LAS VEGAS - For a second consecutive season, the Wyoming women's basketball team is forced to play the waiting game before the NCAA tournament field is released on Monday.

The second-seeded Cowgirls lost to third-seeded New Mexico, 65-53, in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament on Friday. A victory would have moved Wyoming one win away from guaranteeing the program's first NCAA tournament bid and would have strengthened the Cowgirls' case for an at-large bid in the process.

Instead, most experts now project Wyoming as a team whose hopes of playing in the Big Dance are slim.

"I don't have any control," Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski said after Friday's loss. "I wish I had some. I think the Mountain West Conference plays at a very high level. Hopefully there's a place somewhere for a team that wins 21 games and ends up getting a No. 2 seed in this tournament."

If they're left out of the NCAA tournament, the Cowgirls, who finished 21-9 overall and 11-5 in MWC play, will most likely garner a WNIT bid for the second straight year. Wyoming hosted two WNIT games at the Arena-Auditorium and advanced to the second round before losing to Nebraska.

Wyoming was listed among the "Next Four Out" in ESPN.com bracketologist Charlie Creme's projection on Saturday. BYU and New Mexico were in Creme's field, while TCU, a team the Cowgirls swept during the regular season, was listed among his "Last Four Out." The Horned Frogs boast a better RPI (59) and strength of schedule (78) than Wyoming (73 and 105, respectively), according to collegerpi.com.

Last season the Cowgirls were denied an at-large bid despite finishing the regular season with an RPI of 59, the nation's 90th-ranked schedule and a 3-6 record against teams in the top 50 RPI.

This season, the Cowgirls were 0-4 against teams in the top 50 RPI.

Still, Wyoming finished tied for second in the traditionally strong MWC and won a game at the conference tournament, something it failed to do last season.

"It was a long two months in the Mountain West Conference," Legerski said. "This team responded for those two months."

And after back-to-back 20 win seasons, a first in program history, another trip to the WNIT would be worth celebrating.

"I'm very proud of this group," he said.

Contact sports reporter Scott Allen at (307) 266-0528 or scott.allen@casperstartribune.net

COWGIRLS TRACKER

FRIDAY: New Mexico 65, Wyoming 53.

RECORDS: Lobos (23-8); Cowgirls (21-9).

KEY STAT: New Mexico shot 50 percent in the second half.

UP NEXT: Wyoming awaits its postseason fate, which will be revealed Monday.

TOMORROW: An updated look at the Cowgirls' chances for an at-large bid heading into Selection Monday.