Cowgirls Welcome Boise State Saturday for Annual Bounce Cancer Game
Courtesy photo
Bounce Cancer Walk is at 11:30 a.m. – tip-off for 2 p.m.
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Jan. 30, 2025) – The Wyoming Cowgirls return home for a 2 p.m., contest Saturday as they welcome Boise State to town for a pivotal Mountain West matchup for Wyoming’s annual Bounce Cancer contest. The team will wear special lavender alternate jerseys in honor of the event. The Bounce Cancer Walk will begin at 11:30 a.m., on the Arena-Auditorium concourse. Fans can register for the walk or bid on a game-worn Cowgirl jersey by visiting gowyo.com/bouncecancer. All funds raised will be donated to Ivinson Memorial Hospital's Meredith & Jeannie Ray Cancer Center.
Saturday will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network and can be heard across the Cowgirl Radio Network with David Settle on the call.
ABOUT THE COWGIRLS
Wyoming (12-9, 6-3 MW) is coming off a 77-64 win Wednesday evening on the road against San Jose State. Malene Pedersen reached 1,000 career points in the win with her third quarter layup. Pedersen becomes the 30th member of the 1,000-Point Club in program history. Pedersen also scored 20 points for the third time this season. The Cowgirls had five players, Pedersen (20), Allyson Fertig (16), McKinley Dickerson (13), Tess Barnes (10) and Kati Ollilainen (10) score in double figures in the victory. It marks the second time this season that Wyoming has had five with 10-plus in a single game (December 15 at South Dakota).
Ola Ustowska recorded eight assists on the night while Emily Mellema tied a career-high with seven assists. Ustowska (2.42) is third and Mellema is fifth (1.48) in the Mountain West in assist-to-turnover ratio this season. In conference-only play, Ustowska leads the league with a 4.4 assist-to-turnover ratio while Pedersen is third at 3.4. Mellema, meanwhile, is eighth (1.5) in assist-to-turnover ratio in conference action.
As a team, the Cowgirls continue to lead the league in field goal percentage, shooting it nearly-46-percent from the field on the season. Wyoming’s 1.12 assist-to-turnover ratio as a team is third-best in the league while its 16 assists per game also leads the Mountain West. UW is second in the conference in scoring defense, allowing just 60.6 points per game while its 3.8 blocks per contest are third.
Fertig is first or second in the league in 10 different statistical categories. In MW play, Fertig continues to lead the league in scoring (20.1 PPG), blocks (2.6 BPG) and field goal percentage (59.7-percent) and is second in rebounding (9.3 RPG). Pedersen, meanwhile, is second in the league in conference play shooting nearly 57-percent from the floor and is 10th in scoring, averaging 14.6 points per game.
SCOUTING BOISE STATE
Boise State is a veteren-laiden team which is led by Natalie Pasco’s 13.1 points per game. Tatum Thompson is second on the team averaging 12 points, 6.5 rebounds per game and 20 blocks. Thompson also leads the Broncos with 29 steals. Two-time Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, Abby Muse leads the team averaging 6.6 boards per contest and has a league-leading 53 blocks this season. Mary Kay Naro once again is near the league-leaders in assists with 84 and has 24 steals.
The Broncos average 72 points per game this season and are allowing just 63 a contest. Boise State has a plus-3.7 rebounding margin and is averaging over four assists more per game. BSU is shooting neary 44-percent from the floor this season and 35.2-percent from 3-point range. Broncos opponents are shooting nearly 39-percent overall and 30.2-percent from beyond-the-arc. Boise State’s 5.36 blocks per game leads the conference.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST BOISE STATE
Boise State leads the all-time series, 20-16 and has won the last two meetings with the Cowgirls. The Broncos defeated Wyoming 62-54 in the quarterfinals of last season’s Mountain West Championship. UW is 11-2 at home in the series all time and has won three straight dating back to 2018. Pedersen is averaging 14.3 points per game on 61.5-percent shooting in four career games against the Broncos.