LARAMIE — The Wyoming Cowgirls and Cowboys are set for critical Mountain West Conference matchups this week, with the Cowgirls hosting Air Force on Wednesday night while the Cowboys hit the road to face New Mexico.
Cowgirls Host Air Force Wednesday
The Wyoming Cowgirls (14-9, 8-3 MW) return to the Arena-Auditorium for a 6:30 p.m. contest against Air Force. The game will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network and broadcast on the Cowgirl Radio Network with David Settle on the call.
Wyoming is coming off a dominant 62-50 victory over San Diego State, led by Allyson Fertig, who recorded her 12th 20-point game of the season, scoring 20 on 10-of-14 shooting. Tess Barnes and Emily Mellema added 11 points each, while Malene Pedersen chipped in 10 points and a game-high six assists. Fertig also set a career high with five assists.
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Fertig remains the only Division I player in the nation averaging at least 20 points per game in conference play while shooting at least 60 percent from the field. She leads the Mountain West with 20.3 points per game and a 61.1 field goal percentage. Mellema leads the conference in steals per game (2.6), and Ola Ustowska ranks fourth in assists (4.1 per game) and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.4). Pedersen is tenth in the league in scoring (14.2 PPG) and second in shooting percentage (54%).
Wyoming boasts the second-best defense in the MW, allowing just 60 points per game, while leading the league in field goal percentage (50.5%), three-point percentage (38.6%), and assists per game (17.9). The Cowgirls also rank second in rebounding margin (+5.3).
Air Force (66.2 PPG, 61.5 PPG allowed) is led by Milahnie Perry (16.3 PPG) and Madison Smith (13.7 PPG), who also ranks first in the MW in steals (55). Jayda McNabb leads the team with 7.3 rebounds per game and tops the conference with 3.9 offensive boards per contest. The Falcons force nearly seven more turnovers per game than their opponents and lead the MW with 11.5 steals per game.
Wyoming holds a commanding 61-4 lead in the all-time series against Air Force, including a 62-50 win earlier this season in Colorado Springs. The Cowgirls have won five straight against the Falcons and remain undefeated at home in the series.
Cowboys Face Road Test at New Mexico
The Wyoming Cowboys (11-13, 4-9 MW) travel to The Pit for an 8 p.m. showdown Wednesday against the first-place New Mexico Lobos (20-4, 12-1 MW). The game will air on FS1, with Nick Koop and Casey Jacobsen on the call, and will be broadcast on the Cowboy Sports Network with Keith Kelly and Kevin McKinney.
Wyoming looks to bounce back from a 68-57 home loss to UNLV. The Cowboys average 68.3 points per game while allowing 70.4. They rank third in the MW in three-point shooting (35.9%) and three-point defense (32.9%).
Obi Agbim leads Wyoming with 17.6 points per game, ranking third in the MW. He is shooting 44.4% from three, which leads the conference and ranks 14th nationally. He also paces the Cowboys with 3.5 assists per game. Jordan Nesbitt recorded his eighth double-double of the season against Fresno State and is averaging 8.7 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game. Kobe Newton contributes eight points per game and has made 39 three-pointers this season.
New Mexico, coming off an 88-53 win over Air Force, has won 13 of its last 14 games. The Lobos lead the MW in scoring (83.7 PPG, No. 14 nationally) and fast-break points (16.9 PPG, No. 6 nationally). They also rank tenth in the nation in rebounding (40.8 RPG).
Donovan Dent leads the Lobos with 19.6 points per game, ranking first in the MW and 23rd nationally. He also averages 6.5 assists per game, second in the conference and ninth nationally. Nelly Junior Joseph adds 13.8 points and a league-leading 11 rebounds per game. His 13 double-doubles rank sixth in the nation.
New Mexico leads the all-time series against Wyoming 81-72, including a 61-53 win in Laramie earlier this season. The Cowboys are 25-47 all-time in Albuquerque.
