March 11, 2025 | Las Vegas, NV – Both the Wyoming Cowboys and Cowgirls are gearing up for crucial matchups in the Mountain West Basketball Championships at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The Cowgirls, holding the No. 2 seed, will take on No. 6 Fresno State in the women’s semifinal Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. MT. Meanwhile, the Cowboys, seeded ninth, are set to battle No. 8 San Jose State in the men’s first round Wednesday at noon.
Cowgirls Eye Championship Spot
Wyoming (21-10) advanced to the semifinals with a dominant second-half performance against Air Force, securing a 77-64 victory on Monday. The Cowgirls set a tournament record with a 60.4% shooting mark (32-of-53) from the field, including a scorching 76% in the second half. They have now won five straight games, overcoming halftime deficits in four of them.
Leading the charge was Allyson Fertig, who recorded her 13th double-double of the season with 22 points and 13 rebounds. “We trust each other, and we play for each other,” Fertig said postgame. Malene Pedersen added 18 points, making her final six shots of the contest, while Tess Barnes and Emily Mellema each chipped in 15 points. Mellema also contributed five assists and three steals.
Defensively, Wyoming has been stellar, leading the Mountain West in scoring defense by allowing just 58.8 points per game. The Cowgirls are aiming for their second conference championship appearance in three seasons.
Fresno State (17-14) has been a tough competitor, winning two tournament games to reach the semifinals. The Bulldogs are led by All-Mountain West selection Mia Jacobs, who is second in the conference in both scoring (18.3 PPG) and rebounding (10.1 RPG). Wyoming previously defeated Fresno State 68-59 in their lone regular-season meeting and has won six straight matchups against the Bulldogs.
Cowboys Set for First-Round Test Against San Jose State
The Cowboys (12-19) begin their tournament run against San Jose State (14-18) on Wednesday, looking to snap a two-game losing streak. Wyoming has been in numerous close contests this season, with 13 games decided by four points or fewer, including their last two regular-season losses.
Wyoming is shooting 43.9% from the field and 34.9% from beyond the arc, averaging 7.8 made three-pointers per game. The Cowboys’ leading scorer, Obi Agbim, ranks fourth in the conference with 17.8 PPG and is the nation’s top three-point shooter at 44.4%. Jordan Nesbitt has also been a key contributor, averaging 8.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while securing eight double-doubles.
San Jose State enters the matchup after a win over Fresno State in its regular-season finale. The Spartans average 73 PPG while allowing 74.1. Their offensive attack is led by Josh Uduje (16.6 PPG), while Robert Vaihola anchors the inside with 7.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Historically, Wyoming has dominated the all-time series 22-5, though the Spartans won both regular-season meetings this year. In previous Mountain West tournament encounters, the Cowboys have defeated San Jose State twice, including a decisive 111-80 victory in 2021.
The winner of Wednesday’s matchup will move on to face top-seeded New Mexico in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 1 p.m. MT, with the game airing on CBS Sports Network.
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