The University of Wyoming men’s basketball team defeated the Air Force Falcons—who at one point led by 15—66-59 on Wednesday night in Colorado Springs, Colo., marking the largest margin the Cowboys have overcome all season.
The win brings Wyoming to 12-6 overall and 3-2 in conference play. This is the first time this season that the Pokes have had a winning record in Mountain West competition.
Junior forward Larry Nance Jr. led the Pokes with 20 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Josh Adams also stood out in the contest with 17 points, as did senior guard Nathan Sobey with 10.
Junior forward Kamryn Williams anchored Air Force with 17 points. Sophomore guard Tre’ Coggins continued his above-average play this season, contributing 15 points to the Falcons’ losing effort.
Assistant coach Allen Edwards took over head coaching duties for the Pokes on Wednesday as head coach Larry Shyatt was forced to miss the game due to illness. Shyatt was unavailable for comment following the game, but plans to return to practice sometime during the week.
The first 10 minutes of regulation were largely a back-and-forth affair, with both Adams and Nance scoring early.
The Falcons were not quiet for long, though, and mounted a 15-1 run over five minutes to take the lead 30-15, their largest lead of the night.
The Cowboys managed to respond with a 13-5 scoring spurt of their own, and went into the locker room at halftime down 35-28.
Wyoming shot 40 percent (9-of-22) from the field in the first half, and hit only 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Riley Grabau continued his cold streak from deep, failing to connect on three three-point attempts.
In the second half the Pokes hung around until the final four minutes, when they mounted an 11-2 run to take a 56-54 advantage. The Falcons responded with a three to reclaim the lead, but did not get another field goal in the contest.
Nance scored six consecutive points and redshirt junior guard Charles Hankerson Jr. put in a layup to give the Pokes a 64-59 lead. From there the Cowboys clinched a win off of a rebound and free throws from Adams with four seconds left.
Wyoming shot 50 percent from the field (20-of-40) in the contest, marking their ninth game this season shooting 50 percent or better.
The Cowboys return to action Saturday when they take on the Nevada Wolf Pack at 2 p.m. in the Arena Auditorium.
