LARAMIE – Heather Ezell would have given anything for a fourth overtime.
 
That's what was on the mind of Wyoming's head coach in the moments after her team experienced the cruel and unusual agony of a three-overtime defeat to San Diego State in the Mountain West championship game.
 
Eight days after watching the Aztecs nab the conference's ticket to the NCAA Tournament following the 72-68 loss in Las Vegas, the Cowgirls turn the page to the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.
 
UW, the No. 4 seed on its side of the 32-team WBIT bracket, hosts Texas Tech on Thursday at the Arena-Auditorium (6:30 p.m., ESPN+).
 
"It's exactly what I said at the end of the championship game. What did I want? Five more minutes," Ezell said after Wednesday's practice. "Now we've got another opportunity to showcase what we can do and have the ability to compete and hopefully pull out a win."
 
The two teams played five common opponents this season.
 
The Red Raiders (17-17) defeated New Mexico, Gonzaga and Missouri State during non-conference play and beat BYU and split two games with Colorado in the Big 12. The Cowgirls (22-11) went 1-5 against those teams.
 
However, UW is 11-2 at home while Texas Tech is 2-9 on the road this season.
 
"Everybody is 0-0 and you have an opportunity to extend your season. The thing about it now is we certainly know you lose and go home," Texas Tech head coach Krista Gerlich said during her media session Tuesday before making the trek from Lubbock to Laramie. "So, I think our kids will play with a lot of urgency. They want to keep playing together. This is the fun time of year, and they want to get as much experience as they can.
 
"I think we have as good a chance as anyone in the tournament. That's March Madness."
 
The Red Raiders are led by junior guards Jasmine Shavers (14.6 ppg) and Bailey Maupin (13.3 ppg). No other Texas Tech players average more than 5.5 points.
 
Gerlich said the key to the game will be tempo. The visitors want to speed up UW's deliberate motion offense, likely with an aggressive full-court press at 7,220 feet.
 
"They get to play against some of the best teams in the country day in and day out throughout their season," UW point guard Emily Mellema said of the Red Raiders. "It's a really good opportunity for us, and I think we have the experience to play our game no matter what they do. Obviously, they're coming to elevation so it will be interesting to see because they will have to go deep into their lineup if they want to try to do that."
 
Mellema and the Cowgirls' other ball handlers must break the pressure and feed MW player of the year Allyson Fertig, who averaged 18.7 points and 16.3 rebounds in the conference tournament.
 
The 6-foot-4 Fertig ranks fourth in the NCAA in total rebounds (368), eighth in rebounding average (11.5) and ninth in made field goals (253) this season.
 
"Our kids play better when we can attack in our press, they play better when we can play at a higher pace on offense. We're going to have to make sure we dictate that and don't let them lull us into a slower pace and let their crowd get into it," Gerlich said. "They really know how to get it into the post player (Fertig), they really know when they see a double team how to find shooters on the perimeter, so we've got to take them out of their comfort zone."
 
Mellema, Fertig and the four other seniors will be back in the friendly confines of the Arena-Auditorium one more time. The Cowgirls beat UNLV, a No. 2 seed in the WBIT, on "senior night" in Laramie to close the regular season.
 
The UW-Texas Tech winner will likely be headed to Blacksburg, Va., to face top-seeded Virginia Tech in the second round. The Hokies host N.C. A&T at 4 p.m. Thursday.
 
"They're just not satisfied," Ezell said of her team. "Of course they're still heartbroken, they would love to be playing in the NCAA Tournament, there's no doubt about it. But they are also a team and a group that can change that switch and go, we still have an opportunity to compete. They're very proud of what they represent, and they don't want to give a bad showing. They're ready to play no matter what the stakes are."
 
If you are interested in learning more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) or would like to support our student-athletes, please visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO was created out of Wyoming's culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charitable organizations and develop Wyoming student athletes. 
 
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