Cowgirls stay undefeated in MW, Cowboys fall in “The Pit”

January 7, 2024 — Wyo4News Staff

Saturday was a day of mixed results for University of Wyoming basketball. The Cowgirls basketball team stayed undefeated in the Mountain West with a 68-51 win at Air Force, but the Cowboys suffered their first conference loss of the season, 77-60, in New Mexico’s “The Pitt.”

Cowgirls Basketball

With their Saturday win, the Cowgirls are now a perfect 3-0 in the Mountain West. Wyoming, UNLV, and Fresno State are the only undefeated teams in the conference. Air Force is now 1-2 in the conference and 8-8 on the season.

The Cowgirls found themselves trailing after the first period, 19-15, but caught fire in the second period, outscoring the Falcon 21-11 to lead 36-30 at the half. UW would also increase that lead to 51-39 by the end of the third quarter.

Wyoming Cowgirls shot a season-high 61.7 percent from the field for the game.

Leading UW in scoring was Mellema Emily, who scored 17 points. Three other Cowgirls scored in double figures: Allison Fertig (13 points), Malene Pederson (10 points), and McKinley Dickerson (10 points).

Up Next

UW will now host San Diego State (1-1, 10-5) on Wednesday evening.

Cowboys Basketball

Wyoming is now 1-1 in the Mountain West and 8-7 on the season after falling to New Mexico on Saturday night. The Lobos improved to 1-1 in conference and 13-2 overall.

First-half turnovers and fouls led to the Pokes fighting back from a 39-22 first-half deficit.

The Cowboys came out of the locker, hitting five of their first six shots in the second half. Eventually, they cut the Lobo’s lead to a 43-35 game with 16:18 left in the contest. The game was relatively even from that point, with UW trailing 63-53 with just over six minutes remaining. But New Mexico would seal the win when the Pokes would score only two points over the next three minutes.

“To have the game down to seven points in the second half when you turn the ball over the way we did and make it a game that is something to build off of, but we aren’t talented enough to spot the good teams in our league points, and it is too hard to dig out of the hole,” UW head coach Jeff Linder said.

Wyoming had 23 turnovers in the game, with New Mexico scoring 28 points off those mistakes. Another sore spot: Wyoming shot only 19 percent for three-point range (4 of 21).

The Cowboys were led by guard Sam Griffin, who had 18 points. He also added six rebounds and three assists.

Up Next

The Cowboys remain on the road heading to Utah State on Tuesday for a 7 p.m.