LARAMIE — The Wyoming men’s and women’s basketball teams will both be in action Saturday as the Cowboys close the regular season and the Cowgirls begin postseason play at the Mountain West Women’s Basketball Championship in Las Vegas.
The Cowboys travel to face San José State at 3 p.m. after improving to 17-13 overall and 8-11 in Mountain West play with an 83-73 win over Nevada Tuesday. Wyoming averages 77 points per game while allowing 72.8 and ranks sixth in the conference with 35.5 rebounds per contest. The Cowboys also lead the league with just under 12 offensive rebounds per game.
Leland Walker leads Wyoming in scoring at 13.9 points per game and averages a team-high 3.5 assists. Nasir (Naz) Meyer adds 12.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, while Khaden Bennett averages 10.6 points and a team-best 5.1 rebounds. Damarion Dennis contributes 10.8 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the field.
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San José State enters the matchup with an 8-22 overall record and a 3-16 mark in conference play after falling 82-68 at Fresno State Tuesday. Colby Garland leads the Spartans with 20.1 points per game, while Jermaine Washington averages 11.1 points and leads the team with 49 three-pointers.
Meanwhile, the Cowgirls open the Mountain West tournament as the No. 8 seed and face ninth-seeded Air Force at 1 p.m. Saturday in Las Vegas.
Wyoming enters the postseason following a 59-57 win over Grand Canyon Tuesday. Malene Pedersen led the Cowgirls in that victory with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Henna Sandvik added 16 points. Madi Symons finished with eight points and a career-best eight rebounds off the bench.
Pedersen finished the regular season as the Mountain West scoring champion, averaging 17 points per game and scoring in double figures in 48 consecutive games.
Wyoming also features the conference leader in blocks during league play, as Jane Rumpf averaged 1.6 per game and led the conference with 47 made three-pointers.
Air Force enters the tournament averaging 59.4 points per game. Milahnie Perry leads the Falcons with 17.1 points per contest, while Jayda McNabb leads the team in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
Wyoming leads the all-time series with Air Force 64-5, and the teams split their two meetings during the regular season.
