The Wyoming Cowgirls are ready to bounce back and secure their first win of the season as they host the Regis Rangers Wednesday night, News Letter Journal reports.
The game tips off at 6:30 p.m. at the Arena-Auditorium and will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network, with David Settle calling the action on the Cowgirl Radio Network.
The Cowgirls come into Wednesday’s contest looking to recover from a tough 76-63 road loss to BYU last Saturday. Despite leading at halftime, Wyoming struggled in the third quarter, where the Cougars went on a 31-6 run to turn a 13-point deficit into a decisive victory. In the loss, junior forward Allyson Fertig led the team with an impressive 22 points, 18 rebounds, and four blocks, marking her 15th career game scoring 20-plus points. Malene Pedersen and Tess Barnes also reached double figures with 15 and 11 points, respectively.
On the season, Fertig is averaging 20 points, 11.5 rebounds, and three blocks per game on a solid 56% shooting rate. Barnes, who has shown consistency in scoring double figures in both games this season, is averaging 12 points per game and leads the team with five made three-pointers. Emily Mellema and Pedersen are contributing 8.5 points each per game, with Mellema also leading the Cowgirls with six assists and six steals.
The game will also see Ola Ustowska celebrating a milestone, having surpassed 100 career games earlier this season. Fertig and Mellema are both nearing their 100th games for Wyoming, having played every game of their careers in a Cowgirl uniform.
The Rangers arrive in Laramie with a strong scorer in Erin Fry, who is averaging 20 points on 22 shot attempts per game. Fry leads the team in made three-pointers and assists while ranking second in rebounds. Jessica Bollwahn is averaging a team-high 7.5 rebounds, while Athena Saragoza and Taylin Serlen add scoring depth, with 17.5 and 11 points per game, respectively. Regis averages 67.5 points per game, shooting 35% from the field, and they make eight three-pointers per game.
Defensively, Regis has allowed opponents to score an average of 71 points per game on 46% shooting, and they carry a -4.5 rebounding margin. However, the Rangers have shown an ability to disrupt opposing offenses, forcing 10 more turnovers than they have committed this season. Wednesday’s game will be an exhibition matchup for Regis.
Wednesday marks only the second all-time meeting between the Cowgirls and Rangers. Wyoming won the previous matchup, a 64-44 victory in November 2022. Pedersen, one of Wyoming’s projected starters for Wednesday, scored 12 points in that win, as did other returning players who contributed significantly.
