(Autumn McPherson Photo)
After a shoddy opening seven minutes of play that saw the Cowgirls score no points and fall behind by a 10-point deficit against the New Mexico Lobos on the road, it felt as if it was going to be yet another stalemate by the Cowgirl offense.
It has undoubtedly been a struggle offensively all season long for this young Cowgirl team, which ranks second-to-last in the conference in scoring offense, just barely nudging past Nevada at 53.91 points per game this season. The Cowgirls heavily depend upon their star senior Malene Pedersen, who averages a team best 16.8 points per game, nearly double the Cowgirls’ next best scorer.
However, Pedersen and much of this Cowgirls’ offense was completely absent in the opening quarter of play. Pedersen would score her only two points in the dying minutes of the quarter, as the Cowgirls would eventually pull within seven points at 12-5 after falling behind by double-digits early in the first quarter.
The Cowgirl offense would find some of their stride to begin the second quarter, as a trio of three-point makes to open the half would help cap off a massive 11-0 to begin the second quarter allowing the Cowgirls to take a 16-12 lead. However, the Lobos would equalize and push the lead back to seven at 28-21 as the two teams headed into halftime.
While the Cowgirls had found some footing on offense in that second frame, five of their seven made field goals were from deep, with the three-ball keeping them afloat within the contest.
Pedersen – as she has been the entire season – was a major lifeline in the third quarter that helped the Cowgirls draw even with the Lobos by the end of the third quarter, as she was a perfect 4/4 from the field including a pair of triples as the Cowgirls surged for 20 points in the third quarter to make it an even affair at 41 points a piece heading into the final frame of play.
It was there when it once again all fell apart for the Cowgirls on the road.
Just as it had been the case against Fresno State on the road in the Cowgirls’ previous conference tilt, the Cowgirls’ opponent would run away with the game in the final quarter. The Cowgirls’ entered the fourth quarter of their contest in Fresno only down by a point and ultimately lost by a final margin of 17 points.
Against the Lobos, a tie game heading into the fourth quarter quickly devolved into a 14-point defeat as the Cowgirl defense would allow the Lobos to shoot a blazing hot 66.7% from the field in the fourth quarter. The Cowgirls themselves only ended up scoring a measly six points after a highly efficient 20-point third quarter.
The Cowgirls were dominated on the glass, ultimately being outrebounded 42-28. Turnovers proved to be a major thorn in the Cowgirls’ side as well, as they surrendered 19 possessions to the Lobos that resulted in 16 of their points.
The Cowgirls will return to Laramie in their next contest against San Diego State, where the Cowgirls will look to bounce back and even out their Mountain West conference record at 2-2.
