika 13, Keyla Cervantes 3, Laura Montiel 7, Jamie Caron 2, Kiley Smich 5, Adelina Urtane 6.
CENTRAL WYOMING
Tiffany Tenvort 2, Ariana Rodriguez 5, Latai Charles 10, Esperanza Vergara 15, Criselle Mendoza 3, Natalia Ballin 10, Macey Hein 7, Katelynn Walker 16. 

WNCC men fall to Central Wyoming 

                POWELL, Wyo. – Daniel Bula had 28 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team dropped an 82-74 contest to Central Wyoming College to end the Coach Collins Heart of a Champion Classic Saturday afternoon in Powell, Wyoming. 

                The loss snapped a 3-game winning streak and moves the Cougars to 3-3 on the season. WNCC will be back in action on Tuesday when they face Western Wyoming community College in Rock Springs, Wyoming, before heading to the CSI Thanksgiving Classic in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Friday and Saturday. 

                The loss by the Cougars was one where Central Wyoming had a 20-2 run early in the second half that was the difference. Up until that point, the Cougars were playing well. 

                The first half saw WNCC jump to an 8-3 lead before the Rustlers went up by seven, 24-17. The Cougars went on a 10-0 run to lead 27-24 and later led by nine, 41-32. Central Wyoming closed out the first half with four points as WNCC led 41-36 at intermission. 

                WNCC started the second half with buckets by Travis Easterly, Jr., and Bula to lead 45-38. That was when the Rustlers went on that 20-2 run to lead 58-47. WNCC stopped the run and had a 9-3 run of their own to get to within 61-56. The Cougars trailed 72-63 when JJ Harris buried a trey and had a chance to get to within 72-69, but missed free throws wouldn’t fall. Central went up 74-66 when Harris hit a trey and Bula buried two trey to make it 74-71.  

                Central Wyoming came with a trey and a bucket to lead 79-71 with a minute to play. WNCC’s Bula buried a tray to bring the Cougars back to 79-74, but the Rustlers would get a big bucket with 35 seconds to play and then make one free throw with 20 seconds to get the win 82-74. 

                WNCC had four players in double figures. Bula had 28 with two treys and a perfect 14-of-14 from the charity stripe. Maurice Walker had 11 points with three treys while Harris and Easterly, Jr., had 10 points. 

                WNCC won the rebounding battle 31-30. Harris and Bula each had eight boards while Stephen Ovia had seven. 

 

WNCC (3-3)       41 33 – 74 

C. Wyoming      36 46 – 82 

WNCC 

JJ Harris 10, Maurice Walker 11, Travis Easterly, Jr. 10, Stephen Ovia 6, Daniel Bula 28, Anthony Simo 5, Willie Wilson 4. 

CENTRAL WYOMING
Lorence Dela Cruz 13, Vince Tedeschi 9, Jayden Warren 5, King Solomon 16, Julian Roberts 20, Salameh Dugum-Maraboto 8, Lucas Engle 2, Taye Hollins 9.