The Wyoming Cowboys took down the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the opening round of the Don Haskins Sun Bowl Classic this Wednesday. Senior transfer forward Mason Walters made his Cowboy debut in the game and had a nice outing for the Cowboys who showed off some nice depth in their frontcourt with the addition of Walters.
Sam Griffin would start the scoring for the Cowboys with a smooth jumper that would be quickly answered by the Jackrabbits. Brendan Wenzel would knock down his first three point attempt, but that would be answered and then some by the Jackrabbits as they’d take a 7-5 lead early in the contest. The Cowboys could only muster a free throw from Wenzel as the Jackrabbits would go on a 5-1 run to take an early six point edge over the Cowboys. The Cowboys would have the answer, though, as an Akuel Kot three pointer and Cam Manyawu’s first bucket would draw the Cowboys within a point. The Jackrabbits would score, but Oleg Kojenets and Kobe Newton’s first buckets would give the lead back to the Cowboys as they would lead 17-14. Wenzel would hit his second three and Kojenets would score to cap off a 9-0 run from the Cowboys before the Jackrabbits could answer and bring it a 22-21 game in favor of the Cowboys with 8 minutes left in the half.
Griffin would score a lay-in and a free throw and Manyawu would lay it in another quick Cowboy run would extend their lead out to 27-21 before the Jackrabbits could answer again. The Jackrabbits would once again bring themselves within a point at 29-28 before Walters first bucket of the season would spark a quick 7-0 run which would carry them to a 36-31 lead heading into halftime.
The Cowboys enjoyed a nice lift from their bench in the first half, a welcome sight for a team that has struggled with depth through their first 10 games. Kojenets had 7 points and 4 rebounds off the bench in the half, but also recorded 3 fouls. Manyawu and Newton had 4 and 3 points off the bench, respectively. Walters struggled in his first half playing for the Cowboys, going 1/8 from the field with 2 fouls.
The Jackrabbits would open the second half with 5 straight to tie up the contest before Caden Powell would score his first points of the game at the free throw line. Walters would score his second bucket but that would be answered quickly on the other end as the Jackrabbits would stick with the Cowboys. Kot would cash in a three and a nice lay-in to extend the lead back out to 6 for the Cowboys at 46-40. The Jackrabbits would again fight back and even tie the contest before a Powell lay-in would make it a 49-47 lead for the Cowboys with 9 and a half minutes left in the game.
The Jackrabbits still wouldn’t go away as a pair of Cowboy giveaways would allow the Jackrabbits to take a 51-49 lead. Walters would knock down a pair of free throws to tie it back up and then knock down a big three to give the lead back to the Cowboys. Kot would then race down the court the next possession and fly in for a nice and-one lay-in and Wenzel would go up and under for two for a huge 10 point swing to give the Cowboys a 59-51 lead with 6 minutes remaining. Mason Walters would score as well, slashing through the lane to extend the lead to 10 before the Jackrabbits would finally answer. Both teams would then trade baskets, favoring the Cowboys as they continued to hold onto their 10 point lead late in the second half. Manyawu would come up with a steal and would go coast to coast to lay it in as the Cowboys would have their greatest lead of the night at 68-55 with 3 and a half left in the game. The Cowboys would find points from both Griffin and Kot late as Kot would knock down a dagger three with a minute left to seal the game for the Cowboys as they’d win 78-65.
The Cowboys were extremely proficient from the field in the contest, sitting around 50% from the field as well as beyond the arc. The Cowboys held a massive advantage on the glass, out rebounding the Jackrabbits 39-24. The Cowboys did have small struggles at the free throw line, going 14-23 from the charity stripe.
The Cowboys showed off some nice depth in the contest, as all 8 players who played scored 5 or more points. The Cowboys were led by Kot with 22 points as he went 8/14 from the field. Walters, despite not shooting the best from the field, had a nice debut for the Cowboys with 12 points. The Cowboys were lead on the glass by Powell with 8 rebounds.
The Cowboys will play the winner of Norfolk State/UTEP in the championship game of the Sun Bowl Invitational on Thursday.
