A 10-0 run to end the third quarter propelled the Wyoming Cowgirls past Utah State, 59-40, Saturday afternoon in Laramie.

The Cowgirls were up by as many as 12 points in the first half, but Utah State battled back and tied the game in the third quarter. Rachel Brewster’s jumper at the 3:27 mark knotted it at 33-33. A pair of Natalie Baker free throws broke the tie, and Wyoming never trailed.

UW finished the game on a 26-7 run. Taylor Rusk’s three-pointer from the left corner with 1:12 left in the third was the Cowgirls’ first of the game. They had been 0-9 prior to that. Another Rusk three early in the fourth quarter was part of a 10-0 scoring stretch. Utah State missed six shots in that same four-minute span.

Wyoming (18-6, 10-3) was led by Liv Roberts with 14 points and six rebounds. Rusk added 10 points and five boards off the bench. Bailee Cotton contributed nine points and nine rebounds. The Cowgirls shot only 39.6 percent from the field. They did out-rebound the Aggies, 42-25. That led to 19 second chance points.

Utah State (13-11, 6-7) was led by Brewster with 15 points. The Aggies shot 31.5 percent for the game. They were 2-18, 11 percent, from beyond the arc.

A 9-0 run by the Cowgirls gave them a 19-7 lead after the first quarter. Utah State pulled within five by halftime, as they out-scored UW 18-11 in the second quarter. It was 30-25 at halftime. The Aggies began the second half with an 8-3 spurt that led to the tie.

Wyoming heads back on the road next Wednesday for the first edition of the Border War against rival Colorado State. Game time in Fort Collins, CO is at 7 p.m.

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