Coming into the contest against Utah State, the Wyoming Cowboys were in need of another statement win on their home floor to keep pace with the top half of the Mountain West standings and end a two game skid. It looked as if the Cowboys had the Aggies’ number, but towards the latter portion of the second half, the Cowboys fell apart offensively and allowed the Aggies to burst out to a 10 point lead late on their way to a tough 84-76 loss.
“I was proud of the execution of the game plan offensively, we did a really good job in the first half, but in that second-half they switched a little bit more and we got a little stagnant,” head Coach Jeff Linder said post-game.
Both the Cowboys and Aggies were deadlocked early, trading baskets back and forth. For the Pokes, it was Brendan Wenzel leading the charge as he scored seven straight points early as both teams were knotted up in the early goings 9-9. Caden Powell would have his own burst offensively early, as he’d net five straight as the Cowboys would take a 16-11 lead with just under 13 minutes left in the first half.
The Cowboys would continue to forge their lead as the half would progress, eventually exploding out to a 10 point lead off the back of Wenzel and Sam Griffin three pointers. The Aggies wouldn’t be put away, though, as they’d roar back in the later parts of the first half as the Cowboys would grasp onto a four point 43-39 lead at the half off a last second shot at the buzzer by Mason Walters.
The Aggies would come out of the gates in the second half hot, as they’d quickly take a three point lead off the back of a 9-0 run. The Pokes would answer, going for five straight with Akuel Kot hitting his first shot of the game. Both teams would continue to trade buckets back and forth, and the Aggies held onto a 61-60 lead midway through the second half.
The Cowboys would struggle immensely offensively from about the 10 minute mark of the second half, as the Aggies would go on an 14-4 run to take their largest lead of the night at 76-66 with a minute left in the contest. The Cowboys would hit some shots late but the Aggies would ice the game at the free throw line as the Cowboys would drop the contest 84-76.
The Cowboys were led by the offensive attack of Wenzel, as he led the Cowboys with 24 points. He was paced in double figures by Griffin with 18 and Walters with 16. Cam Manyawu had a strong showing off the bench, grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds to go along with eight points and three steals. Kot struggled to get going in the game, netting only one three for all of his scoring.
The Cowboys again had a nice advantage on the glass in the game, especially on the offensive end as they had 15 offensive rebounds to the Aggies five. The Cowboys struggled to stop the Aggies offensively though, as the Aggies shot 56.6% from the field and 42.9% from deep.
The Cowboys hit the road in their next contest, taking on San Jose State on Saturday with the game set to tip off at 8 p.m.
