LARAMIE – The Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team is set to host Minnesota at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the Great 8 Round of the WNIT. Wyoming’s last appearance at this stage of the WNIT was in 2019.
Monday’s game will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network and aired across the Cowgirl Radio Network with David Settle providing commentary. You can listen in Sweetwater County on KUGR at 104.9 FM and 1490 AM.
Wyoming (18-14) is coming off an impressive offensive display, defeating South Dakota 84-52 in the Super 16 on Friday night. The Cowgirls shot 54.7% from the field and made 35 field goals in the victory, marking the first time since December 2019 they achieved such a feat. Additionally, Wyoming tied its season-high with 54 bench points and secured 32 points from the bench. Defensively, the Brown & Gold limited South Dakota to just 27.3% shooting.
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Five Cowgirls scored in double figures in the win, led by Allyson Fertig’s 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting. Fertig also grabbed a game-best 11 rebounds, securing her fifth double-double in the last six games. Over the past six contests, Fertig has averaged 18.8 points and 10 rebounds per game, shooting 69% from the floor. The Cowgirl center also averaged three blocks per game during that span.
Off the bench, Marta Savic and McKinley Dickerson led Cowgirl reserves with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Emily Mellema added 11 points, while Malene Pedersen contributed 10. This marks the first time since February 2020 that Wyoming has had five players score in double figures in a single game. The Cowgirls, participating in their 12th WNIT in program history, aim to improve their all-time tournament record to 23-10 and secure their third appearance in the Fab 4.
Minnesota is led by a trio of All-Big Ten honorees: Amaya Battle, Mara Braun, and Grace Grocholski. Braun leads the Golden Gophers in scoring with 17 points per game, shooting 36.4% from 3-point range and 92.2% at the free-throw line. Battle and Grocholski follow closely, averaging 11.8 and 11.1 points per game, respectively. Battle also leads the team with just under 5.5 assists per game, while Grocholski’s 75 made 3-pointers are a team-high. Mallory Heyer leads the Gophers in rebounds with 8.5 per contest.
As a team, Minnesota averages 70 points per game while opponents score an average of 66.3 points per game. The Golden Gophers shoot 42.1% overall from the field and 32.5% from beyond the arc. Opponents shoot slightly better, at 42.4% overall and 34.4% from deep. Minnesota out-rebounds opponents by over 2.5 rebounds per game and averages over two fewer turnovers per contest. The team averages 14.6 assists per game with a 1.08 assist-to-turnover ratio. Minnesota holds a 2-8 record in road contests in the 2023-24 season.
The Cowgirls hold an all-time record of 0-3 against Minnesota but have never faced the Golden Gophers in Laramie. Wyoming is 0-2 on the road in the series, with their last meeting against Minnesota occurring in November 2001, resulting in a 92-66 loss at the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Hawai’i.
