Weidemann, Fertig lead UW past Cougars

Dec. 3—LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming women's basketball team improved 4-3 on the young season with a 67-59 win over Montana State on Friday night at the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie.

Behind big games from Allyson Fertig and Quinn Weidemann, the Cowgirls were able to pull out a tight win over the Bobcats.

"That is a really good team, there is no doubt about it," Cowgirls coach Heather Ezell said. "That is a very well coached team; the team plays hard. That is a big win for us."

The Cowgirls had a rough go out of the gate once again. Through the opening four minutes, they converted just three of their 11 shots from the field and fell behind by seven.

Later in the opening quarter, junior guard Ola Ustowska sparked UW with back-to-back 3-pointers to get the Cowgirls within two heading into the second quarter.

After shooting just 33% from the field, the Cowgirls converted on six of their 13 shots in the second quarter to take a 32-29 lead into the second half.

The teams traded runs in the opening of the third quarter. But UW's defense, which had struggled in the first half, started to come alive. The Cowgirls held Montana State to just 33% shooting from the field and forced three turnovers.

"We were kind of figuring out what they were doing in the first half on offense," Weidemann said. "Once the guards started getting over screens and the post started helping out more ... just attention to detail was kind of an emphasis at the half. I think it obviously showed in the second half."

UW jumped out to an eight-point lead to start the fourth quarter, but the Bobcats battled back to cut the lead to just four. Both teams went cold from the field for a few minutes following. With less than 90 seconds left in the game, Weidemann came through with a big 3-point shot to extend the lead to seven.

The lead proved to be enough. With time dwindling away and Montana State forced to foul, Weidemann and Tess Barnes knocked down some clutch free throws to extend the UW lead to 10 with under 10 seconds to play. Despite a last-second field goal from Darian White, Montana State was unable to make up the deficit.

Despite slow starts, both Weidemann and Fertig came alive in the second half. Weidemann had just three points in the first half on 1-of-5 shooting, but scored 13 points in the second half on 3-of-6 shooting.

Fertig shot 8-of-11 in the second half, including a perfect 3-for-3 in the fourth quarter, to finish the game with a game-high 18 points.

"We always have so much faith in Allyson and, today, she really showed what she was capable of," Weidemann said. "I know she would probably say she hasn't had the best scoring games, but today she really came out focused."

The win was important for UW. It has been in a few tight games thus far, but the Cowgirls haven't been able to close the deal. Being able to come together and win a tight game like this will be massive for the team's confidence moving forward.

"It is nice to continue to be in that situation and watch our kids grow," Ezell said. "They are figuring that out."

UW has a quick turnaround for its next game. The Cowgirls will play New Mexico-Highlands in the second game of their home stand on Monday, Dec. 5.

WYOMING 67, MONTANA ST. 59

Montana State...... 15 14 15 15 — 59

Wyoming...... 13 19 18 17 — 67

Montana State: White 3-8 2-2 8, Beattie 3-8 0-0 7, Deden 6-12 2-3 14, Dykstra 6-8 2-2 16, Beasley 1-1 0-0 2, Jackson 3-6 1-15, Janssen 0-2 1-2 1, Phillip 1-4 0-0 2, Hein 2-3 0-0 4, Limardo 0- 0-0 0. Totals: 24-46 8-10 59.

Wyoming: Ellis 1-4 0-0 2, Pederson 3-8 3-4 9, Weidemann 4-11 4-4 16, Fertig 8-14 2-2 18, Barnes 2-5 2-2 8, Savin 2-3 1-1 5, Ustowska 3-7 0-0 9 . Totals: 23-56 12-13 67.

Halftime: UW 32-29. 3-pointers: MSU 3-9 (Limardo 0-2, Deden 2-3, Dykstra 2-2, Janssen 0-1, Philip 0-1); UW 9-24 (Elllis 0-1, Pederson 0-2, Weidemann 4-9, Olson 0-1, Fertig 0-1, Barnes 2-5, Ustowska 3-5). Rebounds: MSU 33 (White 7); UW 33 (Fertig 7). Assists: MSU 11 (White 4), UW 16 (Ustowska 6); Turnovers: MSU 19 (White 3, Limardo 3, Deden 3, Dykstra 3), UW 16 (Fertig 3, Savin 3). Blocks: MSU 3 (Jessen 2); UW 2 (Fertig 2). Steals: MSU 8 (Limardo 2, Deden 2, Philip 2); UW 9 (Weidemann 2, Fertig 2, Savin 2). Team fouls: MSU 15, UW 9.

Attendance:2,174.