UW basketball faces New Mexico

The Wyoming Cowboys (8-9 overall, 1-2 MWC) return to action Saturday at 1:30 p.m. when they host New Mexico at the Arena-Auditorium.

The Cowboys are coming off a tough road loss to TCU last Tuesday. After trailing by as many as 14 in the first half, the Cowboys rallied to take the lead late in the second half. However, TCU held on for a 62-59 win.

New Mexico, which has been ranked as high as No. 13/12 in the nation this season, enters Saturday with a 15-3 overall record. After dropping two straight games to open MWC play, the Lobos picked up their first league win this past Wednesday at home over Utah (74-57). They are currently 1-2 in league play and are receiving votes in both national polls.

The Wyoming-New Mexico series dates back to Dec. 18, 1950. Since then, the two teams have played 119 times, with Wyoming leading 63-56.

Wyoming has won 12 of the last 21 overall meetings and 10 of the last 12 meetings in Laramie. The Cowboys had won 10 consecutive meetings in Laramie before New Mexico defeated the Pokes, 99-92 in double overtime, on Jan. 5, 2008. New Mexico then won it's second consecutive game in Laramie last March, 74-73.

The Cowboys and Lobos are two of the best free-throw shooting teams in the nation. In fact, the Pokes lead the nation in makes and rank second in attempts (384 of 525, 73.1 percent). New Mexico ranks No. 4 in the nation in both categories (342 of 510, 67.1 percent). Three Cowboys currently rank among the top-10 free-throw shooters in the MWC--Afam Muojeke (.837), A.J. Davis (.816) and Djibril Thiam (.786).

Muojeke is currently ranked second in the Mountain West Conference in scoring with an 18.1 points per game average. Through three MWC games, Muojeke is currently averaging 19.7 points per conference game.

Cowgirls at New Mexico
The Wyoming Cowgirls close out the week on the road as they take on the New Mexico Lobos Saturday at 2 p.m. in Albuquerque.

The Cowgirls, 11-4 overall, 2-1 in MWC, are coming off a thrilling 73-67 win over the 22nd-ranked TCU Lady Frogs on Wednesday. Three Cowgirls are scoring in double-figures, led by junior Hillary Carlson at 14.8 points and 2.1 blocks per game. She is followed by junior Aubrey Vandiver with 14.7 points and a team leading 9.4 rebounds, while Emma Langford is adding 11.9 points and 3.6 assists.

The Lobos (9-6, 2-1) are led by Amy Beggin, who is averaging 14.3 points per game, along with four rebounds. Jessica Kielpinski is leading the way with 5.5 rebounds, while adding 6.6 points per game.

The Lobos welcome back three starters and nine letterwinners to a team that went 25-11 overall and 9-7 in the MWC a year ago. This is the 58th meeting between the two teams. New Mexico leads the series 33-24. The last time the two teams met was March 7, 2009 as the Lobos defeated the Cowgirls 63-45 in Albuquerque. New Mexico is coached by Don Flanagan who is in his 15th season with the program.