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Cowgirls lose in first nationally televised game of season in overtime; UNLV wins 72–71

Allyson Fertig is open (Garrett Grochowski, Oil City News)

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A stunning display of grit ended in heartbreak for the Cowgirls in an overtime loss Sunday against the best team in the Mountain West. The Cowgirls took the three-time defending conference champions to overtime before falling by a single point in the final seconds. The UNLV Lady Rebels won 72–71.

Wyoming seemed the more dominant team for the entirety of the first quarter. Not only did star center Allyson Fertig put up the first 6 points for the Cowgirls, but she also helped carry that momentum all the way to an 18–10 lead at the quarter’s end.

UNLV would come back ready, however, and take the lead through the end of the half by just 1 point. A back-and-forth third quarter would conclude with nearly the same result: a 45–44 game, but this time in the Cowgirls’ favor.

By the end of the fourth, a pair of UNLV free-throws and a UW free-throw would put the score at 65–67, with the Cowgirls ahead. With just 14 seconds left, however, a midway jumper would tie the score and send the teams into overtime.

Overtime would be as neck-and-neck as the rest of the game, with UNLV just barely scraping by with a single layup and the Cowgirls missing their subsequent layup attempt, allowing the UNLV Lady Rebels to carry on with a perfect 7–0 conference record. They are 15–4 overall.

The Cowgirls are now 4–2 in conference play and 10–8 overall. They are still among the top four teams in the Mountain West.

Fertig again led the way in scoring with 22 points. She put up nine total rebounds, which is also best among the team.

The Cowgirls would not, however, have been able to hang on like they did without the help of guard Emily Mellema. She would go on an 11-point scoring run all on her own in the fourth to keep the game close and recorded three steals. Her six assists is a game high. She was also second in Cowgirl scoring with 16 points.

The Cowgirls were more efficient scorers this time in both field goal percentage and three-point percentage. What gave the Lady Rebels the edge, though, was turnover rate. Wyoming’s 15 to UNLV’s nine gave the Lady Rebels too many avoidable scoring opportunities.

This also happened to be the first time a Cowgirls game was available to view all across the country. The second and final time that the Cowgirls will get an opportunity to be viewed across the nation is the second time they face UNLV on March 5.

The Cowgirls will have another chance at bringing home a win before returning to Laramie, however. They travel next to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Wednesday for a 4 p.m. game.

For more information on the University of Wyoming Women’s Basketball team schedule, see the UW Athletics website.


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