Cowgirls Fall Short to Bulldogs in Overtime
Haley Cavinder scored 24 points, and Fresno State earned a split against the Wyoming Cowgirls with an 83-80 victory in overtime on Monday night in Laramie.
With the score tied at 74-74 in the extra period, Brooke Walling blocked a 3-point attempt by Wyoming’s Jaye Johnson, which led to a fast-break layup by Walling. On the next Cowgirl possession, Fresno State’s Maddi Utti stole the ball and scored at the other end for a 78-74 lead with 28 seconds left in OT.
The Bulldogs made five-of-six free throws in the last 11 seconds to hold on for the victory.
Utti scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Hanna Cavinder finished with 18 points, while Walling added 13 points, six rebounds, and four blocks.
Fresno State (4-4, 2-2) shot 50 percent from the field. They went 8-14, 57 percent, from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs out-scored UW 49-22 on points in the paint and finished with 21 fast break points compared to two for the Cowgirls.
Wyoming (4-3, 2-2) got a career-high 27 points and 9 rebounds from Alba Sanchez Ramos. Quinn Weidemann added 16 points, and Jaye Johnson scored 12 points. The Cowgirls shot 37 percent in the game. They made 15 triples and had 19 assists on 28 made field goals. UW had a 49-32 advantage in rebounding.
Wyoming jumped out to an 18-4 lead in the first quarter, but Fresno State rallied and trailed only 34-32 at halftime. UW led 49-41 in the third, but a 15-6 run by the Bulldogs put them up 56-55 at the end of the third.
The fourth quarter featured six lead changes and five ties. A Dagny Davidsdottir free throw with 16 seconds left forced overtime. Wyoming was out-scored 11-8 in the extra session.
The Cowgirls are off until next Monday when they play a two-game series at Boise State on Jan. 11 and 13. Both of those games are scheduled to start at 2 p.m., Mountain Time.