LARAMIE, Wyo. — Allyson Fertig still needs an occasional stunt double.
Wyoming’s marquee star lived up to her preseason co-Mountain West player of the year billing with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting and five rebounds during Monday’s 56–50 loss to Colorado at the Arena-Auditorium.
The only thing that can seemingly stop Fertig — foul trouble — did just that when the 6-foot-4 center found herself on the bench in the third quarter.
The Cowgirls were outscored 20–10 in the critical frame, with both Fertig and Emily Mellema watching the action with three fouls.
“We are two possessions away from a different ball game,” UW head coach Heather Ezell said. “We needed somebody else to show up and make a shot.”
Plan A is for Fertig to play 35 minutes per game. She only logged 27 minutes against the Buffaloes.
Plan B in the last two seasons was Marta Savic. With Fertig’s steady backup having graduated, UW will now lean on Casper College transfer Logann Alvar to fill the void when No. 45 is out.
The 6-foot junior from Casper did not attempt a field goal, but grabbed four rebounds and blocked a shot during her 12-minute debut in the Brown and Gold.
“I’m just excited to give them a couple good minutes while Al is getting a break,” Alvar said of her role before the opener. “I want to kind of come in and be physical, get rebounds, maybe get us some extra possessions on offense and stuff like that.”
Ezell was pleased with the team’s defensive effort, but UW only had two points from bench players.
Alvar, who averaged 11.1 points and 5.9 rebounds last season while leading the Thunderbirds to an appearance in the NJCAA championships, can contribute on both ends of the floor. But making her Division I debut against a physical Big 12 opponent was a difficult learning experience for the former Kelly Walsh standout.
Senior guard Joslin Igo, who won three state championships with Fertig at Douglas High School and a Region IX championship with Alvar at Casper College, is confident in the center combination.
“I do think Logann will do a lot of things Marta did,” Igo said. “She’s going to work hard, she’s going to go get rebounds, she’s going to be physical and that kind of force. I think she’s taking on what Marta used to do a little bit.”
The chemistry is there in practice: Alvar and Igo played on the same AAU team as Fertig growing up.
Despite two wildly successful seasons at the junior college level, Alvar is still adjusting to playing with the Cowgirls along with 6–4 freshman Heidur Karlsdottir.
“I didn’t get a lot of post work at Casper College so it’s nice to kind of freshen up on stuff like that and work against someone like Allyson who is really good,” Alvar said. “You’re getting a lot of good reps and she’s giving you a lot of good feedback, too. The coaches have worked with her for a long time, so they have a lot of good things to say. It has been really cool being her teammate again.”
Alvar’s mother, Jennifer Russell Alvar, played for the Cowgirls from 1994 to 1998. Alvar is one of the four current in-state players on the roster, along with Fertig, Igo and senior McKinley Bradshaw.
“When I got the opportunity here, I was just stoked,” Alvar said. “I was excited and happy to represent Wyoming.”
