Cowgirls Put the Clamps on Drake in 71-57 Win

Mellema scores 20 and plays masterful game on defensive end 

SAN JUAN, P.R. (Nov. 28, 2024) – The Wyoming Cowgirls used a 22-5 third quarter on their way to an impressive 71-57 win Thanksgiving Day over Drake. Wyoming led by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter of its Turkey Day triumph. Drake entered the contest averaging over 80 points per game.

The Cowgirls got off to a solid start Thursday as the inside-out game was working the first quarter. Wyoming claimed an early seven-point lead in the frame after Drake jumped out to an early 5-2 advantage. UW led for much of the first half outside of the first couple of minutes and built as much as an eight-point lead at 34-26 with just over three minutes to play in the first half on an Emily Mellema 3-pointer. The Bulldogs would start to find their rhythm however to end the second quarter, hitting a trio of 3-pointers, including one to beat the first half buzzer, shaving the Wyoming edge down to just one, 36-35 heading into the locker room.

Despite shooting just 43-percent from the field in the first half, the Cowgirls got eight more shots than the Bulldogs, thanks to hitting the offensive glass. Allyson Fertig and Emily Mellema had 10 points each in the opening two quarters. Fertig also recorded a block, her 14^th consecutive game with a rejection. Coming into the week, Fertig’s consecutive blocks streak was tied for sixth best in the country.

Drake called an early third quarter timeout after the Cowgirls opened the half with a couple of buckets. Following the timeout, Wyoming maintained the aggression and pushed the lead back out to 47-38. After the media timeout in the third, UW extended the lead even further, taking a 58-40 advantage to the fourth. The Cowgirls went on a 16-2 run the final 6:23 of the third.

A Mellema layup in traffic started things in the fourth before a Fertig lay-in made it 62-40, Cowgirls. Things started getting physical from there, as the Bulldogs cut the lead down to 64-47 with 6:40 to go, forcing a UW timeout. Out of the timeout, Drake hit another three to cut the Cowgirl lead down to 14 before a Fertig layup ended the run. With 2:49 left to play, a Malene Pedersen offensive board led to a Tess Barnes 3-pointer which brought the lead back up to 69-52 and all but ended things.

The Cowgirls shot 45-percent from the field and took and took nine more shots than the Bulldogs did, who hit 38-percent of their field goals. Drake went 8-of-25 from 3-point range and 7-of-13 from the free-throw line. UW, hit 6-of-16 from beyond-the-arc and made 7-of-9 at the charity stripe.

Mellema led all scorers with 20 points, her second 20-point outing in the last three games. Mellema also did yeoman’s work on the defensive end, holding Drake’s leading scorer, Katie Dinnebier to just five points on 2-of-7 shooting. Dinnebier was averaging 23.6 points per game and had a 40-point effort against Iowa earlier this season and 39 points last week against Iowa State.

Fertig closed just one rebound shy of her third double-double on the year, finishing with 18 points and nine boards to go along with a pair of rejections. Pedersen also finished in double figures with 15. Payton Muma and McKinley Dickerson had five and four, respectively off the Cowgirl bench in the victory.

Wyoming now looks to open play at the Discover Puerto Rico San Juan Shootout 2-0 as it faces Norfolk State Friday at 11:30 a.m., Mountain Time.