Cowgirls Take on Defending Champs in Sin City

LAS VEGAS — The Wyoming Cowgirls begin a two-game road swing with a tough test on national television Sunday. The Cowgirls travel to Sin City to face three-time Mountain West regular season and tournament champion, UNLV at 2 p.m., Mountain Time.

Sunday’s contest will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network and can be heard across the Cowgirl Radio Network with David Settle on the call. Both contests with the Lady Rebels this season will be nationally televised.

ABOUT THE COWGIRLS
Wyoming (10-7, 4-1 MW) is coming off a 66-61 victory at home Wednesday over Nevada. Although the Cowgirls never trailed and led the contest for over 39 minutes, they had to hang on in the final minutes to secure the win. In the win, Allyson Fertig became just the third member of the 1,000-Rebound Club in program history and the first to do it since the 1980s.

Fertig recorded a game-high 21 points and 12 rebounds against the Wolf Pack. It marks the eighth 20-point game of the season for Fertig and her fifth double-double on the season. It was also the 13th time this season that Fertig has shot at least 50-percent from the field and has grabbed five-or-more rebounds. That mark is tied for the best in the country this season. Fertig ranks either first or second in the conference in nine different statistical categories.

Emily Mellema tied a career-high with six steals against Nevada and is now third in the Mountain West averaging 2.3 steals a game. It is the second consecutive game that Mellema has recorded six steals and the third time in the last six contests that she’s hit that mark.

Mellema, who is fourth in the league in both assist-to-turnover ratio (1.46) and assists per game (3.5), is averaging 4.3 assists per game over the last eight. As a team, the Cowgirls lead the league averaging 15.3 assists per game.

As a team, Wyoming leads the league in team field goal percentage at just under 45-percent. The Cowgirls are second in scoring defense, allowing just 60.3 points per game. UW’s 3.5 blocks per game and 1.08 assist-to-turnover ratio as a team both rank third in the MW. Wyoming is also in the top 20 nationally in fewest fouls committed per game (13.7).

SCOUTING UNLV
UNLV, who is the three-time defending Mountain West regular season and tournament champions, are led by a balanced offensive attack with the 2024 MW Freshman of the Year, Amarachi Kimpson leading the way with 14 points per game.

All-MW honoree Kiara Jackson is second on the team averaging 13.3 points per game and leads the league averaging just under five assists per game. Eastern Washington transfer Aaliyah Alexander is averaging 11.7 points a contest and is shooting over 44-percent from 3-point range. Alyssa Brown leads the Lady Rebels with 29 steals, 20 blocks and 7.5 rebounds per game this season.

The Lady Rebels have the No. 1 scoring offense in the league averaging 76.1 points per game. UNLV has a near-plus 13 scoring margin this season and are shooting 44-percent from the floor and 35.6-percent from beyond-the-arc. UNLV’s opponents are shooting under 41-percent overall and under 33-percent from 3-point range.

The Lady Rebels have a plus-three rebounding margin and averages 2.1 more assists per game and 4.8 fewer turnovers per contest than their opponents. UNLV is 10-1 at home this season with its only loss coming to then-No. 9 ranked Oklahoma.

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST UNLV
UNLV has won five consecutive games in the series and now leads the all-time series, 31-28. Wyoming is looking for its first win in Las Vegas since December of 2020. The Lady Rebels won the last meeting, 63-60 in overtime in February of last season in Laramie.

In seven career games against UNLV, McKinley Dickerson is shooting 47-percent from the floor and 42-percent from 3-point range while averaging 12.7 a contest.

– University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players