The Wyoming Cowgirls faced off against the Air Force Falcons this evening, winning a highly contested matchup 66-63. The Cowgirls moved to 11-7 overall and an impressive 6-1 in conference play.
The Cowgirls and Falcons stayed neck and neck through most of the first quarter, even while Wyoming struggled to convert shots into points in the early minutes. Thanks in large part to the efforts of Malen Pederson however, the offense slowly warmed up as the quarter went on. Despite the best defensive schemes of the Cowgirls though, the Falcons went up 20-16 at the break, propelled by excellent 3 point shooting, going 4-7 from beyond the arc in the first.
Slowly and surely, the Cowgirls used effective passing and great scoring in the paint to stack up points before half. This, along with good defense, helped them take a 29-27 lead at the 4:30 mark in the second quarter. The Falcons caught fire just before the break however, and went on a 12-2 run in the last three minutes to regain a 39-34 lead.
Milahnie Perry led the way for the Falcons, going 5-8 and posting 10 points, while also grabbing 3 rebounds. Meanwhile, Malen Pederson and Allyson Fertig put up 11 and 8 points respectively to keep the Cowgirls in it. While Wyoming had a 43% field goal percentage, they were 0-6 from three point range, compared to Air Force’s 6 in 11 tries.
That three point percentage quickly changed however, with Tess Barnes cashing two shots from beyond the arc in the early goings of the second half which helped the team bring it to within one at 43-42 with 6:34 left in the third quarter. The Falcons tried to pull away but Emily Mellema kept the Cowgirls in the contest, sinking a three and then converting a steal into two more points on the very next possession, tying the game 47-47. As the game headed into the fourth, the Falcons led 52-51.
The teams battled back and forth, with the Falcons shooting well. Allyson Fertig was dominant beneath the basket for the Cowgirls however, putting in four straight layups to keep them in it, making it 61-60 with 4:36 remaining. Both teams struggled with turnovers coming down the stretch, but the Falcons hung in the game nevertheless.
With only 45 seconds left in the game, Fertig made another clutch layup to give the Cowgirls a 3 point lead in the final minute. After a defensive stand, Wyoming inbounded the ball on their half, and in a heated moment, Air Force defenders swarmed Tess Barnes to force a jump ball, giving the Falcons possession. Then, after another Air Force miss, a pile of players jumped toward the ball and the Falcons were given possession again, prompting a barrage of boos from the home crowd. Despite the setback, the Cowgirls defense locked the Falcons down, forcing a missed shot with 1.2 seconds left. Wyoming inbounded the ball and ran out the clock to win a squeaker in the final minutes.
Allyson Fertig caught fire late, but posted a team leading 21 points. Emily Mellema got 5 steals and Ola Ustowska delivered 7 assists to help the Wyoming offensive efforts. Despite the early struggles, the Cowgirls ended the game shooting 54% compared to the Falcons’ 43%.
The Cowgirls travel to Fresno State this Saturday for another conference matchup, set to tip off at 2 p.m.
