LARAMIE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Cowgirls basketball team showed once again what it is made of today against the San Jose State Spartans. The Cowgirls are now 16–9 overall, which puts them firmly on track to beat their 2023–24 season record of 18–15.
The Cowgirls opened the game with a dominant 14–1 run. Much like the Cowboys game happening down in Colorado, that run would set the pace for the rest of the contest.
The first quarter still saw plenty of lead changes, however — eight in total. By the end of Q1, the Cowgirls retook the lead and got an extra three to extend it to 21–17.
The second quarter would look a lot different than the first. Wyoming would score just 7 points through the entire quarter compared to 21 just minutes before. The Spartans didn’t look any better, though, scoring only 5 points.
That physical and defense-heavy game style would extend through the third quarter as well. Both teams would at least score in the double digits: San Jose would just get 10 points, while Wyoming padded its lead a little further with 13. Wyoming’s four final points were courtesy of Kati Ollilainen; those were her only points of the night. Before then, the Spartans pulled the Wyoming lead to just three.
By the fourth, the Cowgirls led 41–32. That’s when the game got lopsided.
An Allyson Fertig layup to an Emily Mellema three, a Tess Barnes three and a Malene Pederson three blew the Cowgirls’ lead up to a whole 22 points. With just five and a half minutes left, the score was 55–33. The Cowgirl starters could finally rest.
With the Wyoming bench on the floor, the Spartans were able to go on a 19–2 run, but it was just too late. The Cowgirls would get their fifth win in a row against the San Jose State Spartans 59–47.
Malene Pederson seemed to be the only Cowgirl really in her bag tonight. She led the way with a huge 21 points, her second consecutive 20-plus-point game. Allyson Fertig, usually leading in scoring, put up a solid 18 points with four more minutes on the floor than Pederson. The big story with Fertig, though, was her 16 rebounds, which is a testament to how defense-heavy this game was.
Emily Mellema would come third in points with 7. She also led in assists for the Cowgirls with three.
This well-rounded squad is shaping up to be a big threat in the Mountain West Women’s Basketball Championship. It’s currently third in the conference, which would earn it a first round-bye. The Cowgirls still have five more regular-season games to play before then, though.
Next, the Cowgirls will travel to Boise, Idaho, for their second meeting with the Broncos this season. They beat ’em once, but can they do it again? Find out at 6:30 p.m. this Tuesday. This game can be watched and tracked through the Mountain West Sports Network.
