LARAMIE, Wyo. (January 27, 2020) – The Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team (9-9, 5-4 MW) will Hit the road to face Utah State on Wednesday, Jan. 29, for a tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. (MT). This is the first matchup of the year between these two teams. Senior Taylor Rusk is two assists shy of the 300-assist milestone, and she would become just the fifth Cowgirl to reach both 1,000 points and 300 assists.
 
The game will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network, and can be heard across the 25 stations of the Cowgirl Radio Network with Reece Monaco on the call.
 
A LOOK AT THE WYOMING COWGIRLS
The Cowgirls are 9-9 overall with a 5-4 record in the Mountain West following an 81-67 win at home against San Diego State. Sophomore Tereza Vitulova leads the Cowgirls in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Vitulova also leads the Mountain West with a .529 shooting percentage. Senior Taylor Rusk and sophomore Quinn Weidemann each average 9.2 points per game. Rusk adds 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, while Weidemann chips in 2.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest. Sophomore Alba Sanchez Ramos averages 7.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Defensively, Rusk and Weidemann each average 1.1 steals per game, while freshman Jaeden Vaifanua averages a team-high 0.7 blocks per game.
 
The Cowgirls are shooting 41.6 percent (431-1,037) from the field, 36.0 percent (134-372) from three and 72.6 percent (151-208) from the free throw line to average 63.7 points per game. Wyoming averages 12.6 assists and 12.3 turnovers per game. Opponents are shooting 39.7 percent (408-1,028) from the field, 31.7 percent (93-293) from three and 73.2 percent (183-250) from the free throw line to average 60.7 points per game. Cowgirl foes average 10.9 assists and 11.6 turnovers per game.
 
Head coach Gerald Mattinson is in his first year as head coach of the Cowgirls and owns a 9-9 record. He spent the previous 16 seasons on the Wyoming bench as an assistant and associate head coach.
 
SCOUTING UTAH STATE
The Utah State Aggies are 6-14 overall with a 1-8 mark in Mountain West play following a 55-56 loss at Colorado State. Hailey Bassett leads Utah State offensively with 14.2 points per game and pulls down a team-high 5.9 rebounds per contest. Lindsey Jensen-Baker averages 12.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, while Steph Gorman scores 11.8 points and averages 3.5 rebounds and a team-high 2.8 assists per game. Marlene Aniambossou averages 8.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Defensively, Bassett averages a Mountain West-leading 1.6 blocks per game, while Gorman averages 2.5 steals per contest.
 
The Aggies are shooting 37.4 percent (419-1,120) from the field, 30.5 percent (106-347) from three and 71.5 percent (206-288) from the free throw line to average 57.5 points per game. Utah State averages 11.3 assists and 17.1 turnovers per game. Opponents are shooting 43.3 percent (491-1,135) from the field, 33.5 percent (127-379) from three and 72.2 percent (210-291) from the free throw line to average 65.9 points per game. Aggie foes average 13.8 assists and 15.1 turnovers per game.
 
Interim head coach Ben Finkbeiner is 4-11 since stepping in to the head spot for the Aggies. It is his first year in a head coaching capacity.
 
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST UTAH STATE
The Cowgirls lead the all-time series over Utah State, 22-9. Wyoming has won eight of the last 10 meetings overall, with the only two losses over that span on the road last year and in 2016. The series began in 1975, with Utah State winning the first three meetings before the Cowgirls rattled off seven consecutive wins of their own. Wyoming has won two of the last three matchups in Logan.
 
UP NEXT
The Cowgirls will return home to host San José State on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. (MT). The Spartans were picked last in the preseason poll but currently sit second in the league.