Wyoming Basketball Teams Shine in Weekend Road Games, Prepare for Showdowns Against New Mexico

Wyoming Basketball Teams Shine in Weekend Road Games, Prepare for Showdowns Against New Mexico

Courtesy photo from Gowyo.com

LARAMIE — Both Wyoming basketball teams enjoyed impressive road wins this past weekend, showcasing grit and determination as they prepare for critical matchups against Mountain West opponents.

Cowgirls Secure Victory Behind Barnes’ Career Night

FRESNO, Calif. — Senior guard Tess Barnes scored a career-high 24 points as the Wyoming Cowgirls defeated Fresno State 68-59 in a hard-fought conference matchup on Saturday. Allyson Fertig added 21 points, marking the second time this season two Cowgirls scored 20 or more in the same game.

Wyoming jumped to an early 10-2 lead, fueled by five layups in six possessions, but Fresno State closed the gap to 14-11. Fertig’s dominance in the paint helped the Cowgirls hold a 22-13 edge after the first quarter.

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A Barnes 3-pointer early in the second quarter extended Wyoming’s lead to 27-15, but Fresno responded, cutting the deficit to 37-33 by halftime. Both teams shot exceptionally well in the first half, with Wyoming hitting 65.4 percent from the floor and Fresno connecting on 53.6 percent of its attempts.


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Barnes opened the second half with back-to-back layups, surpassing her previous season-high scoring total. The fourth quarter proved decisive, with Barnes and Emily Mellema each hitting timely 3-pointers to maintain Wyoming’s advantage. Mellema’s corner three with 3:37 remaining gave the Cowgirls a commanding 12-point lead, securing the victory.

Wyoming shot 51 percent from the field and made six 3-pointers while limiting Fresno to 3-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc. “Tess held their top scorer to just seven points, and that was as important as her offensive effort,” said head coach Heather Ezell.

The Cowgirls next face New Mexico on Wednesday, January 8, in “The Pit.”

Cowboys Rally for Gritty Win at Air Force

COLORADO SPRINGS — The Wyoming Cowboys overcame a nine-point first-half deficit and shot a season-high 69 percent from 3-point range to edge Air Force 70-65 in Clune Arena on Saturday. Wyoming improved to 9-6 overall and 2-2 in Mountain West play.

“This is what Air Force does to teams,” head coach Sundance Wicks remarked. “But our guys made big-time plays in big moments.”

The Cowboys were led by Kobe Newton’s 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, Dontaie Allen’s season-high 14 points, and Jordan Nesbitt’s sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Wyoming trailed 21-12 midway through the first half but used a 13-0 run to take a 33-27 lead before going scoreless for the final 4:30 of the half. Air Force capitalized, regaining a 36-33 advantage at the break.

In the second half, the Cowboys tightened their defense, holding Air Force scoreless for over four minutes during a critical stretch. Free throws from Nesbitt and a spinning layup from Cole Henry helped Wyoming build a six-point lead with under four minutes to play.

Wyoming shot 57.1 percent overall and went 9-of-13 from deep. “This was a complete team effort,” Wicks said. “Every guy stepped up when it mattered most.”

The Cowboys return home to face Mountain West co-leader New Mexico on Tuesday at 8 p.m.