Cowgirl Offense Sputters in Loss to Norfolk State

Fertig ties career-high with 21 rebounds in the loss

SAN JUAN, P.R. (Nov. 29, 2024) – The Wyoming Cowgirl offense sputtered Friday against Norfolk State on the second day of the Discover Puerto Rico San Juan Shootout. The Cowgirls fell, 56-47.

Much like it did Thursday, the Cowgirls got off to a strong start, taking an early 9-4 midway through the first quarter. Norfolk State would respond late in the quarter, going on a 9-2 run to close the frame, taking a 13-11 lead into the second.

In the second quarter, NSU led 18-13 before back-to-back 3-pointers from the Cowgirls held them reclaim the lead, 21-20. The Spartans would again close the second strongly, like it did the first, going on a 9-3 run to carry a 30-24 lead into halftime. Wyoming committed 10 first half turnovers to Norfolk State’s four. The Cowgirls also went just 1-of-6 at the free-throw line in the first 20 minutes. Allyson Fertig had a double-double just in the first half, scoring 10 and pulling down 10 boards.

The two teams traded baskets to open the second half before a pair of Wyoming free throws made the score 34-30 in favor of the Spartans at the media timeout. Following the timeout, the Cowgirls cut the deficit to three but couldn’t quite reel in Norfolk State in the frame. The Spartans led 40-36 after three.

Emily Mellema opened the fourth with a three-point play to cut the deficit down to one. The Cowgirls had a couple of good looks from beyond-the-arc to take the lead but couldn’t get the shots to fall as Norfolk went back up by five. The Spartans led 45-40 at the media timeout. After the media, the final 4:27 of the contest saw NSU continue to play strong defense. An Ola Ustowska corner 3-pointer with 1:15 left cut the Cowgirl deficit to 50-44, but UW wouldn’t get any closer from there.

Wyoming shot just 10-for-21 at the free-throw line and went 5-of-20 from 3-point range. The Cowgirls ended the game with 17 turnovers, leading to 14 Spartan points. Wyoming shot just 32-percent from the field overall with NSU hitting 42-percent of its shots. UW had a 38-34 rebound advantage.

Fertig finished with a big game, finishing just one point shy of a 20-20 effort. Fertig had 19 points and tied a career-high with 21 rebounds. Tess Barnes also finished in double figures with 12 points and hit a trio of 3-pointers. Malene Pedersen led the Cowgirls with five assists in the loss.

Wyoming looks to finish the San Juan Shootout strong Saturday with the third game in as many days. The Cowgirls face Viriginia at 10:30 a.m., Mountain Time.