Despite hitting 12 three pointers, the Wyoming men’s basketball team lost a tough one on the road against Utah State on Feb. 11 in Logan, Utah. The Pokes were outrebounded 41-26, including 13 offensive rebounds by the Aggies.
Guards Lou Adams and Jeremy Lieberman led the way for the Cowboys with 16 and 11 points, respectively. Jason McManamen had 10 points and two three pointers, bringing him to 184 for his career. He needs 10 more to become UW’s all-time leader.
“I thought it was a game for anyone to take and opportunities, they capitalized more on the opportunities presented to them,” head coach Allen Edwards said. “We have to do a better job on the glass and have to do a better job defending the three point line. This is a tough place to play on the road and they play well here, but I was pleased with our effort.”
The Cowboys shot 46 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point land, while Utah State shot 45 percent from the field and 85 percent from the free throw line. Wyoming had 13 points off of turnovers while the Aggies had 14.
UW opened the game aggressively, leading 13-10 at the first timeout. Utah State then went on an 11-0 run paced by senior Jalen Moore’s six points. The Cowboys fought back to 27-25 with two threes from Cody Kelley and one from Hayden Dalton.
The Pokes took a 35-33 lead with 6:05 remaining in the first half but shot 1-6 the rest of the way to go into halftime trailing 43-42. Both teams had runs in the opening minutes of the second half, with the Cowboys taking a 56-53 lead at the 13-minute mark.
Utah State used UW turnovers to take a 59-58 lead, but forward Alan Herndon hit a three shortly after to tie the game with less than eight minutes left. The Pokes had a brief 65-64 lead, but the Aggies went on a 5-0 run to bring the game to 70-65.
The Cowboys were able to cut the lead to four, but a three pointer from Moore sealed the victory for the Aggies. Moore had 23 points to go over 1,000 for his career.
The Cowboys will return to action on Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium, hosting Colorado State in the first Border War game of the season.
Pokes lose late at Utah State
