PROVO — The same BYU women's basketball team that a dozen days ago boasted the kind of confidence that accompanies a 19-1 record and No. 18 ranking is now a Cougar team with hanging heads, shaken confidence and uncertain court presence in the wake of its second Mountain West Conference loss in their last three outings.
With giant-killer Wyoming upsetting the 19th-ranked Cougars 57-56 Saturday afternoon on the Marriott Center court, BYU (20-3 overall, 10-2 MWC) watched its conference lead shrink to just one game over Utah, which routed the Cougars 10 days earlier.
Having won six of its last eight games, Wyoming (18-6, 8-5) upset a Top 20 team for the second straight game, having beaten No. 20 New Mexico earlier in the week.
BYU now takes to the road for three of its final four regular-season games. However, that may not be a bad thing, considering all three BYU losses have come in Provo and the Cougars are 11-0 in away contests.
First, the Cougars need to find a way to get out of their mini-funk and — more importantly — find a supporting cast that has been missing the past two home games.
Junior center Dani Kubik posted a game-high 21 points and a team-best eight rebounds, while Cougar teammate Ambrosia Anderson added 19 points.
Wyoming had a standout pair in Hanna Zavecz (20 points) and Erin Hicks (10). However, they were complemented by the trio of Megan McGuffey (nine points), Dominique Sisk and Michelle Taylor (eight each).
Meanwhile, freshman reserve Shawnee Slade was the only other Cougar to score multiple baskets with her two makes, while perimeter starters Jennie Keele, Mallary Gillespie and Melinda Johnsen accounted for just one field goal each.
Combined, those three Cougars managed a mere 3-of-10 shooting, an uncharacteristic 0-for-4 on 3s, and zero trips to the free throw line — that coming from a threesome who 19.5-point average is led by the 10.4 points from Gillespie, BYU's second-leading scorer.
"I don't know where she was tonight," said BYU head coach Jeff Judkins.
Added Judkins of his team, which for 30-plus minutes played sluggish and lethargic: "We've got to get more people shooting and more people offensive-minded."
After a first half in which BYU didn't score any second-chance points and missed plenty of inside looks, the Cougars looked like they were ready to break out in the second half, scoring on back-to-back easy baskets by Anderson and Johnsen in the first minute for a quick 30-26 lead.
But it was BYU's final advantage of the game, as Taylor scored back-to-back-to-back baskets over the next 90 seconds for a 32-30 Wyoming lead, which increased to seven points over the next five minutes.
Slade's energy and two FGs helped trim the margin to 45-43 with seven minutes remaining, but consecutive treys by Sisk and Zavecz — Wyoming hit 8-of-23 3s to BYU's 1-of-7 — gave the Cowgirls their largest lead at 51-43 with 5:28 remaining.
The Cougars deployed a stifling press to fluster Wyoming, with a 9-2 run keyed by seven Anderson free throws and an inside basket by Kubik, pulling the Cougars within one at 53-52 with 2:44 to go.
"I felt like we had it then — the momentum was definitely in our favor," Anderson said.
Zavecz hit a three to make it 55-52 with two minutes left, with Anderson answering with another pair of free throws a minute later for a 55-54 score.
Sisk hit one of two free throws at 51 seconds, with Kubik tying the score at 56-all with a pair of FTs with 36.7 to play. The Cowgirls worked down the clock before Anderson fouled Zavecz underneath, with the Wyoming standout hitting just one of two free throws with 13.4 seconds to go.
"When she missed it, I thought we were going to win this game," said Judkins, calling for the ball to go to Anderson, who could shoot from the top of the key, drive the lane or dish off to Kubik or Gillespie.
But the play didn't develop, as Anderson dribbled laterally and launched a last-second shot that didn't draw iron. And unlike the Cougars' dramatic victory last month at Utah, no teammate was underneath to collect the airball and put it back in for a game-winner.
"We just have to start playing as a team and have the confidence we had in the beginning of the season," said Kubik, adding, "We need to play like we did in the last seven minutes of the game."
E-mail: taylor@desnews.com