GRAND FORKS, N.D. (Nov. 21, 2025) – The Wyoming Cowgirls couldn't quite get over the hump Friday in a road loss at North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks outscored Wyoming 20-7 in the game's final 10 minutes to pull away for a 65-45 victory.
Wyoming got off to a slow start offensively as North Dakota took an early 9-2 lead in the contest. Malene Pedersen provided each of the first two buckets for the Cowgirls as they trailed 9-4 at the first media timeout. Following the timeout, the UW shooting woes continued before a pair of buckets from Logann Alvar and Henna Sandvik cut the Cowgirl deficit down to 13-8 after one.
North Dakota began the second quarter on another run and built up an 18-8 lead early in the frame. UW clawed its way back to within 18-12 before the media. After the timeout, the two teams traded a couple of baskets before back-to-back hoops from the Cowgirls forced a UND timeout with 1:51 left in the half and the score sitting at 22-19. Wyoming continued to battle to end the half as a Payton Muma pull-up jumper beat the buzzer and cut the North Dakota lead down to 26-23 going into halftime.
The Cowgirl offense sputtered to begin the second half before a Sandvik corner 3-pointer got UW on the board in the third. The Fighting Hawks were able to find their offensive rhythm early in the quarter as they went up 37-28. From there, a pair of Pedersen jumpers cut it to 37-32 at the media timeout. Out of the break, a Pedersen layup cut the deficit back down to three before UND answered right back to go back up by seven, 41-34. The Cowgirls were able to make four at the free-throw line from there, to get back within three. The Fighting Hawks would again respond however and led 45-38 going to the fourth.
UND was able to lengthen the lead to open the fourth as Wyoming couldn't get some solid looks to fall. UW kept battling and got to within eight in the frame but couldn't pull any closer than that. The Fighting Hawks were able to build up a double-digit lead later in the quarter and closed things out from there. North Dakota ended the game on a 9-0 run after a Jane Rumpf 3-pointer got the Cowgirls within 11.
Pedersen led all scorers with 19 points in the loss on 9-of-15 shooting. Sandvik also finished in double figures as she scored a UW career-high 11 and hit a pair of 3-pointers. Madi Symons chipped in six to go along with four rebounds. Payton Muma, in her first-career start recorded a career-best five steals.
Wyoming shot just 18-of-62 from the floor and made 4-of-18 from beyond-the-arc. UND shot 22-of-46 and hit five 3-pointers. The Fighting Hawks also went 16-of-19 at the free-throw line while UW shot just 5-for-8.
North Dakota had a 34-20 advantage in points in the paint and got 12 bench points compared to Wyoming's three. The Cowgirls had a 9-2 margin in second-chance points, despite getting out-rebounded 40-29. Wyoming outscored UND 9-3 in fast break points. The Fighting Hawks, despite committing six more turnovers, had a 15-13 edge in points off turnovers in the contest.
After spending three-straight games on the road, the Cowgirls return home to the friendly confines of the Arena-Auditorium Tuesday, November 25 for an 11 a.m., tip-off. Tuesday will be the Cowgirls' annual Education Day game, hence the early tip time. Wyoming hosts Chadron State.
-WYO-