Cowgirls Come Up Short in Tussle at New Mexico

The Wyoming Cowgirls came up short on the road Wednesday night, suffering their first Mountain West defeat of the season at New Mexico. The Lobos were able to put together a strong fourth quarter late to pull away for a 73-67 win in The Pit.

Wyoming got out to a good start in the first quarter, leading by five early, 12-7. The Cowgirls stayed out in front of the Lobos for most of the first 10 minutes, but a New Mexico putback before the buzzer gave UNM a one-point advantage, 16-15 going into the second quarter.

The second quarter featured some more offense for both teams as the two traded baskets back-and-forth to open the frame. New Mexico was able to grasp control later in the second, leading by as many as six, 34-28. From there, it was the Cowgirls' turn to punch back, as they got to within one with quick back-to-back hoops. The Lobos would get a 3-pointer from Hulda Joaquim just before the half, her first attempted three of the season as they took a 37-33 lead into halftime.

New Mexico came out in the third quarter and grabbed control early, scoring the first four points and taking an eight-point lead. After that, the Cowgirls responded with a quick five points before the Lobos' hot shooting continued. UNM led 48-43 at the media timeout as both teams displayed effective offense to begin the second half. UW was able to whittle down the deficit to close the third, thanks to four consecutive free throws. The Lobos led 53-51 going to the fourth.

The Cowgirls struggled offensively to begin the fourth but a pair at the line from Malene Pedersen knotted things at 53-53. After that, New Mexico reclaimed control, taking a 60-53 leading to a UW timeout with 6:51 remaining. Out of the timeout, the Cowgirls were able to get three consecutive Allyson Fertig layups, each time cutting the deficit to five points, but each time UNM had an answer. Following the game's final media timeout, UW fought back and got it to within one possession, twice, but couldn't reel the Lobos in down the stretch as New Mexico's offense proved too strong.

UW had four in double figures in the loss, led by Fertig's 17. Tess Barnes and Pedersen added 15 and 14, respectively. Barnes made a trio of 3-pointers while Pedersen hit two. Off the bench, McKinley Dickerson added 10 points.

The Cowgirls did an excellent job of sharing the ball in the loss, tallying 21 assists on the night. It was the second time this season that the Cowgirls have recorded 20-plus assists in a game. UW assisted on 21 of its 25 made field goals. Individually, it was Pedersen and Ola Ustowska who led the team with seven and six, respectively. The assists tied a career-high for Pedersen while Ustowska's are a season-best for her.

Turnovers proved costly in the contest as the Lobos scored 14 points off 15 Wyoming turnovers. The Cowgirls had seven points off seven New Mexico miscues. UNM had a 42-38 edge in points in the paint and a 8-0 lead in second-chance points. The Cowgirls shot the ball tremendously, shooting 52.1-percent overall and going 6-of-13 from 3-point range. Wyoming was also 11-of-15 at the free-throw line but missed two key ones with under a minute to play, trailing by five. The Lobos shot 45.5-percent from the floor and made 7-of-16 from beyond-the-arc.

Wyoming now returns home this weekend for the first of two back-to-back contests at home. The Cowgirls welcome in San Diego State for a 2 p.m., contest Saturday in the Arena-Auditorium.