Allyson Fertig leads UW with 22 points and 13 rebounds
LAS VEGAS – The Cowgirls survived and advanced.
After taking a deep breath at halftime.
Second-seeded Wyoming overcame an eight-point deficit in the second half to defeat No. 7 Air Force 77-64 in the Mountain Tournament quarterfinals on Monday at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Allyson Fertig, the MW player of the year, finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Cowgirls (21-10). Malene Pedersen, who was also named to the all-MW team announced Sunday, added 18 points.
Emily Mellema (15 points) and Tess Barnes (15 points) also scored in double figures as UW outscored the Falcons (18-14) 49-30 in the second half.
The Cowgirls will face the No. 3 Colorado State-No. 6 Fresno State winner in the semifinals on Tuesday.
UW trailed by eight early in the third quarter before Pedersen and Mellema each hit a 3-pointer to turn the tide.
The Cowgirls ended the frame on a 10-0 run, which was capped with a 3-pointer by Barnes and a three-point play by McKinley Dickerson, to take a 54-45 lead into the fourth quarter.
A bucket by Fertig made it a 16-2 run and extended the lead to 60-47. A 3 by Pedersen gave UW its largest lead, 67-51, to put the game out of reach.
All-MW selection Madison Smith led Air Force with 14 points.
The Cowgirls got off to a nervous start and trailed 17-12 after the first quarter. Fertig had six points and six rebounds in the fame, but the rest of the team was 3-for-11 from the field.
Air Force made three 3s, including a buzzer beater by Jordy Devaughn to extend the lead to five points.
UW answered with a 6-0 spurt to start the second quarter. Fertig grabbed an offensive rebound for an easy layup to give her team a brief 18-17 lead.
Mellema made a difficult bank shot as the shot clock was expiring to get the Cowgirls within 26-24, but the Falcons closed strong and led 34-28 at the intermission.
Air Force finished the first half 4-for-10 behind the arc while UW went 0-for-3 on 3s.
Fertig finished with 14 points and nine rebounds at the break. Seven different players scored for the Falcons, who shot 50% from the field.
The Cowgirls also swept the two regular season meetings from Air Force and lead the all-time series 63-4.
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