Wyoming Cowgirls Rally to Win First Game, 79-67

A late-game surge helped the Wyoming Cowgirls win their season opener 79-67 over Denver on Saturday in Laramie.

Wyoming (1-0) shutout the Pioneers over the last 3:33 of the game. They finished the game on a 10-0 run. Denver missed its last seven shots from the field.

McKinley Bradshaw scored 18 points to lead four Cowgirls in double figures. Dagny Davidsdottir had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in her Wyoming debut. Alba Sanchez Ramos scored 12 points, and Quinn Weidemann added 11 points.

The game was tied, 54-54, after three quarters. The Pioneers scored the first five points of the period. UW answered with six straight and took the lead for good. After two baskets by Davidsdottir, Tommi Olson got a rebound and went coast-to-coast for a wide-open lay-up that put the Cowgirls ahead 60-59 with 6:41 left.

After Bradshaw lay-in made it 62-59, the teams traded baskets. Meghan Boyd knocked down a 3-pointer with 3:53 left that pulled Denver within 69-67. That was the last points the Pioneers scored.

Davidsdottir hit a free throw, Sanchez Ramos made a 3-pointer, while Weidemann made a runner off the glass, and Bradshaw’s jumper with 47 seconds left made it a 77-67 game. Davidsdottir made two more free throws with 36 seconds left that provided the final margin.

The Cowgirls shot 49 percent for the game, which included 61 percent in the second half. UW was 10-23, 43.5 percent, from beyond the arc. Wyoming scored 42 points in the paint compared to the Pioneers 20.

Denver (1-2) shot 39 percent from the field. They were led by Uju Ezeudu, who scored 26 points off the bench.

Both teams started the game slowly. A late first quarter surge by the Pioneers gave them an 18-12 lead. UW shot only 33 percent. The game remained tight in the second, as Denver had a couple of six-point leads, but the Cowgirls fought back to within 35-33 at halftime.

Wyoming opened the second half on an 8-0 run for a 41-35 lead. Neither team led by more than four points the rest of the period. A free throw by Denver tied it at 54-54 at the end of the third quarter.

The game featured six lead changes and 10 ties.

The Cowgirls return to action on Tuesday against No. 18 Gonzaga (1-1). The game has a 6:30 p.m. tip-off.