* University of Wyoming press release

LARAMIE -- The Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team continues its three-game homestand Friday night as they welcome regional rival Denver for a 6:30 tip. Friday’s game will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network and can be heard across the Cowgirl Radio Network with Keith Kelley on the call.

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ABOUT THE COWGIRLS
Wyoming (0-2) is coming off a hard-fought, back-and-forth affair with Gonzaga Tuesday night, losing to the Bulldogs 66-64. The contest featured six ties and 12 lead changes. Quinn Weidemann led the way with 17 points on the night while Grace Ellis notched a career-high 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor and tying a career-best with a pair of made 3-pointers. The Cowgirls had an 11-6 edge in second-chance points and outscored the Bulldogs 11-4 in fast break scoring in the loss. GU outscored the Cowgirls 44-34 in the paint and had a 14-5 advantage in points off turnovers.

Through the first two games of the season, Ellis leads the team scoring 12.5 points per game and is tied for second with 5.5 boards a contest. Malene Pedersen and Weidemann also score in double figures this season at 11 per game.

Ellis, Tommi Olson and Pedersen all lead the way with four assists each on the young season. After its first two contests, the Cowgirls are shooting nearly 38-percent overall from the field and are averaging five 3-pointers per contest. UW is also out-rebounding its opponents by two boards per contest.

IN THE RECORD BOOK
Weidemann is tied for 6th all-time at Wyoming in made 3-point shots with 200 makes, and 8th all-time in attempts with 491. Her career 3-point percentage of .407 is fourth all-time among Cowgirls. Weidemann’s 86.7-percent career free-throw percentage is second all-time.

Weidemann’s 246 career assists is 18th in program history. Weidemann is 21st all-time with 1,135 career points.

Olson, meanwhile, 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 148 career steals are tied for 12th all-time in program history and is three shy of surpassing her mother, Elsa, for 11th in program history. Olson’s 285 career assists are 14th all-time.

SCOUTING DENVER
The Pioneers come into Friday’s contest with a 1-2 mark on the season, with all three contests coming at home. Denver is averaging 68 points per game this season while its opponents are averaging just over 71 per contest. DU is shooting 41.4-percent from the floor and 26-percent from 3-point range while Pioneer opponents are shooting at a 44.4-percent clip and have hit 35.3-percent from beyond-the-arc.

Denver has featured a balanced offensive attack thus far on the young season, with four players averaging in double figures. Emma Smith leads the team at 12 points per game while Makayla Minett is averaging 11.3 a contest and leads the way with 9.7 rebounds per contest.

Mikayla Brandon and Ally Haar are averaging 10.7 and 10 points per game, respectively. Haar has a team-best 14 assists in 2022-23. DU is led by Head Coach Doshia Woods, who is in her third season leading the Pioneers.

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST DENVER
The Cowgirls are 25-5 all-time against the Pioneers and are looking for their third consecutive win in the series. UW is 16-1 at home in the series and has won 15-straight in Laramie.

The Cowgirls and Denver are meeting one another for the 16th-consecutive season. Last season, Wyoming closed the Denver Thanksgiving Classic tournament with an 81-51 win in Denver. Weidemann is averaging 11 points per game in her career against the Denver in four career games.

Last season, Fertig scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds in the win at DU.

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