With how this season has gone, the Wyoming Cowboys were due for a blowout victory sometime.
And that’s exactly what they got with their first game at home in nearly a month against the Bellarmine Knights.
Admittedly, it couldn’t have come at a more ideal time for the Cowboys, who carried with them a four game skid into this matchup. Three out of four of those games, which all were away from home, were lost by no more than three points, including a three point conference road loss at the then undefeated Utah State.
The Cowboys were in desperate need of a win and were in danger of falling below .500 on the season if they were to lose to the Knights and extend their losing streak to five games. Obi Agbim, however, was keen on finding a win on staying undefeated on his home court this season, as the senior transfer was electric, finishing his night with 28 points, including eight three pointers while finishing 10/13 from the field. Agbim has easily been the best player for the Cowboys’ this season, as he currently leads his team and the Mountain West in scoring, averaging around 19 points per game.
I mean “Air Obi” • @obihoops pic.twitter.com/1jIQpTAeBy
— Wyoming Cowboy Basketball (@wyo_mbb) December 20, 2024
“I’m proud of the consistency, that’s one thing I talk about in our practices–being an everyday dude,” head coach Sundance Wicks said of Agbim. “He’s done it against Big 12 teams, he’s done it against low-major, mid-major, doesn’t matter.”
However, much of Agbim’s scoring was aided by the presence of A.J. Wills, who has quietly emerged as a breakout player on the Cowboys’ bench. Wills, a true point guard for the Cowboys, allows Agbim to flourish as Wills takes the roles of the floor general and allows Agbim to play more as the scoring guard when both players are on the floor. Both were +30 when on the floor in tonight’s contest.
“A.J.’s got a high feel, he’s a good wiggle guard…A.J.’s going to be really important for us as we go forward here,” Wicks had said of Wills earlier in the season.
The Cowboys did receive nice contributions from a lot of different players in this one, which will be especially important down the stretch for the Cowboys.
The Cowboys struggled immensely to find depth in the scoring column in their most recent loss against BYU, which saw Agbim score 21 of the Cowboys’ 49 points in a 68-49 loss, with a seven point effort by Jordan Nesbitt being the closest contender to Agbim’s total in that one.
This time around, they had five players finish in double figures, including Matija Belic, who played in just his second game in the Brown and Gold for the Cowboys. His insertion to the lineup, along with the emergence of Wills will hope to see the Cowboys find more depth in the scoring column.
“We’re going to be completely different, in a lot of ways, with Matija coming back,” Wicks said.
Belic ended his night with 24 minutes on the court, which saw him stuff the box score with 12 points, two blocks, two rebounds and an assist.
With Mountain West play just around the for the Cowboys, who have one last non-conference tilt against Fullerton this Sunday, it’s a breath of fresh air to see this squad fully healthy with all it’s depth intact.
The Cowboys’ conference slate begins in full swing on December 28, when the Cowboys play host to a solid Nevada squad.
