The Wyoming Cowgirls came within inches of a championship victory but ultimately fell short in an intense 72-68 triple-overtime loss to San Diego State in the Mountain West Tournament title game Wednesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The second-seeded Cowgirls (22-11) had multiple opportunities to tie or take the lead late, but a last-second jumper by Emily Mellema rimmed out, sealing the victory for No. 4 seed San Diego State (25-9).
Allyson Fertig, the Mountain West Player of the Year, led Wyoming with 17 points and 18 rebounds, while Malene Pedersen scored a team-high 19 points. McKinley Dickerson added 10 points off the bench.
For the Aztecs, Veronica Sheffey delivered a standout performance, scoring 24 points, including two clutch free throws to ice the game.
The defensive battle was intense, with Wyoming holding San Diego State to 37.5% shooting, but the Cowgirls struggled offensively as well, shooting 36.9% from the field.
The game remained tight throughout, with neither team leading by more than five points.
In the second overtime, Pedersen hit a three-pointer to pull Wyoming within 61-59 with just under a minute remaining. A controversial blocking foul call on Dickerson led to two free throws for Naomi Panganiban, extending San Diego State’s lead.
Wyoming responded with a basket from Pedersen and a forced turnover. Mellema was fouled and made one of two free throws, cutting the deficit to 63-62 with 11.3 seconds left.
Sheffey then made one free throw, and Fertig calmly sank two free throws with 6.2 seconds remaining, tying the score at 64-64 and forcing a third overtime after Sheffey’s last-second shot missed.
In the final overtime, San Diego State scored the first five points, the largest lead by either team. Wyoming battled back but couldn’t regain control.
Wyoming had swept San Diego State in the regular season, but this championship loss marks the second time in three seasons the Cowgirls have come up short in the Mountain West Tournament final, having also lost to UNLV in 2023.
Despite the heartbreaking defeat, head coach Heather Ezell expressed pride in her team’s effort.
“I hurt for them,” Ezell said. “To see the faces in the locker room, to know how bad they’re hurting, I wish I could take it away from them. But they gave me everything they had.”
Fertig and Pedersen were both named to the All-Mountain West Tournament Team, while Sheffey earned Tournament MVP honors for San Diego State.
For Wyoming’s six seniors, including Dickerson, Fertig, and Pedersen, the loss was emotional.
“They’re my sisters, right? They’re my second family,” Dickerson said. “It’s been an incredible ride, and I’m extremely grateful for it. We’re leaving a legacy under Heather.”
While the Cowgirls fell short of their NCAA Tournament aspirations, their season isn’t over yet. Wyoming will return to Laramie on Thursday, awaiting a potential WBIT or WNIT bid.
“They have another chance to put the uniform on, represent the university, and compete again,” Ezell said. “They’ll stay strong.”
With input from University of Wyoming Athletics, and News Letter Journal.
