Cowgirls, Lobos Set for Thursday Night Showdown
* University of Wyoming press release
LARAMIE -- The Wyoming Cowgirls play their final home game before a three-game road trip as they welcome New Mexico to town for a 6:30 p.m., contest Thursday, Jan. 5. It is also UW’s lone game of the week.
Thursday’s game will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network and can be heard across the Cowgirl Radio Network with David Settle on the call.
ABOUT THE COWGIRLS
Wyoming (8-5, 1-1 MW) is coming off its first conference victory of the season Saturday as it hung on for a 77-72 double overtime victory over Fresno State. Allyson Fertig recorded her fourth double-double of the season in the win as she led the way with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Fertig also recorded a career-best five blocks in the win, becoming the first Cowgirl since Hillary Carlson in 2011 to record five-plus blocks in a single game.
Malene Pedersen and Grace Ellis also finished in double figures against the Bulldogs with 18 and 17 points, respectively. The 17 points from Ellis ties a career-high for her while she also notched a season-best nine rebounds and had a career-high four assists in the win.
Tommi Olson recorded a game-high five assists and had no turnovers in the contest. With the overtime victory, the Cowgirls are 4-1 in their last five overtime games.
A trio of Cowgirls are averaging in double digits in scoring this season and are led by Quinn Weidemann’s 12.7 points per game. Weidemann is shooting 43.3-percent from 3-point range this season and is tied for second on the team with 29 assists.
Ellis is averaging 10.5 points per game and is shooting 50.9-percent from the floor and is 16-for-32 from beyond-the-arc. Fertig, meanwhile, is the other Cowgirl averaging 10-plus per game as she enters Thursday’s contest at 10.4 points and is averaging a league-leading 9.5 rebounds per game.
IN THE RECORD BOOK
Fertig, Olson and Weidemann continue to climb up the program ranks this season. Weidemann is fourth all-time at Wyoming in made 3-pointers with 227 makes, and is sixth all-time in attempts with 550. Her career three-point field goal percentage of .413 is fourth all-time among Cowgirls.
Weidemann’s 86.2-percent career free-throw percentage is fourth all-time. While her 274 career assists are 16th in program history. Weidemann is also tied for 16th all-time with 1,278 career points and her 130 games played are second in program history.
Olson has a career-high of nine steals in a game, which is tied for the most in a single game in school history. Olson’s 156 career steals are tied for eighth all-time in program history while her 316 career assists are 11th all-time.
Allyson Fertig’s 14 career double-doubles are 14th in program history and her 52 career blocks are tied for 17th all-time.
SCOUTING NEW MEXICO
The Lobos are led by All-Mountain West honoree Shaiquel McGruder, who is averaging 15.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in 2022-23. McGruder also leads the UNM defense with 35 steals and 40 blocks and leads the league with a 66.4-percent field goal percentage.
Twins LaTascya and LaTora Duff also average in double-figure scoring at 12.8 and 10.2 points per game, respectively. LaTascya leads the MW with 3.2 made 3-pointers per game and is shooting 36-percent from beyond-the-arc.
As a team, New Mexico is averaging 73.2 points per game and is allowing 66.8 per. UNM is shooting nearly 43-percent from the field and 32-percent from 3-point range. Lobo opponents are shooting at 39-percent and 27.5-percent from 3-point range.
The Lobos are being out-rebounded by opponents by just over five boards per contest. UNM is 1-0 in the Mountain West to begin league play.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST NEW MEXICO
Wyoming trails the all-time series, 39-43 against the Lobos and has lost three-straight at home against New Mexico. UW’s last win in Laramie came in January of 2018. The two teams split last season’s two meetings, with each winning on the other’s home floor.
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