The Cowgirls’ season has been an absolute rollercoaster throughout this whole year. They’ve struggled to string together consistent wins and have yet to be able to notch more than two wins in a row at any point this season.
But why is this the case?
You could easily point towards the fact the Cowgirls did play the 40th toughest ranked non-conference schedule in the country, according to their RPI (Rating Percentage Index) ratings. This left the Cowgirls with a non-conference record of 6-6, which left a lot to be desired from a team ripe with experience and years playing with one another.
Despite these non-conference struggles, the Cowgirls have found a bit of their stride to begin conference play, but currently sit at fourth place in the conference. Their three conference losses up to date have all come to the three teams above them in the standings–and narrowly so as well. Despite the inconsistency this team has struggled with this season, head coach Heather Ezell is hoping her team can keep a positive attitude, as there is still a lot of basketball yet to be played this season.
“You can’t let one game affect you,” Ezell said a few days after the Cowgirls’ tough loss to Colorado State. “It’s just, you know, getting back to understanding what we can do and what we’re capable of.”
Another one of the main reasons the Cowgirls have struggled to win on a consistent basis is because of their lack of depth. The Cowgirls’ starting lineup features five of their most experienced players that have played upwards of three years together, and they account for around 85% of their point production. If you boil that down to the four players averaging double figures, that number is around 80%.
Simply put, if Allyson Fertig, Emily Mellema, Malene Pederson and Tess Barnes–the four players averaging 10 or more points on the Cowgirls’ roster–don’t hit their status quo, then the Cowgirls are in trouble. A glance at the box score from the Cowgirls’ 61-56 loss to Colorado State last weekend demonstrates that point perfectly. Despite Fertig’s monumental 34 point effort–a career high for her–the Cowgirls’ saw two zero point efforts from Mellema and Barnes, leading to a loss.
𝘈 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳-𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 # 4️⃣5️⃣ @AllysonFertig pic.twitter.com/hQCLjFG0Zd
— Wyoming Cowgirl Basketball (@wyo_wbb) January 27, 2025
At the end of the day, though, it all comes down to belief with this roster. This team has demonstrated their ability to play at a high level with one another numerous times this season and the one before that–you could even say they’ve shown it the year before that as well, with continuity on this roster. Their belief and trust in one another is what brought upon a Great Eight appearance in the WNIT last year and allowed them to ride all the way to the Mountain West tournament championship game in 2023.
“I think getting six seniors, but also a big core, almost the entire core of our group from last year is back, [that] is not something that a lot of teams get to do every year,” Mellema said before the season had begun.
The Cowgirls’ experience and seniority will have to shine if the Cowgirls want a shot at competing at the big dance this year–that being the NCAA tournament. The Cowgirls have competed in postseason play in the form of the WNIT in three straight years under Ezell, but the Cowgirls and Mellema have loftier goals than just another WNIT bid this season.
“I think there’s a lot of hype around what this team could do. I think for us, right now, is owning that and buying into being a team that can go win a Mountain West championship,” Mellema had also said earlier in the year. “I think that is something that we can and should be able to go do.”
“WNIT is really fun, but we’re kind of sick of it. [The] NCAA tournament is kind of something that we’re looking for this year, and I think is very tangible for us,” she had also added.
The Cowgirls certainly believe–and have–the roster to win the Mountain West tournament, especially seeing as they took the two-time tournament champions, UNLV, to overtime on the Rebels’ home court just a few days ago. While the Cowgirls did lose that one by a point after their game-winning attempt fell short, they showed they had the capability to beat anyone in the league by taking easily the best team in the league, who had only lost one Mountain West conference game in two years before that point, to the wire.
The Cowgirls, undoubtedly, will have to start playing at a high level more consistently if they want to accomplish their goals–especially as their only route to the NCAA tournament will likely be winning the Mountain West tournament. However, it will simply come down to what team begins to show up on a daily basis and if their stars can continue to shine.
