Courtesy of Wyoming Athletics –
SAN JUAN, P.R. (Nov. 30, 2024) – It was a fight to the finish, but the Wyoming Cowgirls prevailed to hang on for a 71-66 win Saturday over Virginia in the final day of play at the Discover Puerto Rico San Juan Shootout. The Cowgirls led for most of the contest, and by double digits in the fourth and needed to withstand a late UVA rally.
The Cowgirls again played a strong first half, as they came out and led for much of the game’s first 20 minutes. After Virginia took an early 5-2 lead, Wyoming responded with a quick 8-0 run to claim a 10-5 lead. The Cowgirls carried a 16-13 lead into the second as Emily Mellema beat the clock with a driving layup.
In the second, it was more of the same for the Cowgirls, as they built up a 28-20 lead with under two minutes left in the half. After the Cavaliers cut the deficit down to just 28-26, an Allyson Fertig putback layup gave UW a 30-26 lead going into the break. Fertig and Malene Pedersen both scored in double figures in the first half, putting in 10 points apiece.
The second half started with a flurry of action as the two teams opened by trading 3-pointers. After Pedersen scored five straight, the Cowgirls pushed the lead back up to 40-31. Wyoming’s lead was down to just 40-37 after a UVA run forced a Cowgirl timeout. The rest of the quarter continued the offensive flow for both teams as UW carried a 49-43 lead into the fourth after it had a nice response after the timeout.
Things remained tight to begin the fourth as a Tess Barnes three-point play with seven minutes left gave the Cowgirls a 56-49 lead. The UW advantage was 58-50 going into the final media timeout of the game with 4:27 left. Following the timeout, a Fertig layup gave Wyoming a double-digit advantage with a little over three minutes left.
The Cavs would immediately respond with a three, but the Cowgirls fought right back to go up by double digits again. However, UVA would go on a big run to cut the lead down to just three with under a minute to play. Wyoming would get a defensive stop and then hit a pair at the line with 2.5 seconds left to escape with the victory.
Wyoming got contributions from everyone in the win and was led by a pair of 20-point scorers in Pedersen (23) and Fertig (22). The duo becomes the first Cowgirls to score 20-or-more points in the same game since Barnes and Mellema did it at Colorado State in February of last season. Barnes closed with nine points while Mellema added eight. In addition, Mellema was big on the glass, pulling down a career-high 13 rebounds while also dishing-out six assists. Heidur Karlsdottir gave the Cowgirls a big four points off the bench in the first half.
Wyoming shot 42-percent from the field and made 3-of-16 from 3-point range. The Cavaliers shot 39-percent and made 7-of-21 from deep. UW had a plus-five margin at the free-throw line and scored four more points off five more UVA turnovers. The Cowgirls were plus-seven (44-37) on the glass and scored 38 points in the paint to Virginia’s 28.
Next up, the Cowgirls continue on the road as they travel to face Missouri State December 6 at 5:30 p.m., Mountain Time.
-WYO-
