USAFA, Colo. (Feb. 25, 2026) – The Wyoming Cowgirls led for almost all of regulation Wednesday on the road, but in the end, the Cowgirls failed to get defensive stops in the fourth quarter and overtime as they fell 69-61 in OT. Wyoming failed to execute on both ends of the court in the final five minutes of regulation as it committed six fourth quarter turnovers. The Falcons were able to control things in the game's extra frame as UW fell to 0-2 in overtime games this season.
Both teams started off trading baskets to begin the game as the Cowgirls had an early 7-4 lead. From there, Wyoming kept scoring the ball inside off assists and carried a 11-8 advantage into the first media timeout. Following the timeout, the two defenses started stepping up, forcing turnovers and missed shots. UW led 18-14 after one as Payton Muma scored the final five points in the frame for the Cowgirls.
Wyoming opened the second with a 10-2 run and opened up a 28-16 lead midway through the frame. The Cowgirls led 28-18 at the second quarter media timeout. After the timeout, it was Air Force's turn for a run as the UW offense went cold and started turning the ball over, while the Falcons started crashing the offensive glass. AFA ended the final 5:01 of the half on a 12-1 run and cut the Wyoming lead down to just 29-28 at halftime.
Air Force opened the second half exactly where it left off the first and took its first lead of the game. From there, the Cowgirls would respond right back with three consecutive hoops to reclaim the lead. Henna Sandvik came alive for the Brown & Gold in the third quarter and helped UW to a 38-33 lead at the first media timeout of the half. Out of the timeout, both offenses struggled to end the quarter for the most part, as a Madi Symons layup to end the third helped Wyoming carry a 44-37 lead into the fourth quarter.
After a Malene Pedersen mid-range jumper opened the scoring in the fourth, the Falcons were able to counter back. The Wyoming lead was trimmed down to only 54-53 at the final media timeout as it struggled to get defensive stops as Air Force made some low-percentage shots to get to within one. Following a Cowgirl turnover, AFA was able to get a layup on the other end to push out in front for the first time since the opening minute of the second half. UW barely got any stops down the stretch as the Falcons wouldn't relinquish the lead in the final minutes. However, a Jane Rumpf layup with 3.1 seconds left tied things at 59-59 to force overtime.
Overtime went exactly the same as the fourth did, as Air Force couldn't miss a shot and scored the first seven points of the extra frame to take control early. The Cowgirls forced OT but never threatened in the extra five minutes of action. A Sandvik layup were the only points for Wyoming in overtime as it has been outscored by 18 in its two overtimes this season.
The Cowgirls shot the ball fairly well from the floor, going 26-of-59 (44-percent) but made just 3-of-15 from 3-point range and went 6-for-9 from the free-throw line. Air Force, meanwhile, shot just 37.3-percent, but went 8-of-14 in the fourth and made 5-of-18 from beyond-the-arc. The Falcons also made 14 free throws. UW committed 17 turnovers for the game, leading to a 19-4 Air Force advantage in points off turnovers. The Falcons had an 8-3 edge in second-chance points while UW outscored AFA 44-36 in points in the paint.
Pedersen led Wyoming with 17 while Sandvik had 16 as they were the only two to finish in double figures. Jane Rumpf led the Cowgirls with seven rebounds while adding four assists and three blocks. Sandvik was a menace defensively, recording a career-high five blocks and drew the primary defensive assignment on the league's leading scorer, Milahnie Perry, holding her to nine points on 3-of-13 shooting. Perry entered Wednesday averaging over 17 points per game. Muma recorded a career-best seven assists on the day.
Wyoming closes the week with its second road contest of the week and final home game of 2026. The Cowgirls travel to face conference-leading San Diego State at 2 p.m., Mountain Time Saturday afternoon.
-WYO-