John Luke Fabian
jfabian1@uwyo.edu
Twitter: @HouseFabian
Led by a veteran trio of senior Josh Adams, junior Jason McManamen and sophomore Alan Herndon, Wyoming was able to win a dog fight against CSU Bakersfield 68-64 the night before Thanksgiving.
“Kudos to our three veteran players. All three of them did a good job — Herndon, McManamen and Josh,” head coach Larry Shyatt said.
The first half of the game saw both teams exchanging leads and had the game tied during eight different occasions. The half ended with McManamen hitting a buzzer beating three-point shot to give the Cowboys a five-point lead.
Wyoming shot for over 40 percent from the field and from beyond the arc. McManamen led all players in scoring with nine points, all of them coming from the three-point range. Adams added eight points and led the team in rebounding with three.
Wyoming extended its lead in the second half through three-balls and shots at the charity stripe. CSU Bakersfield hung around like a friend who can’t take the hint that it’s 2 a.m. and you want to go to bed.
With 8:36 left in the game, Adams hit a free-throw that put the Pokes up by 13 points. CSU Bakersfield was able to make shots and get to the free-throw line to bring the game to a tie.
Alan Herndon, one of the three veterans, was able to make a pass to sophomore Jonathan Barnes for the go-ahead dunk with 13 ticks left on the clock.
“I thought Al played with the most energy he has all season,” Shyatt said. “He made a great assist to Jonathan Barnes for the winning dunk. He (Herndon) blocked three shots and he was able to convert 7 of 8 from the field.”
CSU Bakersfield still had an opportunity to tie or win the game with 0:13 left to play. One of the three veterans, McManamen, was able to force a turnover and capture the victory for the Cowboys.
“You are a product of your habits, and Jason McManamen has developed excellent defensive habits.” Shyatt said. “He stepped up and took the game-winning charge, and then he knocked down the two free throws to seal the win.”
Adams, the third of the three, led the team in scoring with 23 points with 12 points coming from the free-throw line. Wyoming went to the charity stripe 22 times, and missed once.
“This is the style of game Coach Shy likes to see, but we probably aren’t going to see this style for a while. You have to adjust as a coach and as a coaching staff. You have to continue to learn,” Shyatt said.
Both teams shot over 40 percent from the field and had 15 points off of turnovers. It was a season low in points scored by the Pokes, and it was lowest amount of points they have allowed this season.
“What we will do is we will come to play,” Shyatt said. “We’ll come to get better every game and we’ll try to keep learning.”
The Cowboys continued their winning-streak in the Arena Auditorium, defeating Montana State last Saturday night 82-68. The Branding Iron will have more coverage of this game tomorrow.
