LAS VEGAS, Nev. (March 11, 2024) – The Wyoming Cowgirl offense went cold at the worst time Monday night at the Mountain West Championship. The Cowgirls lost 62-54 in the quarterfinals to Boise State as the Broncos ended the game on a 15-4 run over the final five-plus minutes.
The action was fast-paced to open the game as the Cowgirls hit four of their first five shots. Boise State matched the offensive output however, as it led 10-8 at the media timeout. Out of the timeout, UW reclaimed the lead on an Emily Mellema 3-pointer. The Cowgirls continued their 9-0 run to push the lead to 17-10 with 1:51 left in the first, leading to a Bronco timeout. The rest of the frame saw as big as an eight-point advantage for Wyoming as it led 19-12 after one.
The second quarter started off as more of a defensive struggle as Boise cut the deficit to just four before a Tess Barnes 3-pointer became UW's first field goal of the quarter. The Cowgirl lead was 25-18 at the media. After the timeout, it was the Broncos' turn to make a run as they took a 27-25 lead with under two minutes left in the half. The rest of the half saw back-to-back layups from Wyoming give it a 29-27 lead going into the locker room.
Allyson Fertig opened the second half with the first five points for the Cowgirls as they had an early 34-29 advantage. Wyoming led 39-31 at the media timeout. Following the media, Boise State again went on a run, controlling the end of the quarter. The Broncos went on a 9-2 run toward the end of the frame before a Malene Pedersen 3-pointer to beat the buzzer gave UW a 44-40 lead going to the fourth.
The fourth began with the two teams trading stops before the Broncos took their first lead of the second half with 6:31 remaining. The lead went right back to the Cowgirls on the next possession thanks to a Fertig layup. After a UW timeout with 5:48 left to play, it was Boise State's turn to go back in front just before the final media and it didn't trail again. The final 4:03 of the game saw the Broncos make a couple of big shots as the UW offense struggled down the stretch, allowing Boise to pull away in the waning moments.
The Cowgirls shot 42.3-percent overall for the game and were at 50-percent at one point Monday, before closing the contest making just 1-of-10 late. UW made just 4-of-16 from 3-point range while the Broncos made 8-of-17 from beyond-the-arc, including three during their late-game stretch. Boise shot 42.1-percent on the night.
Fertig finished the night one rebound shy of her fourth consecutive double-double as she had 16 points and nine rebounds. Fertig also tied the Mountain West Championship record for blocks in a a game with seven in the loss. Pedersen was the other Cowgirl to finish in double figures as she closed with 13. Ola Ustowska logged a game-high five assists.
-WYO-