The University of Wyoming women’s basketball team used a commanding first quarter to secure a 77-64 victory against San Jose State on Wednesday night in California, Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports.
The win improved the Cowgirls’ overall record to 12-9 and 6-3 in Mountain West play, while the Spartans fell to 9-13 and 2-7 in the conference.
Head coach Heather Ezell praised her team’s performance, particularly their execution in the opening half.
“We executed what we wanted to do in that first half, both offensively and defensively,” Ezell told KOWB Radio. “We came out and really knocked down some shots, which helped us because we kind of cooled off a little bit in the second half.”
Junior guard Malene Pedersen led the Cowgirls with 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting, surpassing 1,000 career points in the process. Senior forward Allyson Fertig contributed 16 points and eight rebounds, while senior guard Ola Ustowska delivered nine assists.
“I’m really proud of what (Pedersen) does,” Ezell said. “But it takes a team to do that. Somebody else has to pass her the ball, and we did that really well with 23 assists. Credit to her for continuing to improve her game every year.”
After falling behind 4-0 early in the game, the Cowgirls unleashed a dominant 23-2 run over a six-minute span in the first quarter. The Spartans committed five turnovers during the stretch, helping Wyoming build a 25-12 lead by the end of the period.
Another 10-2 run in the second quarter extended Wyoming’s advantage to 20 points. The Cowgirls shot a remarkable 20-of-30 (66.7%) from the field and 5-of-7 (71.4%) from beyond the arc in the first half, entering the break with a commanding 50-28 lead.
San Jose State found momentum in the third quarter, outscoring the Cowgirls 20-13 and cutting the deficit to 13 points heading into the fourth. Despite the Spartans’ efforts, Wyoming maintained control, scoring 14 points in the final quarter to secure the 13-point win.
Ezell emphasized the importance of building on this road win as the Cowgirls return home to face Boise State on Saturday.
“Now we get to go back home and play in front of our home fans, which we love to do, and have the energy in the building to compete against a really good Boise team,” Ezell said.
The Cowgirls will host Boise State (15-7, 5-4) at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Arena-Auditorium, seeking to maintain their momentum in Mountain West play.
