The Wyoming women’s basketball team kicks off Mountain West Conference tournament play in the quarterfinals against Air Force on Monday at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. The game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
Wyoming holds a dominating 62-4 all-time record against Air Force, never losing to the Falcons in Laramie. In their most recent meeting in the Mountain West Tournament, Wyoming defeated Air Force 70-48 in the opening round back in 2015.
Air Force advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Utah State 66-59 in the opening round of the conference tournament. Milahnie Perry led the Falcons with 22 points, while Madison Smith contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds. Air Force capitalized on 16 Aggie turnovers, scoring 13 points off those mistakes, which was a key factor in their victory.
Wyoming won both regular-season games against Air Force. The Cowgirls won 62-50 at Clune Arena and 64-56 at the Arena Auditorium. Allyson Fertig was a standout in both games, averaging 24.5 points and 12 rebounds per game.
Wyoming enters the tournament following a win over UNLV on Wednesday night. Malene Pederson led the Cowgirls with 27 points, while Emily Mellemma added 17 against the Rebels. Pederson’s impressive performance earned her Mountain West Player of the Week honors, while Mellemma was recently named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. Under head coach Heather Ezell, Wyoming has secured 20 wins for the second time in three seasons. Additionally, the Cowgirls set a new school record for conference wins in a season with 14, earning a top-three seed in the conference tournament for the fourth consecutive year. Wyoming leads the conference in scoring defense (58.4), field goal percentage (47.9), and three-point field goal percentage (36.9).
Allyson Fertig added 19 rebounds in the victory over UNLV, bringing her career total to 1,152 rebounds. She holds both the all-time school and conference records for rebounds. Fertig also recorded her 12th double-double of the season. She became the seventh player in conference history to lead a team in both scoring and rebounding, and the second player to lead the conference in scoring, rebounds, and field goal percentage. Furthermore, Fertig made history as the first player to lead a team in points, rebounds, field goal percentage, and blocks.
The winner of this game will advance to the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the Colorado State vs. Fresno State matchup on Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m.
Samuel Burkett is a guest contributor. You can catch him at
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