LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Dec. 29, 2022) – The Wyoming Cowgirls fought hard but a big fourth quarter run from UNLV was the difference Thursday night as Wyoming opened league play with a 73-67 loss on the road against the defending league champions. The Cowgirls (7-5, 0-1 MW) hit 7-of-13 3-pointers in the game's first three quarters, but went 0-for-8 from range in the fourth.
Wyoming came out shooting it strong, hitting its first three 3-pointers to take an early 9-5 lead. It was clear early on that Thursday was going to be a battle as physical play came from both teams. UW held a 9-8 lead at the first quarter media timeout. Out of the timeout, the Lady Rebels found their offensive rhythm a bit and claimed a 12-9 lead. UNLV led 14-12 after a first quarter that featured two ties and three lead changes.
After UNLV got the first hoop to start the second, the Cowgirls answered with back-to-back layups to tie things at 16-16 with a little more than eight minutes left in the first half. The two teams traded buckets to begin the frame, but UNLV began to lengthen its advantage later in the quarter and led 26-18 at the second quarter media timeout. UW would respond late in the half, cutting the deficit down to 28-25 with under a minute to play in the second. The Lady Rebels would end the half strong, however, and built the lead back up to 33-25 at the half.
In the third quarter, UNLV picked up where it left off the first half and extended the lead to up to 41-29 with 7:21 to go, forcing a Cowgirl timeout. Out of the timeout, the Cowgirls got to within five, 43-38, on a driving Quinn Weidemann layup, forcing a Lady Rebel timeout with 4:41 to go in the third. UW would tie it up late in the quarter, 47-47 on an Emily Mellema corner 3-pointer. A possession later, the Cowgirls would grab their first lead since the first quarter on a pair of Mellema free throws. A Tess Barnes 3-pointer as the third quarter expired pushed Wyoming to its biggest lead of the game, 52-47 going into the fourth.
The fourth quarter began with a Cowgirl hoop, but UNLV went on to respond with a big run after that. The Lady Rebels went on a 12-2 scoring run to jump back in front, 60-56 with 4:48 left to play, leading to a timeout. Wyoming would get back to within one on a Barnes driving layup with under a minute left, but UNLV would again have an answer. The Cowgirls got a pretty good look on a top-of-the-key 3-pointer on their next offensive possession to tie, but it went short, and the Lady Rebels would hit a pair at the line. A Mellema three-point play with 24 seconds left would get Wyoming back to within two, 69-67, but UNLV would hit its free throws late to hang on for the victory.
Barnes and Mellema both tallied career-highs in the loss while Weidemann recorded her eighth-career 20-point scoring game. Weidemann ended the night with an even 20 on a fantastic 8-of-9 shooting and hit a trio of 3-pointers. Mellema and Barnes also finished in double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Mellema went 6-of-6 at the charity stripe, made three baskets, had four assists and a steal on the night. Barnes, meanwhile, went 5-for-7 and hit a pair of 3-pointers.
Malene Pedersen had a solid all-around game, scoring four points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists in the loss. Tommi Olson also had four assists. Grace Ellis chipped in with seven points and pulled down four boards.
Wyoming shot 46.3-percent for the game while the Lady Rebels hit 43.3-percent. UNLV went 15-of-17 at the free-throw line while the Cowgirls went 10-for-11. The biggest difference in the contest was the Lady Rebels scored 20 points off 17 UW turnovers while UW scored nine on just eight UNLV miscues. The Cowgirls outscored the Lady Rebels 32-22 in the paint while both teams notched 32 rebounds on the night.
Wyoming looks to nab its first conference win with a quick turnaround Saturday as Fresno State comes to town for a 6 p.m., tip off at the Arena-Auditroium.
-WYO-