Efficient Shooting Leads Cowgirls Past Falcons

UW shoots 64.3-percent – fourth-best mark for single game 

USAFA, Colo. (Jan. 22, 2025) – The Wyoming Cowgirls shot 64.3-percent from the floor on their way to a 62-50 win on the road over Air Force. The 64.3-percent, is the fourth-best shooting percentage mark for a single game in program history and the best shooting since 2017 at San Diego State. Wyoming, who led by 23 with under four minutes to play in the game, shot 27-of-42 from the field.

The game started with the two squads trading early baskets. The Cowgirls hit four of their first five shots to open, taking an early 9-6 lead. Wyoming led 11-8 at the first media timeout. Out of the timeout, things were stagnant on the offensive end for both teams the rest of the frame as UW held a 13-10 lead after one.

The Cowgirls got the first two baskets to open the second, claiming a seven-point advantage. The lead was pushed to 21-12 at the second quarter media. Following the media, Air Force hit a 3-pointer before Wyoming responded right back with the next five points to push the lead into double digits, 26-15. The Falcons were able to get a couple of tough shots to fall the rest of the half as they chipped the lead down to 28-19 at halftime. Wyoming shot 62-percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes but took just 21 shots as it committed 11 first half turnovers.

Things started off in the second half much differently than the first, with both teams coming out strong on the offensive end. A 7-0 Cowgirl run, however, extended the lead out to 39-26, forcing an AFA timeout with 5:36 remaining in the quarter. After the timeout, the Wyoming offense remained highly-efficient, as the lead got up to 20. Despite things being a bit more disjointed the rest of the third, Wyoming still carried a 48-28 lead into the fourth.

Malene Pedersen got the first four points of the fourth as the Cowgirls took a 52-28 lead with nine minutes to play. The Falcons would go on a run though after that, trimming the deficit down to just 15. However, back-to-back 3-pointers from McKinley Dickerson and Madi Symons got the lead back up to 60-39 at the final media timeout. The last 4:33 of the contest saw UW play a lot of its reserves as the Falcons made the final score look more respectable thanks to an 11-0 run late.

Pedersen led all scorers with 16 points on another 7-of-8 shooting performance from the floor. Allyson Fertig was again a rebound shy of another double-double as she closed the contest with 15 points, nine boards and five blocks. Fertig shot 7-of-10 from the floor, which is now her 15^th consecutive game shooting 50-percent or better. That is the second-longest active streak in the country and is a Mountain West record.

Emily Mellema also scored in double figures in the win as she tallied 13 on 6-for-10 shooting. Tess Barnes and Pedersen led Wyoming with four assists each. Off the bench, Symons and Kati Ollilainen had five each with Symons recording three steals in the win.

The Cowgirls held Air Force to under 40-percent shooting (21-53) and had a 40-24 advantage in points in the paint. Despite the Cowgirls committing 22 turnovers, the Falcons only held an 18-17 edge in points off turnovers. Wyoming had a plus-nine advantage on the boards. UW had 18 assists on its 27 made field goals.

Now, it’s time for the Cowgirls to get ready for the Border War. Colorado State comes to town for part one of the season Saturday at 2 p.m.