UW Cowgirls earn big win over Virginia

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – It was a fight to the finish, but the Wyoming Cowgirls prevailed over the University of Virginia with a 71-66 victory on the final day of the Discover Puerto Rico San Juan Shootout. The Cowgirls led for most of the contest, even leading by double digits in the fourth, before having to withstand a late UVA rally.

The Cowgirls played a strong first half. After Virginia took an early 5-2 lead, Wyoming responded with a quick 8-0 run to take a 10-5 lead. The Cowgirls took a 16-13 lead when Emily Mellema beat the clock with a driving layup.

It was a similar story for the Cowgirls in the second quarter as they built a 28-20 lead with less than two minutes left in the half. After the Cavaliers cut the deficit to just 28-26, an Allyson finish put-back layup gave UW a 30-26 lead before halftime. Fertig and Malene Pedersen both scored in double figures in the first half, scoring 10 points each.

The second half began with frantic action as the two teams opened with a 3-point exchange. After Pedersen scored five straight goals, the Cowgirls extended the lead back to 40-31.

Wyoming’s lead was cut to just 40-37 after a UVA run forced a Cowgirl timeout. After the timeout, the Cowgirls were able to get back into shape and quickly extend their lead back to two possessions. UW took a 49-43 lead.

Early in the final quarter, a three-point play by Tess Barnes gave the Cowgirls a 56-49 lead. The UW lead was 58-50 before the final media timeout of the game with just under four and a half minutes left. After the timeout, a finished layup gave Wyoming a double-digit lead with just over three minutes left.

The Cavs immediately answered with a three-pointer, but the Cowgirls immediately fought back and were able to improve by double digits again. However, UVA went on a big run and cut the lead to just three with less than a minute to play. Wyoming got a defensive stop and then hit a pair at the free throw line with 2.5 seconds left to secure the win.

Wyoming received contributions from everyone in the win and was led by two 20-point scorers in Pedersen and Fertig, who scored 23 and 22 points, respectively. The duo becomes the first Cowgirls to score at least 20 goals in the same game since Barnes and Mellema did so at Colorado State in February of last season.

Barnes finished with nine points while Mellema added eight. Mellema was also a great player, grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing out six assists, something he never appreciated in his career. Heidur Karlsdottir gave the Cowgirls four points off the bench in the first half.

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