[su_heading size=”15″]Cowboy Wrestling takes tough losses over break[/su_heading]
The University of Wyoming wrestling team faced heavy adversity over winter break, collecting losses at the hands of four nationally ranked opponents: No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 24 Oregon State, No. 8 Nebraska, and No. 4 Oklahoma.
The Cowboys did salvage some of the break though, as they managed a second place finish and 103 points in the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 22.
In the Pokes 30-6 loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Dec. 14, junior Shane Woods proved a focal point for the home team. Woods upset OSU’s Blake Rosholt, then ranked 11th, in a 3-2 decision at 197 pounds. It was Woods’ first victory against a ranked opponent.
UW next faced the Oregon State Beavers on Dec. 20, where they took another loss, 26-12. Junior Tyler Cox entered the contest ranked 10th in the nation and earned his 75th career victory over Oregon State’s Pat Rollins.
At the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 22, the Cowboys won two weight classes on their way to a second place finish in the tournament. Redshirt freshman Benjamin Stroh earned the 184-pound title and went 6-0 on the day while Cox won the 125-pound championship for the second-consecutive year.
The Cowboys started off 2014 with a loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers 26-12 in Lincoln, Neb. Tyler Cox continued as a bright spot for the Pokes during the loss, defeating 12th-ranked Tim Lambert of Nebraska.
The Pokes’ woes continued at home against the Oklahoma Sooners on Thursday in the form of a 33-9 loss that saw even Cox struggling in a loss to fifth-ranked Jarrod Patterson. Stroh had the best day of any of the Pokes squad, earning six points for his team with a win in his match against Oklahoma’s Danny Chaid.
The Cowboys rounded out the break by adding two new athletes to their ranks: redshirt freshman Gunnar Woodburn and true freshman Davin Addison.
Woodburn, a transfer from Oklahoma State, looks to compete in the 125-133 pound range this season.
Addison, a Boise, Idaho native is slated to wrestle in the heavyweight division for the Cowboys at 290 pounds.
The Pokes begin Western Wrestling Conference competition on Sunday against South Dakota State. The match will take place in Gillette, a neutral site for both teams. The Cowboys are in the hunt for their fifth-consecutive conference title this season.
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[su_heading size=”15″]Cowgirls go 4-1 during winter break[/su_heading]
The Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team picked up five wins over winter break against Ball State (71-51), Montana (79-65), Idaho (72-64) and Nevada (72-64) and lost to the New Mexico Lobos (75-65) to advance their overall record to 11-3. The Pokes also began Mountain West conference play during break, and brought their conference record to 2-1.
The Cowgirls first game of the break came against the Ball State Cardinals at home on Dec. 14. Bolstered by a double double from senior guard Fallon Lewis, the home team ran away with the contest in the second-half and won handily by a 20-point margin.
Four Cowgirls ended the night in double-figures, including junior forward Kayla Woodward who registered a team-high 19 points.
The Montana Grizzlies also proved no match for the Cowgirls at home later in the week as the Cowgirls beat them on Dec. 17, 79-65. Woodward and Lewis continued to lead the Pokes with 23 and 18 points respectively.
The Cowgirls’ first road game of the break and last non-conference contest came against the Idaho Vandals on Dec. 21, and once again the Pokes triumphed. Lewis recorded a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds in her fourth double double performance of the season.
Woodward followed with 17 points and seven rebounds.
Mountain West conference competition began for the Cowgirls on Jan. 4 against the Nevada Wolf Pack. Woodward yet again proved a force for the home team, and the Cowgirls won 72-64 behind her 26 points in their first matchup of 2014. Woodward reached 1,000 career points in the game as well.
Sophomore guard Marquelle Dent also stood out for the Cowgirls, recording a career-high 19 points. Lewis continued to find a way to excel, recording a team-high nine rebounds in the Cowgirls’ home victory.
The Pokes’ only loss during the break came on the road against the New Mexico Lobos on Wednesday, ending their six-game winning streak. Four Cowgirls finished the night in double-digits led by Lewis with 16 points and eight rebounds.
Junior guard Kaitlyn Mileto followed with 15 points.
Wyoming shot 23-58 (.397) from the field and failed to generate much offense with such a low shooting percentage. The loss marks the Cowgirls only double-digit loss of the season.
The Cowgirls will next hit the floor on Saturday at San Jose State. The game is slated for 3:00 p.m. MT.
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[su_heading size=”15″]Cowboy b-ball splits holiday games [/su_heading]
The University of Wyoming men’s basketball team went 3-4 during winter break to advance their season to 10-6, and began Mountain West Conference play with a 1-2 record.
The Cowboys earned victories against Northern Colorado (72-59), Western State (69-52) and Boise State (52-50), and suffered losses at the hands of Denver (61-64), SMU (54-62), Nevada (58-61) and New Mexico (69-72).
The Pokes travelled to Denver on Dec. 15 for their first contest of the break and managed to stay close with the DU Pioneers for much of the game thanks to a career-high performance from junior forward Larry Nance. Nance recorded 38 points and 12 rebounds.
Nance’s stellar outing was not enough to earn the win however, and the Cowboys lost on a turnover late in the second half.
The Cowboys went on to end their 27 game non-conference home winning streak later that week against the SMU Mustangs in a 62-54 loss on Dec. 20. Nance once again led the Pokes, scoring 16 points and earning a season-high 13 rebounds.
The Pokes won their last game of 2013 against the Northern Colorado Bears 72-59 at the Arena-Auditorium on Dec. 22. Nance continued his hot-streak with 29 points and 13 rebounds—his third-consecutive double double.
After trailing for the majority of the first half, the Pokes relied on a late 18-2 run to overcome UNC’s early lead.
The 2014 season started strong for the Cowboys, as they grabbed a home win against Division-II opponent Western State 69-52 on New Year’s Day. Freshman point guard Trey Washington III recorded a career-high 24 points in the contest, exhibiting signs of good things to come from the first-year Cowboy.
The Cowboys lost their first matchup of conference play in dramatic fashion to the Nevada Wolf Pack on Jan. 4, missing a shot with two seconds left before Nevada ended the game with two free throws to win 61-58.
The Pokes’ next game came against the New Mexico Lobos in Laramie on Jan. 8, and ended in an overtime loss 72-69. Junior guard Riley Grabau recorded a career-high 24 points in the Cowboys’ second-straight conference defeat.
The Pokes travelled to Boise State on Saturday for their last game of winter break, where Nance won the game in dramatic fashion by sinking a baseline jumper with 1.3 seconds left in the second half. Nance posted his sixth double double of the season and led the Cowboys with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The Cowboy’s next matchup is Saturday against San Jose State at 2:00 p.m. in the Arena Auditorium.
