Furious Second-Half Rally Pushes Cowgirls Past SDSU, 70-58
* University of Wyoming press release
SAN DIEGO, Calif., – The Wyoming Cowgirls scored 50 second half points and shot 19-of-24 (79.2-percent) from the floor, 4-of-5 from 3-point range and made all eight of their free throws as Wyoming staged a furious second half rally to defeat San Diego State, 70-58 Saturday afternoon on the road.
The Cowgirls overcame a 12-point halftime deficit and trailed by 15 early in the third quarter.
Much like in the first matchup with San Diego State in Laramie, the Cowgirls got off to a slow start as the Aztecs scored the first seven points of the game.
Tommi Olson and Quinn Weidemann both hit 3-pointers to get UW on the board as it trailed 13-8 at the first media timeout. Following the timeout, SDSU continued the physical play as the Cowgirl offense sputtered and Wyoming trailed 19-10 after one.
In the second quarter, things remained stagnant for the UW offense as it got to within seven, 23-16 with six minutes left in the half. From there, San Diego State would build the lead back up and continued to maintain it, leading 32-20 going into halftime. The Cowgirls shot just 7-of-21 in the first half and committed nine turnovers. The Aztecs went 13-for-23 from the floor.
SDSU got a 3-pointer to open the scoring in the second half before a 6-0 run from the Cowgirls cut the deficit to 35-26. After that, the two teams would trade a couple of buckets and it was 39-30 at the media timeout. Out of the timeout, a Tess Barnes 3-pointer and a turnaround jumper from Allyson Fertig got Wyoming to within six, 43-37 with 2:50 left in the third and forced an Aztec timeout.
Fertig would get another two buckets after the timeout to get the Cowgirls within a bucket, 43-41 heading into the fourth. UW ended the frame on a 9-0 run the final 3:32.
A Weidemann pull-up jumper began the scoring in the fourth and things were tied for the first time since the start of the game. An Olson layup a couple of minutes later gave the Cowgirls their first lead of the afternoon, 45-43. After another Olson 3-pointer and a Fertig layup, SDSU called a timeout with 5:55 remaining and UW out front, 52-47.
After the timeout, the Aztecs would get a hoop before a Barnes corner 3-pointer put the Cowgirls up 55-49 with a little more than four minutes to play. From there, each team would hit a couple of baskets before UW called a timeout with 2:46 to play and holding a 59-53 lead.
Fertig again scored out of the timeout to make it an eight-point Cowgirl advantage. After a pair from the Aztecs at the line, Barnes’ third 3-pointer of the game was followed up by a three of SDSU’s own and it was 64-58 with 1:33 remaining.
After an Aztec timeout, the Cowgirls would score again and then force a miss before Malene Pedersen would hit two at the charity stripe. Pedersen would make two more after another defensive stop and it was all over from there as Wyoming closed-out its impressive comeback.
For the game, Wyoming shot 57.8-percent from the field, a season-best, made 6-of-11 from 3-point range and went 12-of-12 from the free-throw line.
The Aztecs shot just under43-percent from the field in the contest and made 3-of-8 from beyond-the-arc. SDSU also shot 13-for-18 at the charity stripe.
Fertig scored 16 of her game-high 20 points in the second half, going for 20 points or more in consecutive games. Fertig finished the game shooting 9-of-14 from the floor and added three blocks. Pedersen, meanwhile, went for 14 points, 12 of which coming in the second half.
Olson also finished the game in double figures as shed had 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Barnes and Weidemann added nine points each with Weidemann tallying five assists and a pair of steals.
Saturday was the Cowgirls’ final road contest of the regular season as they return home next week for a pair of contests. Wyoming opens the week Thursday night against Nevada.