LAS VEGAS - No. 6 Fresno State fell short of their fifth championship game appearance by double figures to No. 2 Wyoming on Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center, 57-45.
Mia Jacobs led the field in scoring with a 20 piece game. The junior was two rebounds shy of her 20th double-double of the season and third consecutive of the tournament.
How it Happened
Kylee Fox opened the scoring for Fresno State with a jumper. Wyoming started fast and hard with a 9-0 run that followed the Bulldogs first basket for an 11-2 lead. Fresno State sat within two points of Wyoming after a 7-0 run in just under two minutes. Fox's deep three brought it down to one, but Fertig's last minute layup had the lead by three, 15-12.
Jacobs popped in a shot from downtown. Fresno State and Wyoming hit back-to-back shots from the field, three times throughout the period. Fresno State let only one of the Cowgirls baskets go unanswered. Jacobs closed play at the line hitting both baskets for a one point deficit going into the half, 24-23.
Bulldogs were able to grab the lead for the first time on a shot from downtown. Wyoming gained back the lead on the following possession by Fertig's layup. Jacobs knotted it up for a break in the Cowgirls lead. Fresno State could not build a run and suffered a double-digit setback after a Cowgirls 10-0 run.
Bulldogs' remained stagnant after missing the last seven attempts from the field as the Cowgirls built on their third quarter scoring run. Fresno State hit a 7-0 scoring run in the final three minutes. Jacobs took five of those and Fox with two to lower the 17 point deficit.
Notable
Head coach Jaime White concludes her 11th season at the helm with a 19-15, 8-10 MW record
Fresno State had not seen a semi finals appearance since 2021
Tuesday was Fresno State's first semi final defeat since 2019
Bulldogs entered the day winning the last two times they appeared in the semifinals of the MW tournament
Bulldogs drop to 20-11 all-time in MW championship history
Mia Jacobs was the only Bulldog in double-figures with 20 points and was two rebounds shy of her 20th double-double & third consecutive double-double in the MW tournament
Prior to Tuesday nights game, the programs have played each other 27 times, since joining the conference in 2012-13
In those 27 meetings, the teams have scored the exact same amount of points in those games (1686-1686)
For her career, Mia Jacobs is averaging 16.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in the MW Tournament, the only other player to have a career average of at least 15 points and 10 rebounds in the MW Tournament in UNLV's Lina Frohlich (2000-02)
Fresno State held Wyoming to nine points in the second period
Fresno State scored 11 points in the final three quarters to be outscored by Wyoming, 42-33
