Cowgirls Host Aztecs Wednesday Night

* University of Wyoming press release

LARAMIE -- The Wyoming Cowgirls return home to host San Diego State in Mountain West action Wednesday, Jan. 10 in a 6:30 p.m., tip from the Arena-Auditorium.

The Cowgirls’ 3-0 start to league play is their best start to conference action since 2019-20.

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Wednesday’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 (8-6, 3-0 MW) is coming off a successful two-game road trip last week, capped off by its impressive 68-51 win at Air Force Saturday. The Cowgirls shot a season-high 61.7-percent from the floor in the victory and outscored the Falcons 50-20 in the paint and had a plus-14 rebound advantage.

Four Cowgirls scored in double figures in the contest and had a fifth with eight points. Emily Mellema led all scorers with a season-high 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Mellema also had four rebounds, four assists and three steals against the Falcons.

It marked the fifth time this season that Mellema has recorded three steals in a game.

Allyson Fertig finished one rebound shy of her second consecutive double-double Saturday as she posted 13 points and nine boards while also recording both of Wyoming’s blocks in the win. McKinley Dickerson and Malene Pedersen had 10 points each and combined to shoot 9-of-15 from the floor.

Tess Barnes had eight and two made 3-pointers.

Through the first three conference games, Fertig leads four Cowgirls in double figures with 12.7 points per contest. Fertig, who is shooting 59.3-percent in league play, also leads the team averaging 8.3 rebounds per game and has four blocks.

Dickerson is averaging 11 points per game while Mellema is at 10.7 points per on 52-percent shooting. Mellema and Dickerson lead UW in league play with four steals each while Mellema’s seven assists are also tied for the team lead, along with Pedersen.

Barnes is also had 10.7 points per contest and has a team-best six made 3-pointers on 37.5-percent shooting from beyond-the-arc.

In MW play, Wyoming is averaging 61 points per game on over 47-percent shooting from the field and has a plus-5.3 rebounding margin. The Cowgirls have held their three league opponents to just 48.7 points per game, 35-percent shooting from the floor and 24.5-percent from 3-point range.

The Cowgirls have a 1.13 assist-to-turnover margin in league action, which is one of nine statistical categories in which the Cowgirls rank in the top three in the MW.

SCOUTING SAN DIEGO STATE
San Diego State (11-5, 2-1 MW) has a balanced offensive attack, with four Aztecs scoring in double figures this season. Utah State transfer Adryana Quezada leads the team with 14.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in 2023-24 and is shooting an impressive 56.6-percent from the field.

Abby Prohaska is averaging 11.8 a game and is second on the team with 42 assists and 6.5 rebounds per contest. Jada Lewis is at 11 points per game while Kim Villalobos is averaging 10.6 a game and has a team-high 46 assists, 16 blocks and 27 steals. Lewis leads the team with 34 made 3-pointers this season.

As a team, the Aztecs are averaging 68.8 points per game, are shooting 42.6-percent from the floor and 31-percent from 3-point range.

SDSU opponents are averaging 63.8 a game and are shooting 39-percent overall and 33-percent from beyond-the-arc. San Diego State has a plus-1.1 rebounding margin and has committed 35 fewer turnovers than its opponents. The Aztecs are 3-2 in road contests on the year.

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST SAN DIEGO STATE
Wyoming leads a competitive all-time series with the Aztecs, 36-30, after splitting last season’s two meetings.

Both teams won on the road in 2022-23. The Cowgirls are 23-8 at home against San Diego State and prior to last season’s home loss, had won seven consecutive in Laramie.

Malene Pedersen averaged 10 points a game last season against SDSU while in four career games against the Aztecs, Allyson Fertig is averaging a double-double, with 13 points and 10 rebounds per game on 51-percent shooting.