The Wyoming Cowgirl basketball squad faced off against the Idaho State Bengals this Saint Patrick’s Day in the first game of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), winning 76-73 in a thrilling overtime matchup.
“I thought both teams were pretty well plugged in for the whole game and that had to be fun as a fan, and I think the players enjoyed it too,” Head Coach Gerald Mattison said.
“I knew they were going to be that physical coming in. What we talked about in practice is that you always try to relate. When you play a team you always try to relate that team to somebody that you’re familiar with.”
“I told them you’re gonna play a team that’s going to be a lot like the physicalness of the Air Force, and you’re going to have to respond.”
Following the win over Idaho State, the Cowgirls moved to an 18-8 record in the WNIT. The last time the Cowgirls won the WNIT was in 2007.
The Cowgirls have made 10 appearances in the WNIT, including this game.
Early three-pointers from Seniors Quinn Weidemann and Alba Sanchez-Ramos gave the Cowgirls an early edge on the Bengal squad, giving them a lead of 10-7.
A driving layup from Freshman Emily Mellema gave the Cowgirls a 14-10 edge over the Bengals at the end of the first quarter.
A turnover and jumper from Idaho State’s Montana Oltregge followed by another good two-pointer tied the game at 14.
With only seconds left in the second quarter, Idaho State’s Estefania Ors secured the lead for the Bengals, only for Alba Sanchez Ramos to steal the lead back with a scrambling layup and a score of 30-29.
The Cowgirls shot just under 50% from the field in the first half, but shot 28.6% from behind the arc, slightly lower than their 31% season average.
Much like the first half, the third quarter opened with back and forth scoring possessions, as each team vied for control of the game.
The Cowgirls gained a slight edge on the Bengals by the end of the third quarter, outscoring them 21-14, which gave them a lead of 51-43.
Idaho State’s Dora Goles tied the game at 60 with four minutes left in the fourth quarter with back-to-back three-pointers.
A foul on the Bengal’s Goles behind the arc allowed Idaho State to tie the game at 63 and a turnover on the Cowgirl end gave the Bengals the lead 65-63 with just under a minute left.
A late foul gave Senior Tommi Olson two shots at the charity line, and after sinking both shots, tied the score at 65 with under 30 seconds left.
While the Cowgirls had several opportunities at the end of the quarter, they were unable to drop any through the net, leading to overtime.
Following a foul, a series of crossovers and spin moves for Tommi Olson gave her an open shot at a layup and allowed her to increase the lead to 68-65.
In the dying minutes of the game, the Cowgirls came together to increase their lead, out-rebounding and out-scoring the Bengals, ultimately leading to the overtime victory.
The Cowgirls’ next tournament game will be against UCLA on March 24 at Arena-Auditorium.
