October 30, 2019-The Wyoming Men’s basketball team returned to the arena auditorium for the first time since the spring for a 62-56 win against the Northwest Nazarene in an exhibition game.
Senior guard Jake Hendricks led the Cowboys in the first half with 21 points, going 4-5 from the three and 5-5 behind the free throw line. He finished out the night with 23 points, 1 assist, and 3 rebounds.
“Aside from the turnovers, I thought he did a great job shooting because that’s what we need him to do.” Coach Allen Edwards spoke about Hendricks, “I think he does a great job moving the basketball…and I thought he capitalized to the point where they started to deny him the basketball.”
“They found me when I was open,” Hendricks discussing his 23 point night, “ and we ran our plays and I was open so I knocked down a few shots.”
Junior Forward Hunter Thompson picked up four fouls on the night, going 1-4 in field goal attempts. Transfers Greg Milton III and Tyler Morman received some playing time during the course of the game. Milton contributed 5 points and 3 rebounds while Morman went 1-5 with 2 points. The lone Freshman, guard Kwane Marbles, also spent time on the court in the exhibition going 2-2 with 4 points while Freshman Kenny Foster had to sit out for concussion protocols.
The Cowboys scored a total of 43 points, a ten point lead over the Nighthawks, in the first half. They went 15-24, a 62.5 field goal percentage, making six of their eleven attempts at the three as well as 15 defensive rebounds. While the Nighthawks went 13-36, a 36.1 field goal percentage.
The Nighthawks gained ground in the second half, outscoring the Cowboys 23-19 and forcing twenty turnovers.
“I thought the difference in the half was probably a little bit more patience in the first half. Settled a more for some good shots, got the ball moving a little bit.” Coach Allen Edwards discussed, “I thought in the second half one of the things I wasn’t happy with was our shot selection.”
“Overall, I wouldn’t say I’m happy but at the same time, it wasn’t necessarily about winning the game. It was more about trying to get guys out there.”
However, with efforts from Hunter Maldanado who scored 11 points with eleven rebounds and two turnovers, the Cowboys kept their lead during the course of the second half to take the exhibition win.
“I think for most of our guys, seeing how to finish a game is huge,” Maldanado spoke about the second half, “I think think we can definitely improve in that area.”
The Cowboys will return the Arena Auditorium on next Tuesday, November 5th at 7 pm against Idaho State.
