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Cowgirl Emily Mellema ready for spotlight

UW Cowgirl Emily Mellema has had several big moments in this senior campaign, including a clutch fourth quarter performance against San Diego State on Saturday.

UW Cowgirl Emily Mellema holds her follow-through after a 3-pointer while teammates cheer behind her. (via Wyoming Cowgirl Basketball X)

LARAMIE, Wyo. — Emily Mellema held the shooter’s pose and soaked in the moment for an extra second or two after the ball went through the net.

Wyoming’s unflappable point guard calmly buried a 3-pointer from the corner with 25 seconds left to lift the Cowgirls to a 78–71 victory over San Diego State on Saturday in the Arena-Auditorium.

On the previous possession, Mellema uncharacteristically missed two free throws with a chance to make it a two-possession game.

“I usually don’t celebrate that much but that was fun,” Mellema said of making the dagger 3 to give UW a 74–69 cushion. “It was a make-up. I missed those free throws, and it felt good.”

Mellema finished with 18 points, six steals and five assists. Allyson Fertig added 21 points and nine rebounds.

Their senior classmate, Tess Barnes, logged 21 minutes despite not feeling well.

“I honestly thought she might be up the tunnel in a trash can,” UW head coach Heather Ezell said of Barnes, who led the team in plus/minus at +16. “Credit her because that’s another senior that understands the bigger picture. It’s not so much coming out and going ‘I need you to score 20,’ but just being on the floor and being part of it puts confidence in everyone else, too.

“Those are seniors that understand this is their last go-around. They’re not going to want to miss a game, miss an opportunity, and they know when the moment is there to go capture it.”

The Cowgirls have won four of their last five games.

Ezell and her staff have been emphasizing passing during recent practices, and the program’s motion offense was humming against the Aztecs as UW shot a season-best 54.2% from the field, including 7-for-13 on 3s, with 15 assists on 26 made baskets.

In conference games, UW leads the MW in assists with 17 per game.

Fertig, despite wrestling with multiple defenders throughout her 35 minutes on the court, finished 9-for-15 from the field.

“The biggest thing she did is she didn’t get frustrated, and she didn’t let it get in her head,” Ezell said. “She kept battling and finding some different ways to get production. The whole game they’re lying on her and she’s finding ways.”

Mellema, who was held to four points during the 73–67 loss at New Mexico, drew eight fouls on SDSU and finished 9-for-12 at the free throw line.

“I wasn’t super pleased with my game in the Pit,” Mellema said. “Not necessarily something where I had to go prove myself, but I think I let the game come to me a little bit more. I kind of found myself in the right spots on offense and defense. Everybody really stepped up.”

The two missed free throws with the game on the line didn’t faze Mellema, who responded with the biggest shot of the game and a steal on the next possession to seal the win.

“Everybody’s going to remember that 3 in the corner, which was huge and big time, but I thought it was in the middle of that second half where she got herself to the free throw line or got an easy bucket off some drives that really got us going,” Ezell said. “Those are the ones that are the difference in the game. … That’s a senior right there that understands the moment and going, ‘My team needs me, and I need to make a play.'”

The Cowgirls spent much of November and December on the road during non-conference play. The crowd of 2,344 made a difference on Saturday against a talented Aztecs team that was 5–1 on the road coming in.

“The crowd was incredible in the fourth quarter, and I think we got a couple stops there. Even when we were on our little drought, they were urging us on to get something going there,” Mellema said. “Especially at the end of the game it was loud. They didn’t know what they were doing, they had to call a timeout, so the crowd was incredible there in the fourth quarter. It’s good to be back home.”

UW hosts Nevada at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

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