The Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team secured a victory over Nevada on Saturday, Jan. 29 with a final score of 62-53.
The game was a physical one for the Pokes, scoring 42 of their points in the paint and from the free throw line. The Cowgirls shot 11 for 18 from the foul line.
Head coach Gerald Mattinson shared his thoughts on the Cowgirls impressive defensive effort against Nevada.
“Obviously in the fourth quarter we played on defense, and that’s what led to us gaining the lead on them,” Mattinson said. “But I also think we played pretty well defensively all game long.”
The Cowgirls got off to a quick start following two early Nevada fouls which led to four points from Freshman Allyson Fertig. Fertig scored the first 6 points for the Cowgirls, all shots coming from the paint.
“She played great, she had a double double today,” Mattinson said. “But what I’m most pleased with today was that she had two very tough matchups and that she was able to guard with only one personal foul.”
“She really did a good job with understanding where she was supposed to be and changing the opponents shots,” Mattinson said.
Fertig, who recorded a double-double, led the team in scoring with 24 points, shooting 11 for 17 from the field.
Along with Fertig, Junior guard McKinley Bradshaw provided offensive fuel for the Cowgirls.
Bradshaw tallied 18 points, shooting 60% from the field. Bradshaw ranks third in the Mountain West in scoring.
In the first quarter, some missed shots paired with turnovers led to the Lobos obtaining the lead on the Pokes for a brief moment.
However the Cowgirls responded, out-scoring their opponent 19-14 in the first quarter. The Cowgirls remained in control for the majority of the first half, with the score being 34-29 going into halftime.
The second half of the game was far closer, with Nevada closing the lead to just one point at various times throughout the last two quarters.
Late in the third quarter, Nevada’s Da’Ja Hamilton brought the score to within one with a three-point shot.
But, with less than a minute left in the third quarter, Tommi Olson responded by finding Sophomore forward Paula Salazar in the paint for an easy lay up, bringing the score to 46-45.
With the score being 46-45 the pressure was on for the cowgirls to close out the game and secure the win.
A series of shot attempts and rebounds allowed Fertig to finally get the first bucket of the fourth quarter, and a foul on the shot attempt resulted in an additional point from the free throw line.
Some back to back scoring possessions for the Wolf Pack brought them back to within one, 52-51, and two missed free throws from Wyoming gave Nevada the chance to take the lead.
A scoreless possession followed by an open lay up for McKinley Bradshaw allowed the Pokes to stay ahead with 2:43 left in the final quarter.
Following a rebound and a wide open layup by Senior guard Quinn Weidemann, the Pokes pulled ahead 56-53 with just 1:08 remaining in the fourth.
As the Pokes regained possession, a crossover move from Olson followed by a dish to Fertig allowed the Pokes to make the game a two possession game.
A late game foul gave Senior guard Alba Sanchez Ramos two shots at the free throw and increased the lead to seven points.
After several timeouts, the Cowgirls regained possession and opted to draw out the closing seconds of the game.
Defensively, the Pokes collected four total steals, two coming from senior guard Tommi Olson. Olson ranks second in the Mountain West Conference with 2.1 steals per game.
The Cowgirls out-rebounded the Wolf Pack 44 to 27, with Fertig recording 11 and Bradshaw recording 9.
The Cowgirls travel to Colorado Springs for their next matchup on Wednesday, Feb. 2 to take on Air Force.
