Tanner Conley
If defense truly wins games, then why are the Cowboys 1-3? This was the question on everyone’s mind as the Cowboys took the court to face the University of Detroit Mercy Titans Tues.
The Cowboys desperately needed a win to get their season back on track after three tough losses in a row, their most recent coming at the hands of Oregon State University with a final of 83-63. Despite a series of strong performances from sophomore guard Hunter Maldonado, the Cowboy’s attack has been brought into question. Maldonado, who leads the team in scoring, assists and rebounds, averages 18.8 points a game. With impressive numbers like this, it seems clear that the Cowboys mainly focus on attacking, right?
That is where you are wrong.
Both Head Coach Allen Edwards and his players live by the motto ‘defense is where we hang our hat at the end of the day.’ This is obvious to anyone who attends their games. The Cowboy’s five starters in Tues.’s game average a total of 18.4 rebounds a game. But could the Pokes hold out against Detroit Mercy? Or would the Titans have the tools to crack Wyoming’s hard shell?
The Cowboys starting lineup featured Maldonado, along with senior Jake Hendrix and sophomore TJ Taylor.
Against them stood the player that broke Stephen Curry’s college three-point record, Antoine Davis. Davis would be a handful on the night finishing with 11 points and one three pointer made.
The game started as all basketball games do. The ball was tipped, and both sides were a flurry of energy, testing each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Detroit Mercy struck first with a three-pointer two minutes in. The Cowboys then quickly fell behind 8-0 within three minutes. The Cowboys finally broke the ice with a layup from Taylor.
Both teams sought to push the tempo early, utilizing counter attacks and quick passing to get their points. The Cowboys appeared more willing to push the counter attack than in previous games, with mixed results. They eventually took the lead with 15 minutes left in the half.
The focus of the game rapidly became a shooting contest. The Titan’s zone defense and the Cowboys’ discipline forced both teams to shoot from distance. Wyoming finished the half having made 12 points off of three pointers. The Titans entered the locker room with six out of 12 three pointers made. There were 29 three pointers attempted in the first half.
Both teams were unable to establish control of the game. It seemed that each team would gain the lead only to lose it the following possession. This process was repeated throughout the half and only ended when halftime began.
Taylor was the Cowboy’s leading scorer with 12 points followed closely by Maldonado with eight. The Cowboys also managed to limit turnovers, only giving up seven for a season low. The score heading into the second half was Cowboys 33, Titans 31.
Coming out of the half, the game was slow. Both teams failed to hit the basket with their first possessions. The teams then set up their defenses and dared the other to shoot from beyond the arc. The Cowboys were unfazed and knocked down three consecutive three pointers to turn the momentum in their favor and establish the game’s largest lead at 13.
Nothing seemed to fall for the Titans as the Cowboys pressed their attack. The Cowboys’ scoring streak was snapped after a putback layup, well after they had already scored 15 unanswered points.
Detroit Mercy was by no means out of the contest. A pair of three pointers brought them back within ten, and a series of solid defensive stops had the Titans perched for a comeback. The lead was cut down to 11 before the Pokes responded.
From that point onward, Wyoming had obvious control of the game. With nine minutes left in the half, they pushed their lead to 18 points and never looked back. Detroit Mercy showed glimpses of their first half selves, but never got back to their original form. The game ended in favor of the Cowboys; Wyoming 76, Detroit Mercy 49.
The Cowboys were a new team in the second half. They ended up shooting 51.9% from the field and made 45.5% of their three pointers in the second half. They outrebounded the Titans 43 to 37. Taylor finished as the Cowboys top scorer with 22 points. Hendricks recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds and 12 points. AJ Banks went 5-6 and had a big hand in holding the nation’s third highest scorer last year, Titan’s Davis, to only 11 points.
“When we got into those open spots and got those open looks, we hit them like we know how,” said Maldonado in a post-game press conference.
“My teammates and my coach always tell me to be aggressive, because we have so many threats on the perimeter. It just opens up my game,” Taylor said.
The Cowboys have high hopes looking forward to their next matchup against the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Thurs.
