ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. – The Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team never led in the contest in falling to Western Wyoming Community College 73-56 to open the Western Wyoming Classic Friday evening.

                The Cougar women had just two players in double figures as Ebere Egbirika had 17 points followed by Mackenzie Joseph with 14 points, including four 3-pointers.

                WNCC will finish off the classic on Saturday when they face Laramie County Community College. LCCC dropped a 77-67 contest to Snow College.

                Western Wyoming started the contest up 10-0 before Faith Walker made the Cougars first points with 4:15 left in the opening quarter. The Mustangs enjoyed a 22-6 lead after one period.

                The second quarter saw the Cougars heat up as they outscored Western Wyoming 21-14. WNCC sliced the deficit to six points at 25-19 on an Egbirika bucket and later two free throws. The Cougars had the deficit down to five, 32-27 after a Helena Kuck 3-pointer, but the Mustangs answered with a trey at the buzzer to lead 36-27 at halftime.

                WNCC came out of the locker room as a different team scoring the first nine points to tie the contest at 36-36 including five points from Amiyah Donaldson, a bucket by Walker, and a bucket from Egbirika with 5:45 left to tie the contest.

                Western Wyoming regrouped and scored the next seven points and went on to lead 53-43 after three periods.

                The four quarter saw the Cougars keep battling as they trailed 58-54 after three straight 3-pointers by Joseph. WNCC trailed 60-56 with about five minutes left in the contest. That was when the Cougars went cold as they were outscored 13-0 the rest of the game.

                The difference in the contest saw Western Wyoming bury nine treys to WNCC's six and the Mustangs were 22-of-27 from the charity stripe while WNCC was just 12-of-20.

WNCC                 6 21 16 13 – 56
W. Wyoming      22 14 17 20 – 73
WNCC
Amiyah Donaldson 9, Helena Kuck 3, Gal-La Font 4, Faith Walker 4, Mackenzie Joseph 14, Ebere Egbirika 17, Kiley Smich 2, Adelina Urtane 2.
WESTERN WYOMING
Kayde Strauss 11, Anja Ekstrom 13, Sierra Eddie 6, Kayla Thornton 9, Tamryn Blom 19, Nyah Vermeulen 7, Ashley Christensen 2, AnDee VanDyke 2, Taylor Billman 4.