UNLV Overwhelms Cowgirls 82–53 in Laramie

Jeff Bugher
Jan 10
5 min read

Updated: Jan 11

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- The Cowgirls had a tough afternoon in a battle against an experienced UNLV squad, as the Rebels pulled away early and never looked back in an 82–53 loss for the Cowgirls.

UNLV really set the tone in the first period, jumping out to a 23–9 lead after ten minutes and controlling the game on both ends the rest of the way.

“Just makes it tough when I thought that 3 1/2 minutes there at the end of the first quarter where they went on that 12-0 run, that really got us,” head coach Heather Ezell said. “I was trying to get a little rest there because we knew we were going to have to get some people extended minutes, and that really hurt us there where they went on that 12-0 run.”

The Cowgirls cut the lead down a little in the second period. Yet the Rebels carried a 44–26 lead into halftime and steadily extended it for the rest of the game.

Turnovers once again proved costly for Wyoming.

Senior Malene Pedersen, who finished with 16 points, also pointed to the mental side of handling mistakes.

“… of course turnovers will always impact the flow a little bit. I think we’re struggling sometimes with just focusing too much on those turnovers and not separating our offense and defense and moving on quicker,” Pedersen said. “I just think that’s a mindset for all of us individually that we got to move on. If we miss a shot, if we turn the ball over, we’ve got to make sure that we always play defense and are locked in together in the other end.”

For the second straight game, Wyoming found itself playing from behind early.

“It’s not something we’re planning on doing,” Ezell said. “Just unfortunately, that’s just how it’s been going and we keep emphasizing we’ve got to get going from the start… it’s just hasn’t been falling that way for us.”

Jane Rumpf continued her recent growth with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists, while Pedersen matched her with 16 points.

“What a night she had,” Ezell said of Rumpf. “Really proud of the way that she’s continuing to grow. Really, really happy with the 10 rebounds. That’s been an emphasis we’ve been really putting on her, that she’s got to get in there and rebound.”

Pedersen echoed that praise for the freshman’s recent impact.

“I think it’s awesome. We needed someone to step up,” Pedersen said. “Jane is…slowly getting her confidence. Now she got the opportunity to start here a couple of games ago. I think she just took advantage of it.”

She added, “it’s great to see. We needed her to be aggressive and be a big part of this team. It’s just awesome to see a freshman like that giving such a big impact for us.”

With injuries limiting the Cowgirls’ rotation, several players were forced into extended minutes, including freshman Katie Harrington, who made the most of her opportunity.

“I thought she came in and really gave us some great minutes,” Ezell said. “We had to use some different people just because of our injuries. We had a lot of people not dressed.”

Ezell added that Harrington could earn more time going forward.

“If Katie continues to give us some things in practice, she might earn a couple minutes.”

UNLV’s frontcourt proved especially difficult to contain. Meadow Roland finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Shelbee Brown added 17 points and 14 boards, helping the Rebels win the rebounding battle 45–38 and score 32 points in the paint.

Wyoming struggled to convert around the rim despite generating quality looks.

“We talked about it every time out, how we got to just try and finish around the rim and making sure that we’re, you know, doing the little things that we talk about,” Ezell said.

She felt the Cowgirls were getting the right shots - they just weren’t falling.

“It’s the ones we’re working on in practice. And a lot of the ones were around the rim. I keep talking about that, those are the shots we want in the paint. We've got to stay in them and continue to try and get those... I thought we got a lot up on the rim that just rolled off.”

The Cowgirls are now 4–11 overall and 1–5 in Mountain West play. Today’s loss extends the Cowgirls’ losing streak to five straight games. At home, the Cowgirls are 4–3, and road struggles continue, as the Cowgirls remain 0–8 away from Laramie this season.

Pedersen emphasized the importance of staying mentally strong despite the skid.

“I think as of right now, we are down to five losses in a row. The focus is being positive and not getting our heads down,” she said. “We know all the teams in our conference are tough opponents. We’ve just got to be able to move on quicker and make sure our mindset is ready for the next game, because whenever we hang with our heads, it’s going to beat us in the end.”

What is the team’s confidence like? Pedersen stressed belief and growth.

“I think confidence goes up and down. I think it’s not like we’re lacking our confidence,” she said. “I am doing my best to make sure that they stay confident and like they believe in themselves because they have to do that and we have to trust in each other as well.”

She also pointed to the recent Nevada game as a learning moment.

“At least we got back in the game, and we made it to overtime,” Pedersen said of the Nevada loss. “So I think that was a growing piece for us that we kept fighting… but I think we’ve got to look at the positive sides because it is tough losing over and over again. We’ve got to move on and work with what we have… also just learn from our mistakes.”

Pedersen believes the Cowgirls can still peak when it matters most in March.

“We’re not our best right now, but I definitely believe we can be and get a run in March,” she said. “Because that’s where we need to be our best.”

Head coach Heather Ezell said the team needs to get ready for Monday.

“The biggest thing is we’ve got to get our minds right over the weekend and come back Monday ready to work.”