BOSLER, Wyo. (Interstat) — The Wyoming Cowboys used a dominant first quarter to cruise to a 72-39 victory over the Long Beach State 49ers in a non-conference women’s basketball game Friday night at Arena-Auditorium.

Wyoming, bouncing back from a season-opening loss, established control immediately, outscoring Long Beach State 23-4 in the opening period. The Cowboys never looked back, leading by as many as 33 points before a crowd of 1,974.

The game was decided by starkly contrasting offensive performances. Wyoming shot an efficient 29 for 53 from the field, good for 54.7 percent, and connected on 9 of 21 three-point attempts. Long Beach State struggled profoundly with its shooting, making just 15 of 55 field goal attempts, a 27.3 percent clip, and only 4 of 22 from beyond the arc.

The efficiency gap was further highlighted by the offensive ratings. Wyoming scored 72 points on 64 possessions for a rating of 112.0, while Long Beach State managed just 39 points on 67 possessions, resulting in an offensive rating of 58.4.

Malene Pedersen led all scorers for Wyoming, finishing with 15 points and a game-high seven assists. She was one of four Cowboys to score in double figures. Logann Alvar, a Casper native, added 14 points, while Lana Beslic and Henna Sandvik each contributed 10 points. Beslic also dished out four assists.

JaQuoia Jones-Brown was the lone bright spot for Long Beach State, leading her team with 13 points. Judit Oliva Fernandez added nine points for the 49ers.

Wyoming’s defense was relentless, particularly early on. The Cowboys forced 13 Long Beach State turnovers, converting them into easy transition opportunities. The 49ers showed brief signs of life in the second quarter, scoring 15 points, but could not sustain any momentum to seriously threaten the Cowboys’ lead.

With the win, Wyoming evens its record at 1-1. The Cowboys will look to build on the performance when they travel to face Texas-Arlington on Tuesday.

Long Beach State begins its season 0-1 and will seek its first win on the road at Colorado State on Sunday.